IN THE NEWS
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Wage Colorado's gig app drivers nearing a breaking point. And this Newly elected lawmaker is one of them.
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Wage theft ordinance passes, despite opposition from Denver Chamber of Commerce: 'It's time that these criminal contractors pay their fair shares'
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“Left unchecked and unregulated, gig companies will continue to shift the cost of doing business onto their workers and consumers — taking money out of our communities and putting it into corporate pockets,” Colorado Jobs with Justice, which authored the report, wrote in its conclusion.
There are still plenty of drivers, though, who say they make far more than the average pay listed in the Colorado Jobs with Justice study. Fifteen percent of drivers in the Colorado Jobs with Justice study reported being deactivated at some point. Many said they received no reasoning for the cause and were given little recourse once they were removed from the platform. Click Here to Read More Sam Tabachnik • January 15, 2023 • The Denver Post |
"Workers are not only not aware about the potential protections and rights that they have, they also have a lot of fear," said Pamela Reséndiz Trujano, with Colorado Jobs with Justice. "A lot of the workers could be undocumented or are Spanish speaking, or they genuinely don't have the resources to hire an attorney, this will allow any amount to be recuperated." This would also mean workers will be paid for overtime, working off the clock, or paid for when workers don't get a lunch break. Santizo and Reséndiz Trujano said this ordinance passing means accountability for employers, and sends the message that if workers aren't paid fairly, there will be consequences. "It's going to benefit everyone," Reséndiz Trujano said. "We are extremely excited that we've gotten to this point and that it's going to protect workers and the city of Denver."
Click Here to Read More Marissa Armas • January 09, 2023 • CBS Colorado |
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Opinion: Workplace justice and immigration enforcement should not be mixed
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Colorado gig drivers make an average of just $5.49 an hour, study finds
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Wage theft is illegal. But it can be nigh impossible to enforce when the threat of deportation looms. In Denver, the City Council also has an opportunity to support workers locally by amending Chapter 58 of the Denver Revised Municipal Code. The proposed wage theft ordinance brought forth by a coalition of labor unions, Towards Justice and Colorado Jobs with Justice, would expand the authority of Denver Labor, a division of the auditor’s office, and extend liability to actors up the chain that benefit from the labor violations of their subcontractors.
Click Here to Read More Sofia Solano, Rebecca Galemba and Nina DiSalvo • January 1, 2023 • The Colorado Sun |
Research from workers’ rights group Colorado Jobs With Justice in partnership with drivers’ union Colorado Independent Drivers United surveyed hundreds of gig workers in the Denver area regarding their work between 1 November 2021 and 31 January 2022, and found drivers on average took home $5.49 (£4.75) an hour after expenses. That average is roughly 35% of Denver’s 2022 minimum wage of $15.87, and falls significantly below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.
Click Here to Read More Kari Paul • November 9, 2022 • The Guardian |
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Demonstrators at the Capitol call for overturning Colorado's 'rent stabilization' ban
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New state law for agriculture pay
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Moriah Rodriguez, a Denver native and single mother of four teenagers, has struggled to afford rent since she suffered a brain injury four years ago when she was hit by a drunken driver. Her family moved into public housing after she couldn’t get rent relief.
Click Here to Read More Lindsey Toomer • July 10, 2022 • Denver Gazette |
Colorado Jobs with Justice, a coalition that fights for workers’ rights and economic, racial and gender justice, filed a lawsuit against Gov. Jared Polis and the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment challenging the rule. The organization claims the rule is contrary to the guarantee of equal protection of the law under the Colorado Constitution.
Click Here to Read More Faith Miller • April 7, 2022 • Colorado Newsline |
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Texas frontline workers win new representation in county government
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Labor coalition sues Polis administration over agricultural overtime pay rules
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Workers’ efforts in other places around the country are seeing tentative success, too. In Colorado, the farmworkers bill is “really a stepping stone … for what protections can look like,” says Pamela Reséndiz Trujano, executive director of Colorado Jobs with Justice. “We know that we still have so much work to do in terms of making sure that there is actual enforcement and that it forces a cultural change within that industry.”
Click Here to Read More Abigail Abrams • April 20, 2022 • TIME |
Former farmworker disadvantaged by ‘disparate overtime protections’ for industry, lawsuit says. Last fall, advocates for Colorado farm and ranch workers urged the state to adopt strong overtime protections for the agricultural sector. They argued that proposed overtime rules from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment didn’t fulfill the requirements of a new state law.
