South Florida Interfaith Worker Justice

06/27/2021

Who stands to benefit from raising the minimum wage? 32 million Americans, essential workers, parents with families, 31% of Black and 26% of Latino workers.

It's past time. Ask you Senators what their plan is to : 888-639-5155

h/t Economic Policy Institute

04/01/2021

The passing of Rabbi Solomon Schiff - sharing the notice that is going out to the MCCJ Interfaith Clergy Dialogue. Thank you to Fred Klein for his words at a time when I have none. I'll post the Zoom link as soon as I have it.
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Friends,

It is with a very heavy heart that we announce the passing of Rabbi Solomon Schiff. Rabbi Schiff was a foundation of our community and a walking embodiment of good will to everyone. He was a pioneer in building the state of chaplaincy not only in South Florida but throughout America. He combined deep wells of Torah knowledge with an uncanny ability to engage others in his dreams through a story or a well-timed joke. But, behind Rabbi Schiff’s smiling and pleasant demeanor was a person of substance who saw his life through and through as a servant of God. With his wife Shirley always at his side, Rabbi Schiff was a constant presence for the Jewish and greater Miami community for over fifty years.

The righteous bloom like a date-palm; they thrive like a cedar in Lebanon, planted in the house of the LORD, they flourish in the courts of our God. In old age they still produce fruit; they are full of sap and freshness, attesting that the LORD is upright, my rock, in whom there is no wrong (Psalm 92). This was Rabbi Schiff, who, until his final days, found boundless energy to continue to serve and grow, living a life of meaning and purpose.

It is hard to overstate his lifetime of involvements. He was a champion in combatting poverty, promoting racial harmony, expanding interfaith affairs, creating interdenominational partnerships, advocating on behalf of Holocaust survivors, and supporting Israel. His path was unique, and our world is better because of him.

We will all deeply miss his counsel, support, and love. The loss of Rabbi Schiff is a very personal loss for us both and for our community as a whole.

The funeral is being held tomorrow, April 2 at 11 AM at Mount Sinai Cemetery, 1125 NW 137th St in Miami. Zoom information will follow.

In sadness,

Rabbi Fred Klein and Jeanette Smith
Co-Chairs, MCCJ Interfaith Clergy Dialogue

12/11/2020

"Not only did Wage and Hour find the Flores’ and Flo-Ag paid U.S. workers less than the H-2A workers doing the same work, but investigators found Flo-Ag sometimes paid the U.S. workers in cash and without a pay stub. They wound up owing $45,212 in back pay to 113 employees, $400.10 per person."

Violations of pay and housing led to a Labelle company and the two men who run it being debarred from participating in the H-2A visa program for two years, the U.S. Department of Labor announced.

12/11/2020

According to a press release from the Department of Labor, Tampa Bay Brewing Company “illegally included managers in the restaurant’s tip sharing arrangement,” which violates the Fair Labor Standards Act.

11/26/2020

VIRTUAL VIGIL ON THANKSGIVING DAY: On Thanksgiving Day, Take Action to Support Poultry Workers & Halt the Trump Administration’s Last-Minute Move to Endanger Them
As you gather either in person or virtually with your loved ones, take a moment to reflect on the challenges of this past year and on the many workers who have been affected, including those who provide the food for our tables. As you light a candle in honor of these many workers say a prayer for the poultry workers who risk their lives and their safety on the processing lines.

Despite studies highlighting the dangers faced due to line speed, the Trump administration is attempting a last-minute effort to increase the production line speed from 140 to 175 birds per minute, a dangerous level when there are already injuries occurring at the current rate. The proposed speed-up rule presented by the USDA to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is available here, but you have the ability to stop the enactment of this dangerous change.

