DIGNITY & RESPECT
"Economic justice means not having to choose between housing, clean air, and dignity in the workplace."
Economic Justice
Economic justice is more than just earning a living wage. SWU believes that a life free from poverty also requires access to basic rights such as healthcare, a quality education, and healthy and affordable food. However, working communities in South Texas are being forced to make difficult decisions between these necessities. SWU organizes workers and working-class community members to address the personal and collective needs of low-income residents-in their workplace and in their community.
Organizing Public School Workers
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SWU organizes its members within the complex political context of South Texas, where residents face the reality of a shrinking public safety net, low-wages, and limited economic advancement opportunities. In Texas 1 in 5 individuals lives in poverty, while 1 in 4 is uninsured. This is the reality of a state where wages are low and benefits are few.
Furthermore, public sector workers in Texas are subjected to an anti-worker environment created by the Taft-Hartley Act. This legislation, passed in 24 states mainly across the South and Western U.S., marginalizes public workers by denying them the right to collective bargaining.
SWU focuses on organizing classified public school workers-a category that includes bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and janitors-because of their status as the lowest paid public employees in Texas. School workers are often times also residents of the school district and have children in local schools. This lends itself to implementing an intergenerational community-labor strategy to advocate for economic justice and community empowerment in the places we work, learn, and live.
Living Wage & Raise the Wage Victories
SWU’s Living Wage Campaign aims to reestablish the dignity and value of work, demand decent living standards in communities, ensure that families can sustain themselves, reduce the gap in salaries within the school district, and reward workers for years of experience. School workers are parents and community residents, and the pay and benefits they bring home is directly related to the wellbeing of their family and community.
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SWU has won two living wage resolutions in the Edgewood (San Antonio, TX) and Donna Independent School Districts (Donna, TX), and incremental steps towards a living wage continue to be won in South San ISD, North East ISD, and San Antonio ISD.
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In addition to filing strategic grievances and advocating for better school district policies, SWU engages in state and national policy fights to improve conditions for low-wage workers. SWU has worked with national partners to project the stories of low-wage workers and advocate for wage increases, protections, and assistance programs.
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Coming Soon: Click for more information on become a Public School Union Member.
Domestic Workers in Action
Domestic Workers in Action (DWA), is comprised of workers who clean homes and offices, cook, and care for children, the sick, and the elderly. This predominantly female and immigrant workforce remains an invisible part of the growing service industry that has made local economic development possible for years. Nationally, domestic work is an industry that has been excluded from the National Labor Relations Act and affords few worker protections such as sick days, breaks, workers’ compensation or even at times minimum wage.
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Since starting as a local in 2011, DWA’s membership has grown is composed of nearly 100 percent immigrant women. Programs of the DWA have included a popular education approach to leadership development provides skill-based classes in English, computer literacy and workers rights, as well as a political education and history course focusing on colonialism, race, and class in the context of the American South.
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Bill of Rights
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As a part of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, the Domestic Workers in Action also focus on advocating for immigration reform and have organized several actions targeting Texas Senator John Cornyn and the state legislature in Austin as well as May 1st March for Migrant Rights. Locally, the DWA seeks to pass a resolution of domestic workers in the City of San Antonio. Through this campaign we have meet with local, state and national elected representatives to educate them on the needs of domestic workers and to pass good worker policy.
We highlight the importance of worker and women rights during statewide and congressional campaigns and support voter registration for eligible domestic workers. DWA develops lines of communication and bilingual informational materials targeting domestic workers. This work supports our aim to hold regular education workshops and to outreach to more domestic workers and empower them to overcome the fear of the employer and exercise their worker rights.
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Comadre Economies
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Comadre Economies is a project based at Southwest Worker’s Union in 2016 in collaboration with our Trabajadoras del Hogar En Accion - Domestic Workers in Action Union while discussing the history of women exploring and creating their own financial systems to sustain themselves and their communities. These financial models were often created out of a trust between individuals or groups such as a family, partners, cooperatives or close friends. We know this term in spanish speaking circles as a “comadre.” Trust between comadres challenges the larger systems of patriarchy and capitalism that have often left women and LGBTQ persons in the margins to survive solely by the means of their own ingenuity. Historically many
women and queer persons around the world have been integral pieces of market culture, and have helped build up villages and towns with their crafts, textiles and produce among other goods such as services.
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Coming Soon: Download the Comadre Econonomies ToolKit.
