On Tuesday, March 4th, @ 7:00 p.m. (light refreshments at 6:30) at the Woman's Community Building (corner of Seneca and Cayuga Sts. in Ithaca), the Religious Task Force for a Living Wage invites you to help us kickoff the 13th Annual 40 Hour Fast in support of the struggles of our over 600 hotel workers in Tompkins County.
The program will include music from the incredible folk musician, Tom Seiling, as well as reflections from hotel workers, religious, labor, and political leaders, on issues relating to our Justice for Hotel Workers campaign, such as: poverty wages, and its affect on our families and community disrespectful treatment from management lack of a reasonable 'right to organize' on behalf of workers and the ability to take joint action to improve workplace conditions lack of health insurance unreasonable physical workload and working with dangerous chemicals Featured speakers will include: Sonya Hicks, Pastor of the Jesus Only Apostolic Church of God, about the spiritual and religious components necessary to create justice for all workers Kate Bronenbrenner, the Director of Labor Education Research at the Cornell Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) School speaking about the importance of 'organized labor' to the movement to raise standards of working conditions for all workers Maria Coles, Ithaca Common Council Person, speaking about her commitment and passion, through her position, to ensure that hotel workers receive a Living Wage The Workers' Center is continuing to organize workers in the Ithaca hotel industry for better working conditions and wages. Says Workers' Center hotel organizer, Neisha Butler, "paying these workers $7.15 an hour, as these hotels do, and not providing affordable health insurance, is disrespectful of the important work these people do for the hotels, unfair to the workers' families, and irresponsible in a community that values all our citizens equally." This event will also serve as the kick-off for local participation in the New York State Labor-Religion Coalition's 13th Annual 40 Hour FAST (more information on the fast can be found at http://www.labor-religion.org) which lasts from March 4th, at 8 PM until March 6th, at Noon. Workers in Tompkins County are hungering for living wage jobs. Going without food for one or more meals during the FAST is an expression of solidarity with them and their cause. If you are considering fasting with us, please let us know by contacting one of the contacts below, or by responding to this email. The Religious Task Force for a Living Wage is a joint project of the Tompkins County Workers' Center and Catholic Charities of Tompkins County. For more information, please contact 607-269-0409 or 607-272-5062, ext. 12. Or email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Pete Meyers TC Workers' Center 115 E. State Ithaca, NY 14850 607-269-0409 www.TCWorkersCenter.org "The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." --Alice Walker "Good intentions alone not accompanied by action are without value. The main thing is the action, as this is what makes the intention so profound" - Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak --------------------------------- Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. _______________________________________________ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
