Trabajadores Unidos

Today’s “letter drop” marked a major ramp-up in the Human Rights Zone Campaign. Saturday, December 10, 2009, two years ago to this day, we mailed harbor developers a letter notifying them of the intolerable working conditions at their malls and calling on them to meet workers demands. For two years, GGP has deliberately ignored our repeated attempts at dialogue. Enough is enough, we demand action now!

To bring our message home, we staged a dramatic “letter drop” on GGP’s Gallery Mall across from the Inner Harbor. While consumers were busy doing their holiday shopping, we captured attention by releasing 10, 000 copies of the letter from third and fourth floor balconies. An explosion of color flooded the space, yellow and black balloons ascended and descended amidst a flurry of yellow paper. While shoppers gazed with curiosity, we chanted, “What do we want!? Human Rights! When do want it!? Now!” Consumers picked up the letters and began reading them. Some pulled out their phones and cameras to document the action. Others even joined in on the chanting.

But today’s “letter drop” was just the beginning. We plan on staging “letter drops” at GGP malls across the country until GGP meets our demands to the right to work with dignity, healthcare and education for all low-wage workers at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

What better time than the holidays to educate consumers about GGP’s human rights record. Stay tuned for videos from today’s action and more to come!

GGP, two years is too long. Today’s “letter drop” at your harbor mall is just the beginning. We have tried for two years to notify you of the human rights abuses of workers at your development in the hope that you would come to the table with workers to ensure basic human rights standards at the Inner Harbor. You have ignored us, turned us away and avoided us for two years. Enough is enough. Today marked a major ramp-up in the fight for Fair Development and we will continue “letter drops” at GGP malls across the country until you meet harbor workers demands to a right to work with dignity, healthcare and education.

Repeated Attempts

• First attempt— Letter mailed on December 10, 2009 notifying you of human rights abuses and workers human rights demands.
• 2nd attempt— Traveled from Baltimore to Chicago to your headquarters to ensure you received the letter and to attempt to talk to executives.
• 3rd attempt— Reached out to Harborplace GM, Chris Schardt, by going to office and requesting a meeting to resolve rampant issues of wage theft and other serious abuses at Harborplace.
• Repeated follow-up calls.

Stop the hypocrisy, meet workers demands

The abuses at the Inner Harbor are an affront to human dignity and go against everything that you claim to represent. You say, “We know that how we treat our employees and how our vendors provide for their employees touches the lives of hardworking families and impacts the communities where we do business.” You talk about sustaining “a work environment founded on dignity and respect for all employees.” You claim to, “support the communities where our properties are located” and “consider the human toll when making business decisions.” But your words and your deeds do not match. There is a word for it. It’s called “hypocrisy.” The time is now for you to “consider the human toll” of poverty wages, wage-theft, lack of healthcare, and barriers to education on workers and the community.

While shoppers flood your malls this holiday season, it will be the workers working late hours, overtime, who keep your malls running. We deserve to be treated as human beings, not robots. We demand action now!

On Saturday, December 10th, International Human Rights Day, harbor workers will make a major announcement in the Human Rights Zone Campaign.  Two years ago on this very same day while on the Fair Food Solidarity Tour with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, we mailed an important letter to Inner Harbor developers, General Growth Properties (GGP) and the Cordish Co, from a small post office in Immokalee, Florida. This letter notified the developers of serious human rights violations of workers taking place at their malls and called on GGP and Cordish to come to the table with workers to resolve these abuses.

Download PDF of the Letter Sent to Developers with Our Demands

Two years have passed since this day and no major efforts have been made by harbor developers to improve human rights standards at their malls. GGP has not once acknowledged workers demands, despite repeated attempts for dialogue. GGP’s silence and inaction have been an attempt at putting up moral blinders to the intolerable working conditions at Harborplace: poverty wages, rampant wage theft, sexual harrasment, and lack of healthcare to name a few. In their view, if they don’t acknowledge a problem exists, then they don’t have to deal with it. But by ignoring workers for two years, they are also suggesting that workers are beneath their most basic consideration.

How long must workers wait for their voices to be heard? Not long. That’s because harbor workers are making a major announcement that will be a dramatic step in the Human Rights Zone Campaign. Stay posted for this upcoming announcement!

We kicked off the Fair Development Conference with an evening of music, food, and keynote speeches. The three guest keynotes included: Janaina Stronzake with the MST in Brazil, Marian Kramer with Michigan Welfare Rights Union, and Jan Rehmann, professor at Union Theological Seminary and co-author of Pedagogy of the Poor. In addition to our guest keynotes, three leaders with the United Workers spoke about our work: Michael Coleman, Armando Tema, and Janice Watson. Here are some of the videos of these inspiring and rousing speeches. More to come!

