QJWG celebrates RPE's "JUST Jobs" issue

On March14th, UH hosted an open house event to celebrate the next issue of RP&E : “JUST jobs: Organizing for Economic Justice.”  Featuring over two dozen articles from local, regional and national sources, this issue provides a comprehensive look at organizing strategies that aim to confront the neoliberal economic agenda.  The evening treated guests to a photo exhibit by David Bacon, speakers from the Woodfin campaign and remarks from the Rev. Phil Lawson.

The JUST Jobs issue is a dynamic compendium of an array of academics and activists like Greg le Roy, Anmol Chaddha, Manning Marable, and Barbara Ehrenreich among many others, who contribute compelling portraits of the economic crisis at hand, detailing the scope of corporate subsidies and the breadth of economic dislocation.

Historical analyses of prison labor, sit down strikes, the Poor People's Campaign, and welfare reform situate the issue in its long term context, and Steven Pitts, editorial advisor and QJWG member, provides a succinct overview of neo-liberalism and the advance of privatization as a path to profit for corporate owners—at the expense of the rest of the population.  SEC coordinator Connie Galambos served as a contributing editor and QJWG members are well-represented in this issue of RP&E: East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE), Women’s Initiative for Self-Employment, Apollo Alliance, Bay Area Localize, Change to Win, and the National Economic Development and Law Center share case studies from their own organizing work.

The release event also coordinated with the SEC's Quality Jobs Working Group launch and an upcoming white paper that elaborates on the concept of a "JUST" job.