About Our Campaigns And Organizing
Boston Workers Alliance (BWA) is a member-led organization, which means that our members determine the direction and goals of our campaign. BWA members are under- and unemployed residents who organize to create good jobs for our community and achieve social and economic justice for all.
We hold strong pride at Boston Workers Alliance in social reinsertion. Over the years we have worked and partnered with many other organization that fight the same fight that Boston Workers Alliance team fights daily. We are currently campaigning and partnering with the following Campaigns.
Jobs Not Jails - "End Mass Incarceration & Job Creation"
The Patrick Administration has estimated that, if current criminal justice policies are not changed dramatically, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will have to spend $2 billion in the next seven years, to build 10,000 new prison units, as well as $150 million more each year to fill them.
While the Legislature’s default policy option continues to spend more money on jails, there is a window of opportunity to shift policy-makers focus away from prison-construction and toward job-creation.
Boston Recycling Coalition - "Creating Good Green Jobs for Boston"
A group of diverse people and community organizations joined together to protect our environment, health, economic wellbeing, and community quality of life. Our goals include:
- Clean, Safe and Affordable Water
- Prevention of Health Threatening Pollution
- Creation of Environmentally Safe Jobs and Businesses
- Empowerment of People to make Democracy Work
Boston Recycling Coalition organizes strong grassroots groups and coalitions and campaigns to elect environmental candidates and solve environmental and community problems.
Right to the city - "Fighting for Democracy, Justice, and sustainability in our Cities"
A unified response to gentrification and a call to halt the displacement of low-income communities, people of color, marginalized LGBTQ communities, and youths of color from their historic urban neighborhoods. Through shared principles and a common frame and theory of change, Rights to the City is building a national movement for racial justice, urban justice, human rights, and democracy.
Community Labor United- Linking Community and Labor for a Better Future"
Community Labor United combines the joint power of community-based organizations and labor unions to advance the interests of low and middle-income working families in Massachusetts. Our strategic campaigns:
- Promote Quality Jobs
- Secure Healthcare
- Affordable Housing
- Climate Justice
Community Labor United is a grassroots mobilization coalition focusing on research, policy development, and public education.
CORI REFORM CAMPAIGN
In 2010, BWA helped pass landmark reforms to our state’s CORI laws.
- CORI Reform Campaign: info about history and status of CORI laws, photos from BWA’s successful 5 year campaign
- Boston CORI Ordinance Reform: BWA wants to add enforcement teeth to Boston’s CORI law that affects thousands of the City’s vendors and contracted businesses
- ”Ban the Box” Enforcement: Starting in November 2010, residents can report corporations that have the criminal history question on their job applications to the BWA for enforcement
- Campaign for Criminal Justice Reform: BWA members are in a strategic planning process to launch a new campaign that address our state’s crisis of over-incarceration, and makes changes to police, probation, parole and prison practices.
GREEN JOBS COMMITTEE
BWA launched a Green Collar Jobs Program in 2008 to ensure that new jobs in the growing Green Economy were good, CORI friendly jobs that were available to our community. (learn more)
Campaign for Home Weatherization: A campaign to create good green jobs through increased home weatherization opportunities that reduce heating bills and lower global warming pollution.
Boston Recycling Coalition: A new collaborative campaign to explore job creation opportunities by increasing the city’s recycling rates
Boston Jobs Coalition - A citywide Coalition of community groups, labor unions, advocacy organizations and contractors, dedicated to winning good construction and permanent jobs for Boston residents, people of color and women.
The Boston that we love is increasingly unaffordable for poor and working class people in our neighborhoods. Meanwhile, billions of new dollars are flowing into the city to develop luxury housing and high end commercial space. We demand a Right to the City and call on our leaders to establish Good Jobs and Community Benefit standards to ensure that future development benefits all residents of Boston.
Modernize the Boston Residents Jobs Policy and Require 51% Boston Residents, 51% People of Color and 15% Women for Construction
Extend Living Wage & CORI Laws to Cover Permanent Jobs in Publicly Supported Private Buildings
Increase Affordable Housing Investments to Reverse the Tide of Gentrification
Establish Community Benefits and Control in New Land Development
Recruit a Network of Community Partners to Help Monitor and Enforce Good Job Standards
Second Chance At Success
Today was a great day in community activism through the efforts of Tracy Parks Boston Workers Alliance Board Chair, Chuck Turner and Hakim Cunningham – Director of Labor & Human Rights. We were invited by Richard Forciani to the Allied Bricklayers Union in Dorchester to take a tour of the facility for apprentices. In attendance were brothers and sister who signed up at the Boston Workers Alliance an was input into the BWA Construction Worker Database. The Second Chance program wants to get more minorities into the union while developing more local African- American and Latino Contractors to address the needs of the BRJP in Boston. Stay tuned for more updates and progress from Boston Workers Alliance and the Second Chance Program.
