DC Jobs with Justice (DCJWJ)

History, Structure, and Leadership

DC Jobs with Justice is the Washington, D.C.-area chapter of Jobs with Justice, a national coalition of worker centers and advocacy groups that promotes labor union policy priorities and perspectives across the country. ¹ It was founded in 2001 as the Jobs with Justice Education Fund and later changed its name. ²

The executive director of DCJWJ is Elizabeth Falcon, who was previously the director of housing advocacy for the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development (CNHED), a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group that focuses on housing and economic issues. ³

Union Associations

The national organization Jobs with Justice was founded in 1987 by Larry Cohen, who at the time was the organizing director of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and would later become the union’s president. ⁴ As of February 2024, Cohen chaired  Our Revolution, the political action committee associated with socialist-aligned U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). ⁵

DCJWJ’s website states that it is “based on a one organization, one vote model,” which gives labor unions functional control of its governance. ¹ Of the 64 organizations listed as members on its website, more than half are labor unions, union locals, district councils, membership organizations for union members, or groups otherwise representing labor union interests. ¹

Policies and Programs

DC Jobs with Justice supports policies that benefit labor unions and their members. This has included so-called “just hours” policies that compel employers to turn part-time workers into full-time employees. ⁶ It has also advocated against specific companies, including Verizon and Walmart, that have either gone through contentious labor negotiations or have resisted unionization of their workforce. ^{7 8}

In 2017, DCJWJ was part of a “Fight for $15” campaign that increased D.C.’s minimum wage to $12.50 at the time, reaching $15 per hour in 2020 and tying it to inflation thereafter. ⁹ By January 1, 2024, the District’s minimum wage was $17.05/hour, with it set to increase to $17.50/hour on July 1, 2024. ¹⁰

DCJWJ supports efforts to require employers to provide paid sick days to all workers and efforts to expand federal law that would broadly increase workplace protections for pregnant women and new mothers. ^{11 12}

Government Partnerships

In 2020, DC Jobs with Justice received a grant from the District of Columbia mayor’s office funded by the federal CARES Act to “help implement community social distancing engagement and public health awareness outreach efforts.” ¹³

In 2024, DCJWJ received a grant from the District of Columbia attorney general’s office to operate outreach and education programs informing workers of their legal rights under federal and District law. ¹⁴

Funding

DC Jobs With Justice uses the Action Network fundraising platform created by the former digital director for former U.S. Sen John Kerry (D-MA) after the Occupy Wall Street protests. ^{15 16}

DC Jobs with Justice receives significant support from labor unions, including the Amalgamated Transit Union, Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA), North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), Unite Here, and United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).  ¹

Other funders include the Greater Washington Community Foundation and Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation. ^{17 18}

Coalition Members:

The following organizations were DC Jobs with Justice member organizations as of January, 2024: ¹

American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 20
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 12
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 476
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2978
American Friends Service Committee, DC Peace and Economic Justice Program
Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 689

Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 1764
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance – DC Chapter
Bricklayers and Allied Craftsworkers, Local 1
Chesapeake Climate Action Network
Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, DC Chapter
Coalition of Labor Union Women, Metro DC
Collective Action for Safe Spaces
Communications Workers of America, Local 2108
Communications Workers of America, Local 2222
Communications Workers of American, Local 2336
Community Hub for Opportunities in Construction Employment
DC Employment Justice Center
Empower DC
Fair Budget Coalition
Florida Avenue Baptist Church
Foundry United Methodist Church
Georgetown Solidarity Committee
Green America Worker Members
HU Resist
International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 639
International Brotherhood of Teamsters , Local 730
International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 922
International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, Local 70
International Socialist Organization -DC
Ironworkers, Local 5
Ironworkers, Local 201
Jews United for Justice
Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor, Georgetown University
LiUNA Baltimore Washington Laborers’ District Council
Living Faith Baptist Church
Many Languages One Voice
Maryland State Pipe Trades Association
Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America
Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO
Metropolitan Washington Public Health Association
National Lawyers Guild, DC
National Nurses United
National Union of Hospital and Healthcare Employees, 1199 Metro District
Nonprofit Professional Employees Union, IFPTE Local 70
DC National Writers’ Union/UAW 1981
Organizing Neighborhood Equity DC
Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ, Board of Social Action
Positive Force DC
Progressive Student Union, George Washington University
Re-entry Network for Returning Citizens
Restaurant Opportunities Center – DC
Roosevelt Institute, George Washington University
Service Employees International Union, Local 32BJ
Service Employees International Union, Local 500
Sheet Metal Workers, Local 100
Student Worker Alliance, American University
Trabajadores Unidos de Washington DC
United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 400
UNITE HERE Local 23
UNITE HERE Local 25
Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild, CWA Local 32035
Washington Lawyers Committee
Washington Mailers’ Union Local 29, CWA Local 14201
Washington Teachers’ Union, American Federation of Teachers Local 6