Arkansas Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice
History
In 1992 there was much controversy surrounding House Bill 5, the Worker place Fairness Act. This act amended the National Labor Relations Act to make it an unfair labor practice for an employer to promise, threaten, or take other action to hire a permanent replacement for an employee who at the beginning of a labor dispute was in a bargaining unit and in connection with that dispute has engaged in concerted activities for collective bargaining or other mutual aid and protection through that labor organization. For instance...under the current law, if you were involved with organizing on the job or going on strike to make your concerns heard, your employer would be able to "permanently replace" you. This legislation would have closed that loophole in the original law and workers would not have been permanently replaced. This would have given workers a stronger voice in their workplace and leveled the playing field.
For this reason, Melba Collins and Steve Copley rallied together a coalition of faith and labor leaders, community organizations, and students to show support for the proposed legislation and convince our Senators and Congressmen to vote in favor of the legislation.The legislation did not pass and even today workers are constantly fighting for their jobs and the right to bargain with their employers. This sparked an interest in the people of Central Arkansas. AICWJ became a non-profit network of people of faith that call upon our religious values in order to educate, organize and mobilize the faith community in Arkansas on issues and campaigns that will improve wages, benefits, and conditions for workers, and give voice to workers in their workplace.
A group originally brought together by national legislation is now a strong organization acting on its values in creative and strategic ways, to become a powerful voice in creating and sustaining a state where all workers share in the prosperity of our society, enjoy the fundamental human right to organize, and lead dignified lives as a result of their labor.
In addition, AICWJ works on national and local issues that are important to working families. If interested in learning more about the work that we do please visit the websites below or feel free to contact us.
