Fe y Justicia Worker Center

The organization provides low-wage workers with access to attorneys and other assistance on labor disputes over workplace conditions, wage issues, discrimination, sexual harassment, labor trafficking, and injuries and illness compensation. ²

FYJWC advocates for a number of left-of-center social issues, supporting expansionist immigration policy, the permanent protection and expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, the Black Lives Matter movement, and multiple voter mobilization organizations. ³

Background

Fe Y Justicia Workers Center was founded in 2006 with grants from the Galveston-Houston archdiocese and national Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), a domestic anti-poverty campaign of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. ^{4 5}

The organization provides access to attorneys and other assistance to low-wage workers in labor disputes around wages, discrimination, sexual harassment, labor trafficking, and injuries and illness compensation. ¹

FYJWC works with affiliates and partners in mobilizing workers and the community to encourage the implementation of left-of-center public policy to increase minimum wages, increase mandated employee benefits, and increase workplace regulations. ⁶

The organization also provides education and guidance on labor and safety policies, holds quarterly assemblies, sponsors monthly support gatherings, and hosts barrio meetings. ²

FYJWC conducts safety and health workshops designed to empower workers to protect themselves, provides leadership and organizing training for union organizers, and supports disaster recovery workers to push for more stringent safety and health standards in reconstruction efforts. ⁷

FYJWC also hosts a publicly available “worker empowerment journal” to help workers document reportable incidents, provides a contract template for independent contractors, and maintains an hours-worked tracker tool to for hourly employees to track pay. ²

The organization is a general member of the left-of-center Houston Immigration Services Collaborative along with Jaya; the Naleo Education Fund, a center-left advocacy group; the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, a left-of-center organization providing legal support for illegal immigrants who are unaccompanied minors; Living Hope Wheelchair Association; LaUnidad11; the Black LGBTQIA + Migrant Project (BLIMP); Mi Familia Vota, a left-of-center Hispanic voter activation group; the Children’s Immigration Law Academy (CILA), a project of the American Bar Association; the Texas Organizing Project, a left-of-center group organizing minority and low income people; the Metropolitan Organization, a provider of leadership and advocacy training; United We Dream, a left-of-center advocacy organization that offers legal services for DACA program recipients; the Alliance, a refugee resettlement organization; and the Trauma and Grief Center at Texas Children’s Hospital, which provides mental health care to children. ⁸

Support for Left-of-Center Causes

FJYWC’s Facebook and Twitter pages indicate support for a number of left-of-center causes, including the continuation of the DACA program and Black Lives Matter (BLM). The FJYWC Twitter has also shared posts by the Workers Defense Project-Houston, a left-of-center group that provides legal representation for construction workers and illegal immigrants. FYJWC has also aligned itself with other organized labor projects, supporting the Workers Memorial Week with the Workers Defense Project, the AFL-CIO and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). Outside of labor issues, FJWYC supported the New York City Climate Mobilizations Act to enact sweeping environmentalist regulations. ^{9 3}

Leadership

Reverend Simon Bautista is president of FYJWC. Formerly vice-president of the left-of-center CASA de Maryland, Bautista is a left-of-center immigration advocate and a minister of the Episcopal church. Daniana Trigoso-Kukulski is executive director of FYJWC, and FYJWC board member Julia De Leon is a local leader for the National Domestic Workers Alliance. ^{10 11 12 13}

Affiliations/Partners

FYJWC founded the Houston area Council for Occupational Safety and Health (COSH) as a project under the umbrella of the National Council for Health and Safety. FYJWC has also partnered with the National Worker Center of the AFL-CIO, along with other worker centers, to provide organizing support for non-unionized workers. ¹³

FYJWC is an affiliate of National Domestic Worker Alliance, an organization funded by left-of-center foundations including the Open Society Foundations and CASA de Maryland, a left-of-center immigration advocacy group. FJYWC also lists the left-of-center National Day Laborer Organizing Network and the Workers Defense Project as partners. ¹³

FYJWC lists a number of other labor and occupational organizations as partners, including the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, the Houston Gulf Coast Building and Construction Trades, the Painters’ Union Local 88, Interfaith Worker Justice, and the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (COSH). ¹³ Other FYJWC partners include St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, the Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative, South Texas College of Law, the American Red Cross Dominican Sisters of Houston, the David Weekly Family Foundation Hispanics in Philanthropy, the Houston Police Department, the Harris County Covid-19 Relief Fund, Vales Mas Tu, and the Greater Houston Community Foundation. ¹³

Finances

In 2018, FYJWC reported income of $293,715, all of which came from contributions and grants, and expenses of $479,088, of which salaries accounted for $308,581. ¹⁴

The organization reported net assets of $197,943, a decline from the $383,215 reported in the prior year. ¹⁵

Donors

The Houston Immigration Services Collaborative made grants to FYJWC totaling $61,00 for 2017 and 2018. FYJWC also received government grants of $75,667 in 2016. ^{16 17}