RWDSU Board Meets, Focuses on Bringing Workers Union Voice (11/16/11)

(l to r) RWDSU Secretary-Treasurer Jack Wurm, President Stuart Appelbaum, and Recorder Amelia Tucker.

At the RWDSU Executive Board Meeting, the elected leadership of the union set policy, examined the union’s current projects, and discussed how to meet the challenges facing the union and working people. The Executive Board focused on organizing and defending workers’ rights.

Jon Kest (above right), the executive director of New York Communities for Change, and Deborah Axt (above left), the new co-executive director of Make the Road New York, spoke about the new joint campaign to organize carwash workers in NYC. In a partnership with the RWDSU, these community groups are working on a new initiative to bring union benefits and protections to a group of mostly-immigrant workers who have been exploited by unscrupulous employers for years.

“Together, we are creating a movement that builds upon our existing work together to win contracts for New York's carwash workers and to make these jobs an asset to our economy and our communities,” said RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum.

In addition, Retail Action Project Director Carrie Gleason  (above) spoke about the Retail Action Project, and how it is continuing the fight to change the lives of New York City’s retail workers, many of whom are underpaid and overworked, often illegally.

With the focus on activism, the board discussed and affirmed their support for the Occupy movement. The board reasserted its solidarity with the protesters, especially in light of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s eviction of the occupiers from Wall Street’s Zuccotti Park.

“Those in the Occupy movement are fighting for the same things we are: economic justice and fairness,” said RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum.

RWDSU Activists Remembered

The board honored recently deceased RWDSU activist Henry Jenkins, the former Alabama and Mid-South Council President who dedicated his life to organizing workers.

“Henry was an icon and a hero for the RWDSU and its members,” said RWDSU Secretary-Treasurer Jack Wurm.

Also honored was Jim Kenyon, a long time member, activist and organizer for the RWDSU New England Joint Board, whose contributions helped build the union in the northeast.

Officers Elected

Mid-South Council President John Whitaker (above) was elected to serve as an RWDSU Vice President, and Southeast Council Secretary-Treasurer Rick Wilson (below center, with Local 670 President Thelma Winston and Central States Council President Roger Grobstich) was elected to the Advisory Council.