In case you missed it…
On Labor Sunday, Luke Sullivan offered testimony from Arise Chicago, which you can read below, with an opportunity to support their work.
Good morning
My name is Luke Sullivan and I would like to thank you all for the opportunity to speak.
I am honored to be with you today.
I am the Religious Organizer at Arise Chicago, which was founded by faith leaders 31 years ago with a mission to connect workers in struggle with faith communities to support justice in the workplace. The pandemic has revealed a vast amount of disturbing income inequities, a level we have not seen since the Great Depression. We live in a time when the idolatry of wealth places profit over people. A time when the bottom line matters more than the humanity of a human being.
Arise Chicago, communities of faith, workers, and the Labor Movement share an abundance of common values. We come together to identify issues of injustice. We then strategize to formulate solutions, organize for solidarity, and work together to make gains for the common good. At Arise, we believe all of us are in a unique moment where together we can rebuild a more just economy.
Arise Chicago is spearheading the campaign to bring dignity to all domestic workers–nannies, home cleaners, and care workers. Last year Chicago eliminated the sub minimum wage for domestic workers and established that employers must provide a written contract in the workers’ preferred language.
Arise Chicago is also addressing workplace injustice in the suburbs. For instance, five workers at a grocery store recovered over $5000 in stolen wages, bringing Arise’s total to over $9,200,000 in wages recovered.
Arise is working on a state-wide “Stable Jobs Now” campaign that would help prevent unjust firings, making jobs more stable, and communities more secure. Such a law would protect workers like Arise member Manuela. Early on in the pandemic, when tests were hard to find, Manuela was fired when she could not access a test within her employer’s arbitrary 5-day timeline to return to work after recovering from COVID. Our campaign would help prevent such immoral actions, and bring God’s justice to our neighbors.
Arise is also supporting the Illinois Workers Rights Amendment, which will protect collective bargaining rights for generations to come.
Arise is leading the local response to the national possibilities for undocumented workers, many of whom kept us safe and comfortable during the pandemic, so they can get valid Social Security numbers and two-year work permits. In each campaign I’ve mentioned, Arise is engaging people of faith to support workers’ rights.
We are grateful to this community of faith for standing in solidarity with workers at Arise Chicago.
Together, let us continue to create the beloved community envisioned by Dr. Martin Luther King, knowing that our destinies are tied to each other, because…“When one suffers, we all suffer. When one rejoices, we all rejoice!”
Together, let us be mindful of the generations who came before us, who struggled for the rights we enjoy today. With gratitude to them, let us wish each other, “Happy Labor Day!”
Thank you and Happy Labor Day!
You can donate to the work of Arise here.