With the unemployment rate at 9.6%, the Worker Rights Board in Dallas held a second annual Labor Day hearing that was as much about responding to the jobs crisis as it was about improving working conditions for laborers. The hearing explored how unemployment and labor issues are a community wide issue that affects everyone. The co-convener of the Worker Rights Board, Rev. Dr. Joerg Rieger, identified the objectives of the hearing, saying “We want to know what is actually happening, what is happening to [unemployed] individuals”, but we also want to know “what is this doing to the community”, and what are some solutions that we can be part of. After hearing testimony, it became clear that the economic situation for the unemployed, laborers, and the whole community is under a lot of pressure, but it could get much worse for everyone if alternative options are not enacted soon.
The hearings on September 4th, held in the courtroom of the honorable judge Luis Sepulveda, were attended by leaders from religion, labor, and community organizations around Dallas, along with concerned citizens. Those in attendance represented a blossoming coalition between religion and labor, many of whom share pews with one another and all who share a concern for promoting just working conditions for everyone in Dallas. Religious groups represented included the Perkins School of Theology, the Dallas Area Christian Progressive Alliance, the D. L. Dykes Foundation, Progressive Christian Center of the South, Jobs with Justice, and several local pastors.
Co-convener of the Worker Rights Board, Isabel Docampo, set the hearings in the context of the economic facts of the situation of laborers and the unemployed today: 15 million are looking for jobs of which 6.2 million have experienced extended unemployment and who average 33.6 weeks unemployment on the average. But Docampo was clear that this is not just a problem for the unemployed, because even those who have kept their jobs are experiences losses in wage growth.
The Worker Rights Board heard testimony from three individuals connected with labor and issues of unemployment: Mickey Morris, Gene Lantz, and Perry Forshee.Mickey Morris, the president of the Texas Letter Carriers and a retired postal carrier himself, expressed concern about the plan to cut between 600 and 700 jobs from the postal service in Dallas County. Morris testified that large scale job loss in the postal service will not just hurt letter carries, but will “bring down wages everywhere and affect community livelihood” because more kids will not be able to go to college and more families won’t be able to put dinner on the table. Morris proposed that a solution to the problem cannot come from unions alone that it would have to come through community coalitions, emphasizing the importance of bring unions together with religious communities. Morris said how proud he has been of the Dallas community that has supported decent wages for postal employees in the past and proud to be part of the postal service who has a strong record for employing a diverse workforce, but worries about the future of Dallas if the trend of cutting jobs to cut spending continues.
Gene Lantz, the head of Jobs with Justice in Dallas, spoke on behalf of the UAW 848 (United Auto Workers) in the Dallas-Fort Worth area who are currently in the process of contract negotiations. The UAW 848 contract expires October 3rd and sets the terms for some of the highest paying production jobs in the area, many of which are in the aerospace industry. Lantz emphasized that the situations of those with jobs is closely tied with the situation of those who are unemployed or underemployed, because those with jobs “can’t have a better working environment when there are many people unemployed or [underemployed].” Lantz said that restoring employment through political action like the Local Jobs for America Act currently before congress or returning to proven job creation programs likes the Works Progress Administration (WPA) will benefit the working conditions of employees across the board.
Forshee is the head of the Fair Budget Campaign which is concerned to ensure that the current budget hearings in Dallas serve to benefit the whole community. In the budget hearings, Forshee testified that “overwhelmingly we hear people talk about the quality of life.” The outcome of the budget hearings will have a major impact on life, work, and community well being in Dallas. Facing a budget shortfall, the city council is deciding between raising property taxes and cutting jobs and reducing services likes public pools, libraries, youth recreation facilities, and senior citizen services. Forshee emphasized that the decision to cut jobs and services would not just increase the already high unemployment in the short term, but would be detrimental for job creation, working conditions, and community well being long term. Forshee said “People want to know who’s going to create jobs . . . Companies that are considering coming in [to the community] want to know about education, public facilities, and want to see people working.” Forshee’s point was that cutting jobs and services now will make the community undesirable for new companies that could create jobs while putting our youth under increased pressure that will reduce the long term quality of life in Dallas. The Fair Budget Campaign, with the support of many local community organizations, is advocating a minimal 1¢-5¢ raise on property taxes to offset the budget shortfall. Forshee said, “citizens are saying they wouldn’t mind paying a little more to restore our city.”
While the testimony painted the economic situation in stark terms, the witnesses were each clear that there are solutions and there is hope if the community can organize together to enact the solutions. The witnesses and the conveners emphasize the important role religious communities can play in educating the community about economic injustice and collaborating with labor to make the community’s voices hear. In response to the testimony, the Worker Rights Board adopted a resolution calling on the state and federal government to acknowledge the current unemployment situation as a crisis and act accordingly by passing the Local Jobs for America Act currently before congress and by creating federal programs like the proven WPA to put the unemployed back to work at a fair wage, improve the working conditions of those with jobs, and secure the livelihood of our communities.
