Kibitznik’s Choice: Jewish Labor Committee

by Alyssa Goldstein Following the teachers’ strike in Chicago (as well as the various strikes and work stoppages here in Ramallah), I’m in a Labor state of mind this week. So I’m checking out the Jewish Labor Committee, which supports the Chicago teachers and other workers’ struggles across the country — like the aspirations of Bed, Bath and Beyond workers to organize, and the efforts of Hyatt housekeepers to obtain better working conditions. Not only does the JLC get out into the streets to support workers’ rights, they also provide resources for making labor a part of Jewish thought and practice. Check out their long list of traditional Jewish texts on labor and workers’ rights, as well as their sources on the American Jewish labor movement. Victories for workers are few and far between in the US these days. Corporations are extremely powerful, and there is little legal protection for workers’ rights to strike and organize. We all need to stand together to fight for and protect workers’ rights--because the government and corporations sure aren’t going to do that. JLC has chapters across the country, and you can follow their latest news on Facebook.