Updated Press Release September 4, 2009

Contact:
Dr. Joerg Rieger, Co-convener of the Workers’ Rights Board,
Wendland-Cook Professor of Constructive Theology, SMU

Update:
Unemployment in Construction Industry has risen to 18.2 Percent: Are Companies Putting Even More Pressures on Remaining Workers?

Event:
Construction Workers in Dallas without Water and Safety Equipment: Workers’ Rights Board Investigates Labor Rights Violations on Labor Day Weekend

Time:
Saturday, September 5, 2009, from 10 a.m.-noon.

Place:
Beckley Courthouse, 410 S. Beckley Ave., Dallas, TX, in the courtroom of the Honorable Judge Luis Sepulveda.

Just in time for the Labor Day Weekend, the Workers’ Rights Board of North Texas Jobs with Justice will have a hearing on Saturday, September 5, from 10 am-noon.

At this event, the Workers’ Rights Board will hear cases of construction workers in the Dallas area. Common problems on many building sites include insufficient drinking water in the summer heat, lack of safety equipment, and a pervasive lack of fair treatment of workers.

While worker rights abuses in construction are not uncommon, the current economic crisis and the special challenges of labor in Texas have exacerbated this problem.

The public and the media are invited to witness this hearing, as the members of the Workers’ Rights Board are investigating the current abuses and make decisions about how to respond to the crisis, which has the potential to give the city of Dallas and its inhabitants a bad name.

Information about Workers’ Rights Boards:

At a time when the rights of workers are increasingly under attack, North Texas Jobs with Justice has formed a Workers’ Rights Board. About a dozen of these boards already exist in other cities across the U.S. Their goal is to bring together community leaders from all sectors who understand that workers’ rights are an important pillar of the community.

Members of Workers’ Rights Boards include state representatives, religious leaders, organizers and activists, educators and academics, lawyers, journalists, and many others. The work of a Workers’ Rights Board includes hearings where workers can present their struggles, addressing the violations of workers’ rights through writing letters to employers demanding fair treatment, delegation visits to management or public officials, speaking out through the media when necessary, and demonstrating solidarity with workers in various other ways. The Dallas Workers’ Rights Board works closely with North Texas Jobs with Justice in order to identify worthy campaigns and issues.

Jobs with Justice has a long history of bringing together a broad range of community leaders, including faith communities and other organizations who care about the common good. For further information about Workers’ Rights Boards please check the following link: http://www.jwj.org/projects/wrb/history.html.