About KY JwJ

Kentucky Jobs With Justice

A campaign for workers’ rights.

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Who We Are

National Jobs with Justice was founded in 1987 with a mission to improve working people’s standard of living, fight for job security, and protect workers’ right to organize. JwJ’s core belief is that in order to be successful, workers’ rights struggles have to be part of a larger campaign for economic and social justice. To that end, JwJ has created a network of local coalitions that connect labor, faith-based, community, and student organizations to work together on workplace and community social justice campaigns.

KY JwJ was founded in 1992 when community and church activists joined to support UNITE! in a fight for fair contract for workers against Louisville Manufacturing. KY JwJ has since grown to a coalition of more than 50 organizational members and 1800 individual activists who have pledged to “be there five times for someone else’s fight as well as my own.”

Kentucky Jobs with Justice is a broad-based coalition of community groups, faith-based organizations and labor unions united to promote, protect and improve the quality of life of all workers by empowering individuals and organizations to engage in collective action for economic and social justice.

Kentucky Jobs with Justice Member Organizations: A. Philip Randolph Institute, AARP, AFGE Local 1133, AFSCME Local 2629, AFSCME Council 62, ATU 1447, Carpenters Local 64, Catholic Charities, Catholic Conference of KY, Central Kentucky Council for Peace and Justice, Central Presbyterian Church, Church of the Epiphany, CLUW, Coalition for the Homeless, CWA local 3310, CWA local 3372, Elevator Constructors, Fairness Campaign, Fellowship of Reconciliation, GCIU local 619 M, Greater Louisville Building Trades Council, Greater Louisville Central Labor Council, GL CLC Retirees, IAFF Local 345, IAM Lodge 830, IAM Lodge 2409, IAMAW Local 681, IAMAW Retirees District 27, IBEW local 369, IN-KY Regional Council of Carpenters, Independent Pilots Association, Ironworkers #44, Ironworkers Local 70, Jefferson County Teachers Association, KASE/AFT, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, KY Academy of Trial Attorneys, KY Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, KY Fairness Alliance, KY Interfaith Committee on Latin America and the Caribbean, KY State AFL-CIO, KY State District Council of Carpenters, Legal Aid/UAW 2320, LIUNA Local 576, Louisville Federation of Musicians Local 11-637, Louisville Tenants Association, Metropolitan Housing Coalition, Millwrights Local 2501, Millwrights Local 1031, National Writers Union of Kentucky, Nurses Professional Organization, Owensboro CLC, PACE 5-2002, Plumbers Local 107, SEIU local 320, Sheetmetal Workers Local 110, South Central Indiana Central Labor Council, Stagehands Local 17, St. William Church, Teamsters Local 89, Thomas Jefferson Unitarian Church, UAW Local 862, UAW Region 3, UFCW Local 111D, UFCW local 227, UNITE, USWA District 8, USWA Local 1693, USWA local 9443, USWA local 9447, USWA Local 14398, Zion United Church of Christ

Should your organization be on this list? Call 502/625.3724 for more information.

What We Do

CIVIL RIGHTS: We worked with the Fairness Campaign to ensure the reauthorization of Louisville’s Fairness Ordinance protecting the civil rights of all people regardless of their race, gender or sexual orientation. We made calls to mobilize people to attend the Metro Council meeting in November 2004 to discuss the Civil Rights Ordinance and Fairness Provision and we had Letters to the Editor published in the Courier-Journal in support of keeping the Fairness Provision.

HEALTH CARE ORGANIZING: We continue to draw attention to the current crisis in health care coverage for America’s working families and the need for a political solution. We played a strategic and public role during the contract negotiations of three local unions: UFCW, CWA and JCTA. We created the Health Care Action Committee and held a health care Speak Out! in October, 2004 where we released the JwJ report on how we can fund health care for all.

IMMIGRANT RIGHTS: We worked with KITLAC on its campaign for the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and their fight for better wages and working conditions. In February 2005, 350 allies rallied for justice for farmworkers as part of the Taco Bell Truth Tour. In May 2005, we joined the CIW outside of Yum! Brands headquarters during the shareholders meeting to reiterate our demands. Our voices were heard and Taco Bell responded by agreeing to pay a penny more for each pound of tomatoes it uses and buy only from growers who agree to pass the surcharge to the field workers. Trabajos con Justicia.

LIVING WAGE: While we had an initial living wage victory in 2003, we spent 2004 fighting resistance to actual implementation of the ordinance. We closely monitored its implementation, explored expanding the ordinance to include companies who are awarded contracts for services to Metro Louisville and held forums and workshops to inform the public of the needs and benefits of ‘living wages’.

WORKERS’ RIGHTS: Strengthening the Kentucky Workers’ Rights Board is key to standing with our union partners in their struggles to organize and protect workers’ rights. In July 2004, we held an amazing Workers’ Rights Board hearing to support workers in Versailles at the Quebecor World printing plant who are trying to organize a union. In May 2005, we held a Workers’ Rights Board hearing for the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to hear about the need to for Taco Bell to increase payment for tomatoes picked by field workers in Florida. JwJ grew the state-wide Board to 50 members (up from 25 in 2003) and held an orientation session for new members.

KY JWJ Values

– To support people with workplace problems + fight for workers’ rights
– To bring together people in the movement for social justice
– To fight for justice + fairness for workers
– To create strong grassroots coalitions
– To support cooperative + collaborative advocacy that is loud + proud
– To promote mutual support + action
– To create a collectively broad coalition
– To fight for job security
– To promote the right to organize + to strike
– To fight for a decent standard of living

Past Activities

KY JwJ History