On Monday, November 17, Occupy Movement activists held a public meeting on the steps of the Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) to discuss the lack of human rights standards and public participation in the allocation of public money towards economic development in Baltimore. Organizers of this event invited Rev. Heber Brown of Pleasant Hope Baptist Church, Benn Ray with Bmore Local, and Juan Paredes with the United Workers to speak about the human cost of decades of poverty-zone development on residents, small businesses, and workers. We stand in solidarity with the aims of the Occupy Movement and appreciated the opportunity to talk about the fight for Fair Development at the Inner Harbor. President of the BDC, “Jay” Brodie attended this public meeting, listened to testimony from community members, and responded to the crowd. He promised the crowd continued dialogue. Check out the video from this powerful action.

Check out the Real News Network’s coverage of last week’s Fair Development Conference.

Below is audio for most of the Fair Development Conference Workshops. To read descriptions about the different workshops click here. To download any of the audio files in MP3 format click here.

Fair Development Conference: Block 1

Fair Development Conference: Block 2

Fair Development Conference: Block 3

Fair Development Conference: Block 4

The many pieces of fabric that made up the quilt of a collective vision of Fair Development were constructed throughout the day in the many workshops, conversations, meals shared and stories swapped. The intricacies of Fair Development became more defined as people elaborated on the three concepts of maximizing public benefits, respect for human rights and sustainability.

The Fair Development Photo Booth was one of the many places host to dozens of participants to express their vision for Fair Development. It quickly turned into a space for breaking down barriers of age and language where all could communicate a desire for a hopeful future. Check the photos out here:

While some expressed their sentiments on cardboard, still others conducted a series of short interviews. Check them out!

Finally, be sure to take a peruse through the many photos that captured the over twenty-five different workshops:

Over 150 people gathered at St. Johns Church (2640) for the first night of the Fair Development Conference. The night began with people slowly trickling in, but soon filled the church space by the time the keynote speakers hit the stage. A musical trio opened up the conference with serenading sounds of justice and peace. Soon to follow was the main event of six, that’s right six keynote speakers, weaving a collective quilt illuminating not only the plight of the poor, but the fight of the poor in fighting for Fair Development and building a movement capable of ending poverty in the face of the growing economic crisis and deprivation for the many. Although stories ranged from the struggle here at Camden Yards and the Inner Harbor to the struggle for land in Brazil, privatization of public resources in Detroit and beyond, strip-mining in Guatemala, and the growing gap between the expanding poor and rich, they told a collective story of workers coming together to globalize the struggle for human rights, hope and dignity.

See photos from the first day here:

In preparation for participants to arrive to St. Johns Church to hear the Keynote speakers, the United Workers takes a moment to come together in a Unity Circle to express love, gratitude and leadership for each other and all those that will join them today.

After months of organizing, listening and planning with communities across Baltimore, the country and Brazil, the moment has arrived: Day 1 of the Fair Development Conference!

This weekend is sure to be historic for all of us as we come together to strategize and reflect on the current economic crisis, the state of social movements and collectively create a vision for a more just world that respects the human and ecological rights of everyone, everywhere.

Be sure to check the website regularly as we will be posting content constantly throughout the weekend. You can also follow us on facebook along with following AND (your) tweeting about the conference on twitter and by using the search hashtag #fairdev.

Pick up this week’s Baltimore City Paper or go online to read their article on the United Workers upcoming Fair Development Conference. In other news, the United Workers appeared on the Marc Steiner show with the Marian Kramer of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization and Sarah Weintraub of the Vermont Worker Center. The two media pieces draw connections between Fair Development, the Occupy Movements and the nature of a system built on poverty and poverty-zone development. If you missed the Steiner show you can have a listen here.

Here’s an excerpt from the City Paper article:

From February’s labor protests in Wisconsin to the 99 percenters currently camping out in New York’s Zuccotti Park, populist protest is suddenly all the rage. But movements for social change are nothing new. Take, for example, the United Workers, a Baltimore-based coalition of low-wage workers formed in 2002. In 2007, the United Workers lobbied for “living wages” at Camden Yards—and got them. Since then, the group has been campaigning on behalf of workers at the Inner Harbor, trying to institutionalize rights to health care and education.