Click Here to Read More Faith Miller • April 7, 2022 • Colorado Newsline |
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Farmworker advocates file lawsuit against Polis, state labor department
“The fact we have lived and are continuing to experience a pandemic where we call these workers essential workers, where we call them heroes, and yet we don’t pay them with that reflection of those names," said Pamela Reséndiz Trujano, executive director of Colorado Jobs with Justice.
Click Here to Read More Courtney Yuen • March 31, 2022 • 9 News |
Lawsuit challenges delays to expanded labor protections for agriculture worker
Last legislative session, Colorado lawmakers passed SB 21-087, also known as the Agricultural Workers Rights bill. At the time of its passage, it was considered a landmark win for workers who were exempt from the federal labor law protections workers in other sectors have. But the law’s passage wasn’t the end of the story.
Click Here to Listen to the Whole Video Shannon Young • March 31, 2022 • KGNU |
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Farmworker groups sue Polis and the state labor department over new overtime rules on Cesar Chavez Day
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Hickenlooper says he remains 'committed' to immigration issues after vote on stimulus payments
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“The department maintained an unreasonable and unjustifiable overtime standard for farmworkers that is uniquely weak compared to the overtime requirements applicable to other workers,” the suit says. “That double standard is rooted in racially discriminatory federal law.”
Click Here to Read More Matt Bloom • March 31, 2022 • CPR News |
Colorado Jobs with Justice was one of the 300 immigrant advocates that signed ACLU Colorado's letter. The coalition advocates for worker's rights, according to Executive Director Pamela Resendiz.
Click Here to Read More CB Cotton • February 8, 2021 • Denver 7 ABC |
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¿Le robaron su salario? Denver crea una unidad para castigar a los malos empleadores
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Latino community leaders call for equal overtime rights for Colorado farm laborers
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‘Sabemos que esto es algo que impacta mucho a trabajadores que hablan español, trabajadores que a lo mejor no tienen un estatus migratorio’, explica Pamela Reséndiz Trujano, directora de la Organización Trabajos con Justicia.
Haga clic aquí para leer más Yamile Arango •Julio 22, 2021 • Colorado Ya |
"We’re asking for the Polis administration to ensure that workers, agricultural workers, are treated like all the other workers in our state, and that includes overtime after 40 hours," Pamela Resendiz Trujano, the Executive Director of Colorado Jobs with Justice.
Click Here to Read More October 6, 2021 • Fresh Plaza |
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Tensions rise as affordable housing subpanel seeks $400M solution
During a virtual meeting Sept. 29, member Eric Leveridge of Colorado Jobs with Justice called the limited time available for subpanel members to focus on promoting equity in housing a “slap in the face to marginalized communities across this state.”
Click Here to Read More Faith Miller • October 11, 2021 • Colorado Newsline |
Memorial service, motorcade to be held in honor of UFCW 7 grocery workers who died from COVID-19
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union 7 (UFCW 7) said that they will host a memorial on Sunday in honor of three union members that died of COVID-19. Karen Haws, Randy Narvaez and James McKay are the Kroger employees who died from the virus. UFCW Local 7 says they will pay tribute to each member and their families during the event.
Click Here to Read More Jenna Carrol • June 13, 2020 • Fox 31 |
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Community honors 3 King Soopers employees who died from Coronavirus
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Jobs with Justice Brings an Equity Focus to Apprenticeship
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The service started the Colorado Education Association parking lot as the union president, Kim Cordova and the executive director of Colorado Jobs with Justice, Pamela Reséndiz Trujano joined family members in speaking.
Click Here to Read More June 14, 2020 • Denver CBS4 |
Jobs with Justice is currently working to promote inclusion of more women and people of color in apprenticeship in construction careers. The two main hubs for their national work are Denver and Orlando, where Colorado Jobs With Justice and Central Florida Jobs With Justice each employ a Construction Careers Coordinator to expand outreach and support.
Click Here to Read More Ivy Love • November 14, 2018 • New America |
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Colorado Jobs With Justice 1600 N Downing St. Suite 100 Denver, CO 80218 info@cojwj.org | www.cojwj.org |