About

Who We Are

At Jobs With Justice, we are leading the fight for workers’ rights and an economy that benefits everyone. Jobs With Justice is committed to working nationally and locally, on the ground and online. There are 40 Jobs with Justice chapters nationwide.

Portland Jobs with Justice (JwJ) is a coalition of more than 100 labor organizations and community groups dedicated to protecting the rights of working people and supporting community struggles to build a more just society. We are committed to the creation of family wage jobs, support for organizing both here and abroad, and maintaining pressure to demand corporate accountability in our communities.

In the work JwJ gives priority to struggles involving the most vulnerable workers in our community, low wage workers, immigrants, people of color, women and youth. JwJ believes that direct action is an important part of supporting these campaigns. We are committed to creating an organization that is fully inclusive and welcoming to everyone. Portland JwJ mobilizes support for labor and community struggles at rallies, on picket lines, in educational settings as well as at meetings and hearings. The basic building block of Portland JwJ is a pledge from individuals to turn out to support other people’s struggles at least five times a year.

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JwJ is governed by a Steering Committee composed its officers, committee chairs, staff, representatives of each member organization and seven at-large members elected bi-annually. The Steering Committee meets the first Monday of each month and makes decisions about what actions to support.

Pledgers are mobilized through mailings and a phone tree. An Executive Committee made up of officers and committee chairs meets between Steering Committee meetings. These meetings are open to everyone, and all Steering Committee members may vote. When necessary a leadership group made up of staff and officers makes decisions.

How organizations can seek support from JwJ
Organizations seeking support from JwJ are asked to make a request for action a week before the Steering Committee meeting. Requests should indicate what level of support is needed and a representative from your group should plan to come to the monthly Steering Committee meeting. Decisions on which actions to support are made based on criteria including: impact of JwJ’s support on the campaign, impact on building JwJ and local coalitions, level of rank and file participation and leadership, and how the action fits into JwJ’s organizational priorities and capacity.