To raise awareness of these efforts, the group has a history of putting on political events that go beyond the strictly political. In the past, that has resulted in street-side theatrical performances, a community fair, and, in true activist tradition, plenty of marches. This weekend, Oct. 28-30, UW hosts the Fair Development Conference, a gathering of grassroots organizations, political activists, community organizers, and other interested parties from as far as Brazil and as near as Baltimore . . .

The workshops, lectures, and presentations planned for the conference will take on much more than just the struggle for the soul of the harbor. And although fair development is the organizing principle behind the conference, the topic is interpreted broadly enough to include discussions on universal health care, permaculture design, and lessons drawn from the 19th-century movement to abolish slavery. One workshop will explore Johns Hopkins Hospital’s fraught relationship with the Middle East neighborhood, where it displaced hundreds of residents to build a controversial—and moribund—biotech park; another will spotlight worker-led organizations that have successfully lobbied for Taco Bell, Whole Foods, and other food-industry giants to raise wages for the people who pick their tomatoes.

To read the full article, go to http://citypaper.com

If work just ain’t fair
at the Harborplace
Who ya gonna call?
POVERTY BUSTERS!..

That’s right! For decades, the Inner Harbor has been haunted by labor and human rights abuses including: poverty wages, disrespect, sexual harassment, lack of healthcare, denying education opportunities, wage theft, unsafe work environments, and general exploitation for the sake of profit.

That’s why, Harbor workers, members and community artists have been preparing for a battle between between the “Poverty Busters” and the ghouls and goblins of Poverty-zone Development. On final day of the Fair Development Conference, Sunday, October 30^th, United Workers will lead a march from the Baltimore Development Corporation down to the Inner Harbor featuring “Poverty Busters” lighting up their proton packs and blasting these abuses out of this dimension, replacing them with our shared fair development principles of Human Rights, Sustainability, and maximizing public benefits.  During the march, harbor workers and community leaders from throughout the country will share how our struggles are connected and demonstrate that we have the strength and community power to save our Harbor from these monstrous abuses!

The march will feature participants from the Fair Development Conference, Harbor Workers, and allies from throughout the city and will feature Baltimore’s own Barrage Band Orchestra!

Check out the flickr photoset to see a preview of the Haunted Harbor in the making.

ACTION DETAILS

What: The Haunted Harbor March! A Terrifying Tale of Poverty Zone Development

When: Sun October 30^th 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where: Gather at Charles St. & Lombard St.

The Media Mobilizing Project recently followed Tavis Smiley and Cornel West on a national Poverty Tour to make visible the plight and fight of the poor in the U.S. Last week, the Tavis Smiley show aired a five part series created by the Media Mobilizing Project encapsulating the stories, lessons, and struggles shared along this eye-opening journey. Ending on a truly inspiring note, the last segment focuses on groups and communities organizing to build a movement to end poverty. It includes interviews and discussion with The Coalition of Immokalee Workers in Florida, Domestic Workers United in New York, Direct Action Welfare Group in West Virginia and Iraq Veterans Against the War, The Vermont Workers Center, Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, the Chicago Anti-Eviction Campaign and yours truly, the United Workers. Need a dose of inspiration? Check it out.

Watch The Poverty Tour Part 5 on PBS. See more from Tavis Smiley.

To learn more about the Media Mobilizing Project go here or come to their Saturday workshop at the Fair Development Conference.

To watch the rest of the videos in this series, go to http://www.pbs.org

The Sun has invited participants at the Occupy Baltimore protest in the Inner Harbor to contribute articles about their experience, views and goals. This entry is written by Clayton Conn, a photo/multimedia freelance journalist from Baltimore.

 Members of the United Workers, a Baltimore based human rights organization leading the fight for fair development — which respects human rights, maximizes public benefits and is sustainable — gave a workshop on Tuesday at the site of Occupy Baltimore.

The organization which is in the midst of a campaign for Fair Development in the Inner Harbor, spoke on the themes of jobs, privatization and economic human rights.

As critics continue to ask questions on the specific demands and goals of the Occupy Protests, the United Workers are among many groups locally and nationally providing concrete answers and strategies for solutions. In developing these answers, they will be hosting a Fair Development Conference at the end of this month (Fri. Oct 28-Sun. Oct. 30), with participants attending from around the world. The goals of this conference are to increase greater understanding of these challenging times, connect various fronts of struggle, share movement-building strategies and develop a collective vision for “fair development.”

Audio of the United Workers event is available here.