“We came to this country to make a living and survive, not to lose our lives in the poultry processing plants. The COVID-19 pandemic is already impacting poultry workers severely. There is no social distancing in the poultry plants and workers have to buy their own gloves and masks in a vending machine the company installed in the lunchroom,” said Nora Reyes, Director of Centro de Derechos Laborales in Bryan, Texas. It’s inhumane to increase the line speed to 175 birds per minute. Some workers have already been disabled due to the manual cutting of the chicken tenders and breasts with knives and scissors. Increasing the line speed will lead to more injuries and further spread of the virus. Reyes said.

Poultry workers are in peril. This Thanksgiving Holiday Take Action to support them and to thank them for their work!
Steps that you can take
· Write to the OMB at [email protected], and demand that they halt RIN:05083-AD85, Maximum Line Speed Under the New Poultry Inspection System. https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eoDetails?rrid=131360
· And/or request a virtual meeting at https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eo/neweomeeting to discuss RIN: 05083-AD85 and tell them that workers in the poultry processing lines already work shoulder to shoulder with no social distancing. Speeding up the line will further endanger these workers.
Most of the workers in the poultry plants are immigrants and people of color who are already disproportionately vulnerable to the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In some of these plants, company supervisors are actually betting on how many workers will catch COVID-19!

On behalf of all of us at IWJ, we ask that, as you reflect on the last year, which has been so challenging for so many of us, you also keep these poultry workers and so many other essential workers in your thoughts and your prayers. We ask that you take these small steps that will mean so much to the safety of these poultry workers. They’re counting on you.

The Trump administration is rushing to approve dozens of eleventh-hour policy changes. Among them: The Justice Department is fast-tracking a rule that could reintroduce firing squads and electrocutions to federal executions.

10/31/2020

"During a pandemic, Rogers is unable to afford health insurance, and told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that the wages that she, her coworkers, and other essential workers earn are not enough to make ends meet."

More than 1.5 million workers of color would see this pay increase, with Black and Latinx women standing to gain the most.

10/19/2020

“If employers in any industry were to tell their American workers, ‘You cannot leave your worksite,’ there would be a societal outcry,” said Jason Yarashes, lead attorney for the Legal Aid Justice Center in Virginia, who has met with concerned farmworkers. “But, for farmworkers, this level of control is deemed acceptable.”

The guest workers have been prevented from all but carefully controlled trips to avoid contracting or spreading Covid-19. ‘I never expected to lose my freedom,’ said one.

10/09/2020

“As heartbreaking as it is to take this action, this is the only feasible option we have in light of the prolonged impact of Covid-19 on our business, including limited capacity due to physical distancing requirements and the continued uncertainty regarding the duration of the pandemic”

Disney to Cut 28,000 Resort Jobs in U.S.Last Updated Sept. 30, 2020, 8:24 p.m. ETSept. 30, 2020, 8:24 p.m. ETHere’s what you need to know:Disney is cutting about 25 percent of its resort work force.JPMorgan to pay $920 million to settle charges of manipulating marketsAmazon, Target and Walmart pus...

10/09/2020

"American Airlines’ mass layoff of 19,000 workers includes 2,000 people who work at airports in South Florida, a spokeswoman confirmed Thursday."

American Airlines followed through on its pledge to lay off 19,000 workers companywide after Congress failed to agree on a new coronavirus relief package for the nation's airline industry.

10/08/2020

“Everyone was in consensus that people should be able to make a living wage...We have people that are working 60 hours a week in different jobs that still rely on government assistance because they don’t make enough to live on.”

If 60% of voters are in favor of Amendment 2, Florida's minimum wage will be $15 per hour by 2026.

10/06/2020

“This is wrong...We need to be paid what we deserve. How can we be called ‘essential workers’ and still be paid $8.81 an hour?”

Workers and labor advocates say people can't live on $8.56 an hour. Opponents say raising the state's minimum wage will hurt small businesses.

10/05/2020

"A group of McDonald’s workers formed a caravan Thursday morning, driving from Sanford into Orlando to bring attention to Amendment 2, which would raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour."

Should Florida's minimum wage be raised to $15 an hour?