Neighbor News
Athens for Everyone Hosts Workers Coffee Hours
Workers of Athens unite! Share stories, ask questions of guests, organize, defend the rights of workers in Clarke County, Georgia and beyond
March 18, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Drew Hooks
Find out what's happening in Athensfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Workers Rights Campaign Coordinator
478-494-7717
Find out what's happening in Athensfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Athens for Everyone Hosts Workers Coffee Hours
Free to Attend, Refreshments Provided, Open to the Public
Athens, GA – Social justice nonprofit Athens for Everyone’s Workers Rights Campaign (one of the organization’s five current campaigns) will host a series of drop-in coffee hours designed to elicit the questions, comments and concerns of local workers while providing a forum for planning action. These gatherings will be held every third Sunday at the new Athens for Everyone office location within the Tracy Street Warehouses (159 Oneta Street, Unit 4, Suite 10) from 3 to 5 PM. All residents and area workers are invited to attend; snacks, coffee, and tea will be provided free of charge.
Each month will include a different guest giving a short presentation on an issue relevant to workers’ rights followed by a larger time block reserved for meeting and informal conversation. These coffee hours are intended to educate and galvanize the local workforce with resources to redress employment grievances and proactively develop employee power in the workplace..
The first coffee hour held in February featured local labor attorney John Beasley who shared stories about litigating labor disputes and provided information regarding protections available to all workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Attendees asked questions relevant to their particular concerns.
According to Drew Hooks, A4E’s Workers Rights Campaign Coordinator, “We want these coffee hours to be a time for workers from various backgrounds and fields to come together to discuss their rights that are currently protected and what rights they want to see protected. The rights of Georgia workers will continue to be legally eroded unless Georgia workers organize and stand together.”
This month’s coffee hour on March 20th will again feature John Beasley along with Joel Solow from Raise Up for $15 in Atlanta, a grassroots organization advocating for a $15/hr. minimum wage in Georgia. Athens for Everyone recently delivered approximately 650 petitions to the ACC Mayor & Commission demanding all part-time and seasonal employees of the ACC Unified Government be paid at minimum $10.17/hr. (a living wage for a single person in ACC without dependents according to the MIT calculator).
These coffee hours will continue building momentum in Athens toward fair wages and decent employment standards for all workers. Local labor professionals are encouraged to come speak at future events and if interested should contact Drew Hooks. Most importantly concerned workers and employers should attend. Such a dialogue will nurture mutual understanding of the challenges businesses and the people that comprise them face as we work together to feasibly, equitably, and democratically transform our community into a model city.
