Thanks to the many JUFJ volunteers who came to our membership meeting! Didn't make it?  Here's what you should know:

JUFJ will be winding down its formal Day Laborer Justice campaign following a year of major successes.  

The original goals of the campaign were to decrease wage theft, increase the ability of day laborers to organize themselves, and help the workers create a workers' center at the Home Depot site that is the largest gathering spot for day laborers.  We made enormous progress toward those goals in the last year.  With JUFJ's help, day laborers have gained better access to the Office of Wage & Hour (where they can file wage theft claims) and new regulations saying that the license plate numbers of deadbeat employees can be used as evidence in wage theft claims.  Day laborers also won $10,000 in back pay and a commitment to twice-yearly meetings with the Deputy Director of Dc's Department of Employee Services.  Perhaps most exciting, Home Depot has agreed to lease space on their land for a workers' center!

Jobs with Justice and the Union des Trajabadores have now moved into the next phase of the project, which involves work that is unique to their missions and members (private lease negotiations with Home Depot and a search for an organization to run a future workers' center on Home Depot land.)  Because the campaign has now evolved into internal work for JwJ and the day laborer community, JUFJ will be winding up our formal participation in the campaign.  But with JwJ's full support and enthusiasm we will continue to mobilize our members when needed, in addition to following the situation and reporting back to you.

Thank you to everyone whose hard work has brought us to this place.  These successes would not have happened without you!  

For more information on the campaign wrap up, or to talk about getting involved in other JUFJ campaigns, contact rabbi@jufj.org

Last night's community meeting was also an extraordinary experiment in community building as we broke into mini "house meetings" for the second half of the meeting. 

Each person was asked to pick an issue they care about and tell a story about a time when that issue personally affected them or their loved ones.  For 45 minutes, six groups of JUFJ'ers sat and listened to each others' stories about their lives and concerns, and then discussed what they had heard.  The room buzzed with thoughtful and animated conversation as participants talked about shared struggles and concerns with affordable housing, access to low-cost, high-quality food, gentrification, immigration, community building, and much more.  

In the coming weeks and months, as we begin to move into a new campaign selection process, we'll be taking a closer look at the concerns that came out of these house meetings.  

If you weren't at last night's meeting but you want to tell us a story about what issues you're concerned about, let us know!  We can help you organize your own house meeting or just meet with you one on one.  And if you were there last night and are interested in continuing the discussion with your group or with other participants, email and let us know that too!  Email rabbi@jufj.org to get involved.