Like cities across the country, Baltimore has joined the Occupy Movement to highlight the growing inequality in this country and to rally the 99% to call for economic human rights for all. In Baltimore, the occupiers have chosen McKeldin Square at the Inner Harbor, the site where, on October 25, 2008, low-wage workers declared the Inner Harbor a “Human Rights Zone.” On the one week mark of the occupation, United Workers did a teach-in about the Human Rights Zone Campaign, connecting the Occupy Movement to the fight for Fair Development. Below is a video of Luis Larin with the United Workers speaking with those gathered before the General Assembly.

To see the video posted on Huffington Post, go here.

Participate in making the Fair Development Conference possible! We are looking for volunteers to help with everything from set-up to childcare to planning Sunday’s action. Pitch in for a few hours, or the whole weekend.

This summer, members of the Media Mobilizing Project (MMP) joined PBS broadcaster Tavis Smiley and Princeton professor, Dr. Cornel West along a US Poverty Tour that made stops in 18 cities across 11 states.

Starting today, October 10th and running through Friday, October 14th PBS’ Tavis Smiley will broadcast the results of this journey, a 5 part documentary called “Understanding Our Struggles and Changing Our Conditions:  A Poverty Tour Documentary.”

The United Workers took part in this tour and this 5 part documentary by sharing our stories of the human cost of Poverty-zone development on low-wage workers at the Inner Harbor and how this connects to the growing ranks of the poor across the country.

As an organization committed to building a movement led by the poor united across color lines, MMP sees media and communications as a vital tool in exposing the hidden stories of poverty and developing movement leaders. This groundbreaking documentary will show viewers the real-life effects of the ever widening divide between the rich and the poor in this country–and more importantly, how different organizations and individuals across the nation are fighting back.

Although the Tavis Smiley Show does not air in Baltimore, you can watch it online. It does air in Washington D.C. and eight other major cities. To see if the Smiley Show is airing in your area, go here.

The 2011 Fair Development Conference is a going to be an incredible convergence of some of the most dynamic and effective organizers and scholars locally, nationally and even globally.

Check out the amazing program of workshops, events, and actions here!

People are traveling far and wide to share stories and strategies for building the power needed to develop our communities and economies in ways that respect the inherent worth of all people. From the Dominican Republic, Vermont, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, West Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania and elsewhere, organizers, artists, faith leaders, and students will be making their way to Baltimore to participate in the Fair Development Conference. We hope that you will make your way too.

So don’t miss out, register online today!

Be on the lookout for additional updates on Fair Development Conference events, actions, and news.

Here’s a list of just some of the participation groups

Amnesty International
Baltimore Algebra Project
Baltimore Bicycle Works
Baltimore Jewish Voice for Peace
BPSOS
Campaign to Restore National Housing Rights
Centro de los Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha
Civilian Soldier Alliance (CivSol)
Coalition for Economic Justice
Coalition of Immokalee Workers
Community Law Center
Democracy Collaborative
Dignity in Schools Campaign
Fight for a Fair Economy
Generations for Peace and Democracy
Good Jobs Better Baltimore
Iraq Veterans Against the War
Justicia Global
Keeper of the Mountains Foundation
Media Mobilizing Project
Michigan Welfare Rights Organization
Milk Not Jails
Movimento Sem Terra (MST)
NAACP
Northeast Pennsylvania Organizing Center
National Economic and Social Rights Initiative
Philadelphia Student Union
Picture the Homeless
Poverty Initiative
Puppet Underground
Real Food Challenge
South Asia Solidarity Initiative
Spectres of Liberty
Take Back the Land Madison
Take Back the Land Movement
Unite HERE!
United Workers
Urban Justice Center
Vermont Workers Center
War Resisters League
West Baltimore Strategic Alliance
And More!

Now that the summer is winding down, we’re kicking off another series of Strategic Dialogues. Join students, faith leaders, artists, media makers, community organizers and United Workers leaders in the next installment of this series. With unemployment and jobs on the tip of everyone’s tongues, we decided to take on this issue. Through a multi-media presentation and discussion, we’ll unpack the figures and the myths, examine how we got here and discuss the value of work with dignity. After taking on this heavy subject, we’ll reach back for lessons and inspiration from our own Maryland history to see how past leaders have organized to demand respect, dignity and end to exploitation: from unemployed sailors in Baltimore during the Great Depression to Abolitionist Movement that helped bring about an end to slavery.

The Strategic Dialogues are an opportunity to come together across many barriers to share food, culture, ideas, and energy. So join us once again for an exciting Strategic Dialogue!

What: Strategic Dialogue
When: Saturday, September 10th, 10:30 AM-2:30 PM
Where: “2640″ St. Paul St. (aka St. John’s Church)
*Lite breakfast and lunch provided

To RSVP, call 410-230-1998 or email ashley@unitedworkers.org