Emeryville Takes on Next Wave of Policies to Address Income Inequality
Press conference to unveil report supporting the need for full-time work, urging lawmakers to pass reforms to fix scheduling problems in large retail and fast food corporations
03.15. 2016
Emeryville, CA – After passing the highest minimum wage in the country, Emeryville is considering the next step in addressing income inequality. Though thousands of Emeryville’s low-wage workers are making $14.44 with a path to $16, there is an epidemic of large corporate retail and fast food chains not providing people with full-time work. With lack of hours and unpredictable schedules, many are forced to work two or three jobs and lead chaotic lives to make ends meet.
Dozens of Emeryville workers and supporters will hold a press conference urging Emeryville City Council to expedite legislation to give workers full-time predictable hours, building off the findings in a new report that chronicles the severe scheduling problems retail workers face. Participants will then testify at the City Council meeting.
“I want to have the freedom to control my life and work, and the independence to be able to provide for myself,” said Alejandra Del Toro, a Bay Street Mall retail worker in Emeryville. “Instead, I get cancelled shifts and last minute scheduling changes that make it hard to have a healthy routine, go back to school, or even think of starting a business. I help the large retailers in Emeryville make sales and make money—they should give us consistent schedules and more access to work hours.”
The report, released by Alliance for Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) and the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE), details the lack of full-time hours and unhealthy scheduling practices in Emeryville’s retail and fast food sectors—cornerstones of the city’s economy. The report outlines the need for predictable full-time work to allow workers to pay the bills, plan for the future, and schedule time for family, education, and rest.
“100 years ago we fought for low-wage workers to limit work to 40 hours a week, but today we’re fighting so that they have full time work to support their families,” said Jennifer Lin, Deputy Director of the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE). “We are finishing the job on minimum wage, and ensure that people are both paid a fair wage with a fair schedule.”
When: Tuesday, March 15, 2016, at 6:00pm PT
Where: On the steps in front of Emeryville City Hall, 1333 Park Ave, Emeryville, CA
What: Rally and Press conference releasing new report and urging Emeryville City Council to mandate schedule practices for large retail employers
Who: Nikki Williams, Past Emeryville Retail Worker Jennifer Lin, Deputy Director, East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy Emeryville Workers: Cinthia Gomez, DB Shoes; Alejandra Del Toro, Bay Street Mall Retail Worker
The Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) Action is a grassroots, member-led, statewide community organization working with more than 10,000 members across California. ACCE is dedicated to raising the voices of everyday Californians, neighborhood by neighborhood, to fight for the policies and programs we need to improve our communities and create a brighter future. www.workingeastbay.org The East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE) advances economic, racial, and social justice by building a just economy in the East Bay based on good jobs and healthy communities. We address the root causes of economic injustice by developing strategic alliances among community, labor, and people of faith to build power and create change with low-income workers and communities of color.
The Center for Popular Democracy promotes equity, opportunity, and a dynamic democracy in partnership with innovative base-building organizations, organizing networks and alliances, and progressive unions across the country. CPD builds the strength and capacity of democratic organizations to envision and advance a pro-worker, pro-immigrant, racial justice agenda. www.fairworkweek.org The Fair Workweek Initiative, anchored by the Center for Popular Democracy and CPD Action, is driving the growing momentum to restore a workweek that enables working families to thrive.
Contacts: (Local) Beth Trimarco, EBASE 510-760-4202, beth@workingeastbay.org, (Local) Anya Svanoe, ACCE 510-423-2452, asvanoe@calorganize.org, (National) Asya Pikovsky, CPD 207-522-2442, APikovsky@populardemocracy.org