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The Trabajadoras meet every Saturday 11am to 4 pm in the Women's Worker Center "El Corazon" located at the Southwest Workers Union Campus 1414 E. Commerce. Call 210.299.2666 for appointments or confirmations.
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Justicia Económica
La justicia económica es más que solo ganar un salario digno. SWU cree que una vida libre de pobreza también requiere acceso a derechos básicos como la atención médica, una educación de calidad y alimentos saludables y asequibles. Sin embargo, las comunidades que trabajan en el sur de Texas se ven obligadas a tomar decisiones difíciles entre estas necesidades. SWU organiza a los trabajadores y miembros de la comunidad de la clase trabajadora para abordar las necesidades personales y colectivas de los residentes de bajos ingresos, en su lugar de trabajo y en su comunidad.
Organizando Trabajador@s de Escuelas Públicas
SWU organiza a sus miembros dentro del complejo contexto político del sur de Texas, donde los residentes se enfrentan a la realidad de una reducción de la red de seguridad pública, bajos salarios y oportunidades limitadas de avance económico. En Texas, 1 de cada 5 personas vive en la pobreza, mientras que 1 de cada 4 no tiene seguro. Esta es la realidad de un estado donde los salarios son bajos y los beneficios son pocos. Además, los trabajadores del sector público en Texas están sujetos a un ambiente anti trabajador creado por la Ley Taft-Hartley. Esta legislación, aprobada en 24 estados, principalmente en el sur y el oeste de EE. UU., Margina a los trabajadores públicos al negarles el derecho a la negociación colectiva. SWU se enfoca en organizar a los trabajadores clasificados de las escuelas públicas, una categoría que incluye conductores de autobuses, trabajadores de cafetería y conserjes, debido a su condición de empleados públicos con los salarios más bajos en Texas. Los trabajadores escolares muchas veces también son residentes del distrito escolar y tienen hijos en las escuelas locales. Esto se presta para implementar una estrategia intergeneracional de trabajo comunitario para abogar por la justicia económica y el empoderamiento de la comunidad en los lugares donde trabajamos, aprendemos y vivimos. Salario vital y aumento de las victorias salariales La campaña de salario digno de SWU busca restablecer la dignidad y el valor del trabajo, exigir niveles de vida dignos en las comunidades, garantizar que las familias puedan mantenerse, reducir la brecha en los salarios dentro del distrito escolar y recompensar a los trabajadores por años de experiencia. Los trabajadores escolares son padres y residentes de la comunidad, y la paga y los beneficios que traen a casa están directamente relacionados con el bienestar de su familia y comunidad. 1. SWU ha ganado dos resoluciones de salario digno en Edgewood (San Antonio, TX) y Donna Independent School Districts (Donna, TX), y se continúan ganando pasos incrementales hacia un salario digno en South San ISD, North East ISD y San Antonio ISD. 1. Además de presentar quejas estratégicas y abogar por mejores políticas del distrito escolar, SWU participa en luchas políticas estatales y nacionales para mejorar las condiciones de los trabajadores con bajos salarios. SWU ha trabajado con socios nacionales para proyectar las historias de los trabajadores con bajos salarios y abogar por aumentos salariales, protecciones y programas de asistencia. 1. Próximamente: haga clic para obtener más información sobre cómo convertirse en miembro de Public School Union.
Trabajadoras del Hogar en Acción
Domestic Workers in Action (DWA), is comprised of workers who clean homes and offices, cook, and care for children, the sick, and the elderly. This predominantly female and immigrant workforce remains an invisible part of the growing service industry that has made local economic development possible for years. Nationally, domestic work is an industry that has been excluded from the National Labor Relations Act and affords few worker protections such as sick days, breaks, workers’ compensation or even at times minimum wage.
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Since starting as a local in 2011, DWA’s membership has grown is composed of nearly 100 percent immigrant women. Programs of the DWA have included a popular education approach to leadership development provides skill-based classes in English, computer literacy and workers rights, as well as a political education and history course focusing on colonialism, race, and class in the context of the American South.
​
Bill of Rights
​
As a part of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, the Domestic Workers in Action also focus on advocating for immigration reform and have organized several actions targeting Texas Senator John Cornyn and the state legislature in Austin as well as May 1st March for Migrant Rights. Locally, the DWA seeks to pass a resolution of domestic workers in the City of San Antonio. Through this campaign we have meet with local, state and national elected representatives to educate them on the needs of domestic workers and to pass good worker policy.