Labor Update for Week of April 9, 2018

From the Blog

Calls for Winston-Salem to Adopt $15 Family Wage for City Workers

Winston-Salem faith, labor, and community members are continuing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s fight for the full freedom of all working people by calling on the City to follow the lead of Greensboro and other NC municipalities in adopting a $15 per hour family wage for city workers. Read more.

“Wisdom of Women” Seminar Coming to Greensboro April 14th

NC Council of Churches 2018 Critical Issues Seminar will be held in Greensboro and will focus on women. Founder and former Executive Director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice (and state supreme court candidate) Anita Earles will be speaking, and workshops will cover topics such as the the Equal Rights Amendment, sexual harassment in the workplace, and building interracial solidarity among women.

We’re Hiring a Paid Intern for Summer 2018!

We’re looking for young people with imagination, smarts, energy, grit, and the skills and drive to help us win victories for working as our paid summer intern. Pay is $15/hour. The deadline to apply for summer 2018 is Friday, April 20th. Read more.

News that Works

Rally calls for city of Winston-Salem's workers to get $15 an hour minimum wage

A Look at Persistent Poverty and the Rural-Urban Divide in North Carolina

The Oklahoma Teachers’ Strike Is a Mutiny Against Austerity

Oklahoma teacher: “I’d be on food stamps” without a second job

50 Years Later, Machinists March in Footsteps of Dr. King

“Marching in the footsteps of Dr. King gives me a tremendous sense of pride,” said McNeal, 65, who is now president of the North Carolina State Council of Machinists. “I really truly believe that it was one of the highlights of my life.”

Bayard Rustin: The gay union organizer who helped MLK change the world

Take Action

Boycott VUSE e-cigarettes by Reynolds

Until Reynolds signs an agreement guaranteeing farmworkers freedom of association and the right to collectively negotiate for safe and humane working and living conditions and for a fair return on their work, join us in boycotting the VUSE e-cigarette brand! Read more.

Sign the Boycott VUSE online petition

Attend one of these VUSE Boycott solidarity actions:

April 9th in Durham, at the Circle K (106 E. NC 54, corner of 54 and Fayetteville St., just north of I-40 exit to Fayetteville St.), from 5:00 - 5:45p
April 10th in Goldsboro, at the Circle K (2101 Wayne Memorial Dr), from 5:30 - 6:30p
April 13th in Raleigh, at the Circle K / Kangaroo Store (4100 Western Blvd.), from 5:30 - 6:15p

Register for the Raising Wages NC Lobby Day, May 22nd

It is time for our elected officials to hear loud and clear: Now is the time to do right by workers and put NC on a path to $15 an hour. SIGN UP

Tell N.C.'s "Elevator Queen" to Attend Workers' Memorial Day

Most people probably know North Carolina Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry from seeing her name and face posted in every elevator in the state, but arguably the most important responsibility of her department is to investigate when people are injured or killed on the job. Yet in all her years leading NCDOL, Ms. Berry has never held or attended a Workers’ Memorial Day service to mourn the dead and recommit to protect the living. Tell her to show up!