Northeast Ohio Worker Center

The Northeast Worker Center is an organization built by workers, for workers, to organize and fight back against the forces that have workers feeling isolated, overworked, underpaid, and exploited. Worker centers have emerged across the country as worker-led organizations which provide a space for workers to educate themselves on their rights at work, organize their workplaces, and receive legal and other support services from allied individuals and organizations working in solidarity with the center. In addition, the fundamental goal of a worker center is to transform the economy to better serve workers and their communities, so centers also serve as a vehicle for grassroots advocacy and organizing for political change on both the local, state, and national level.

In the Spring of 2021, the Northeast Ohio Worker Center came together to develop a Worker Bill of Rights.  The purpose of this document is raise awareness of the ways in which workers in our region need RELIEF:

RESPECTFUL: protections for workers’ rights to collectively organize, through unionization or other means, without threat of retaliation.

ENGAGING: leaders that share information and profits and allow for workers to provide input and recommend changes.

LIVABLE: wages that support families and affordable benefits like healthcare, paid sick time, family/medical leave, and retirement.

INCLUSIVE: freedom from harassment and discrimination and leaders that ensure equity and inclusion in hiring and advancement.

EMPATHETIC: employers that recognize need for and support reliable, safe, and affordable housing, utilities, transit, and childcare.

FAIR: safe, stable, and predictably scheduled employment with pay for all hours worked and debt-free career advancement.

Through this campaign we are hoping to build support for this Worker Bill of Rights and gain endorsements from residents, businesses, and organizations.  To learn more about endorsing the Worker Bill of Rights, visit:  https://www.neoworkercenter.org/worker-bill-of-rights

With the funds raised through this campaign the Northeast Ohio Worker Center will:

1.  Meet with community groups and residents to provide an overview of the Worker Bill of Rights and encourage these groups to endorse and share their support for the Worker Bill of Rights.

2. Meet with elected officials and candidates to share about the realities of being a worker in Northeast Ohio and provide an overview of the ways in which workers need RELIEF.

3. Create and distribution marketing materials and collateral that will help reinforce our message.

We are hosting this campaign because our economy is stacked against workers. Rock-bottom wages, unaccountable and predatory bosses, and threadbare workplace protections have brought the US to the bottom of the rankings for workers. 

These conditions are even worse for communities of color and those with marginalized gender, sexual, and disability identities who are disproportionately represented in vulnerable industries with limited opportunities for career advancement and economic mobility.