Labor Justice Radio

The Way to Work program is a statewide initiative that has put 12,000  adults back to work in full time employment and 14,000 youth into summer employment. This program is slated to be cut off on September 30th. Many people across the state are pushing to extend this program, in hopes of lessening the unemployment crisis instead of adding to it.

In this piece, Philadelphians who have benefited from this program share their stories about getting back to work. Sandi Vito, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, also speaks about the fight to extend this inititiave.

Amendu Evans produced this latest installment of Labor Justice Radio's continuing coverage of unemployment and the Way to Work program.

On August 12th, Philadelphians gathered to protest the detention and deportation of Ly Hov Khol, a refugee of the Khmer Rouge Regime and an active and valuable member of Philadelphia's Cambodian-American community. Ly was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is now being held at a detention center out of state, awaiting his impending deportation to Cambodia.

Many more Cambodian-Americans across the country will be detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the coming months and will be denied due process in the same way. You can support due process rights for all those being detained, by signing this petition urging the President to stop the deportation of Cambodian American Refugees.

This story features highlights from the South Philadelphia rally to protest Ly's deportation, and an interview with Mia-lia Kiernan of the Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia. Charles Clarke produced this piece.

After a tragic fire near 55th & Sansom (West Philadelphia) took the life of a 12 year old named Frank Marasco, neighbors and firefighters gathered for a vigil in front of the home. Those who spoke at the vigil blamed Mayor Nutter's 'brown-out' policy for the firefighters' unnecessarily long response time. The policy, which involves temporarily closing fire stations around the city, was part of Nutter's plan to cut the city budget. Though Engine 57 is located only blocks from Frank Marasco's home, it had been shut down the evening of the fire, as part of the 'brown-out' policy. The audio in this piece was taken from a video produced by Rebecka Scotland and narrated by Eric Yates, for MMPTV.

Amendu Evans recently spoke to representatives of Philadelphia Unemployment Project (PUP). Frank Wallace spoke about the what it's like to be unemployed in today's economy. Ahnivah Williams, an organizer with PUP, also shared information about the Way to Work program that is offering jobs to Philadelphians.

Nearly 15 million people are unemployed across the US—and those numbers don't take into account the 1.2 million discouraged workers (workers whose unemployment benefits have run out), 8.6 million involuntary part-time workers, countless others who are underemployed, or those who are coming of age and have yet to find work.

The Way to Work program is offering jobs to unemployed people who have dependent children.  If you want more information about how you can get a job through this program, contact the Philadelphia Unemployment Project.

Philadelphia Unemployment Project

112 North Broad Street, 11th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102

Phone: 215-557-0822

Pennsylvania may lose thousands more jobs if Congress allows the stimulus-funded Way to Work Program to expire. Learn how you can help protect this important program.

The Unified Taxi Workers Alliance organized a prayer vigil on Wednesday, July 7th to support the drivers and families who were victimized in a recent raid by the Philadelphia Parking Authority and Immigration Customs Enforcement Authorities. This segment was adapted using video produced by Rebekah Scotland for MMPTV. Edited by Kistine Carolan.

On this show: + SEIU members fight for fair treatment + Philly responds to city budget cuts + Queer immigrants talk about repression and resistance + Day laborers speak about their right to work With music and local news.

This piece explores the impacts of 'Secure Communities' legislation, which grants police officers many of the same powers as Immigrations & Customs Enforcement officials. The effects of this policy are examined using interviews with a lawyer who focuses on immigrant rights and community members. This Spanish-language radio piece was produced by Radio Tlacuache.

In this segment we hear the stories of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Asian Americans and Latino immigrants. Experience of repression is often a driving force for immigration. The Asian Arts Initiative sponsored this event and coordinated a presentation by these panelists to help inform the national fight for immigration reform. This segment was produced by Kistine Carolan.

Labor Justice Radio brings you a translated version of a piece by Radio Tlacuache. On April 27, Radio Tlacuache members visited the Home Depot in Northeast Philadelphia to interview the day laborers. This Home Depot is a place where day laborers gather to look for work. On that day, there were almost 50 people hoping to be hired for work. These workers spoke about what a typical day is like for them, and shared their thoughts about the draconian immigration law that was recently passed in Arizona. This piece was originally produced by Abel, of Radio Tlacuache. This English version was narrated by Milena Velis & produced by Charles Jones.

Next year's budget for Philadelphia includes cuts to library services and firefighters, and a ten percent property tax increase. At a rally at City Hall, the Coalition for Essential Services called for a stop to cuts, and more taxes for big business. A report by Milena Velis

The School District has a contract with Team Clean to clean 22 high schools. The SEIU members who work for Team Clean have been underpaid and denied complete benefits for a long time. A few weeks ago, SEIU and supporting organizations staged a rally in front of the Philadelphia School District Headquarters to demand better wages and benefits for workers at 22 Philadelphia schools. Amendu Evans brings us highlights from the rally and the victory that resulted.

Domestic Workers United (DWU) is an organization that fights for the rights of nannies, elderly caregivers, housekeepers and other workers who work inside people's homes. In this interview, Yvonne, a live-in nanny and member of DWU shares stories that illustrate the need for domestic workers to have equal labor protections and benefits-- two things that they are currently not getting under the law. The Domestic Workers Bill of Rights would change that.

This interview was conducted by Dan Jones of On Blast, and produced by LJR's Kistine Carolan.

Up to six million workers are injured each year in the United States. 6,000 are killed outright. At least 50,000 die each year from work related disease. Every year, Philadelphia Area Project on Occupational Safety and Health (PhilaPOSH) recognizes Workers Memorial Day and honors people who have been killed on the job. This memorial ceremony is part of a larger campaign to raise awareness about the rights of workers' and the importance of safe working conditions across all industries. Charles Jones was there for this year's ceremony and spoke to Barbara Rahke about PhilaPOSH's work.

On May 1st, Labor Justice Radio participated in Philadelphia's May Day celebration in Elmwood Park. Union workers, community members, and other members of Philly's labor movement came out to celebrate International Workers Day, and witness the groundbreaking of a new workers memorial being built in the park. Charles Jones (of SEIU 1199C) interviewed two of the organizers of the May Day celebration, Cathy Brady and Fabrizio Rodriguez, who speak about the significance of May Day and the current reality faced by Philly workers.

Radio Tlacuache habló con Carlos Garcia, un organizador con Punete y ALTOARIZONA.COM sobre la ley SB 1070 que criminaliza la comunidad latino e inmigrante en el estado de Arizona. Esta ley ha producido muchas propuestas similares en various estados incluyendo Pennsylvania. Garcia nos explica que los problemas que esta enfrentando el estado no viene de inmigracion y que este ley es un reacción que "va a causar mas problemas" para el estado. Para ayudar mas y apoyar la lucha en contra de SB 1070 visita www.altoarizona.com

Radio Tlacuache habló con jornaleros afuera de un Home Depot en Philaldephia sobre los cambios de las leyes migratorias y como va a afectar trabajadores y la comunidad inmigrante.

Labor Justice Radio joined hundreds of local union members and labor leaders for a May Day celebration in Southwest Philadelphia this month. Several local labor leaders spoke about the impact of war on the local economy and the labor movement. A piece by Milena Velis.