Working Family Solidarity strives to educate and unify working families in Chicago and Illinois to create a culture of labor rights education and inter-racial solidarity among low-wage and contingent workers, including unemployed and under-employed worker BUILDING RACIAL ALLIANCES BETWEEN WORKING FAMILIES
WFS believes that it is critical to decrease racial tension between low-wage workers so that
we see each other as natural allies, instead of competition for scarce resources. We hold Racial Unity dialogues as part of our outreach and trainings with workers and their families, to create a unity that can help all of our communities reach racial justice and economic stability beyond the workplace. When workers and their families are destabilized at work through the increasingly contingent nature of jobs, and also undergo daily instability at home due to uncertainty of their families’ housing situation, it is very difficult for working families to effectively unite and gain economic security. This is especially true for African American and Latinx working families in Chicago, and other big cities. SOLIDARITY BETWEEN RURAL AND URBAN WORKING FAMILIES
WFS believes that there is a divide between urban and rural workers and working families, based on a lack of understanding and mistrust. WFS promotes solidarity and increased understanding between urban and rural workers and working families, so that we can increase our support of each other's similar struggles to reach economic stability. JUSTICE BEYOND THE WORKPLACE
We believe that in today’s economy of mostly contingent work, outreach and education with workers must include their families as well, to build a broad-based movement which takes into account the worker as a family member, a community member, as well as a renter, home-owner, or a victim of gentrification. Founding Executive Director: Leone Jose Bicchieri
--The proud son of Mexican and Italian immigrants, Leone has worked for 30 years in labor organizing, community organizing, and organizing for racial unity/racial justice. He has worked in various parts of the country, in urban and rural areas, and in other countries. Founding Board Members:
Richard Wallace, Worker Center for Racial Justice
Benetta Standly, Civil Rights Expert
Axel Fuentes, Rural Community Workers Alliance
