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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
CONGRATULATING CHICAGO COMMUNITY AND WORKERS’ RIGHTS (CCWR) ON ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY
WHEREAS, Chicago Community and Workers’ Rights (CCWR) was founded in June 2009 by a group of Latinx immigrant workers who saw a need for an organization dedicated to empowering workers to defend their rights; and
WHEREAS, CCWR is a worker-led organization that builds leadership and develops organizing tools and collective strategies against labor and immigrant rights abuses, towards just living conditions, shifting the balance of power to the workers; and
WHEREAS, CCWR works mainly with low-wage, Latinx immigrant workers, regardless of immigration status- over 90% are people with low income, and over half are women; and
WHEREAS, immigrant workers are 1.5 times more likely to experience minimum wage violations and face dangerous working conditions, making up 54% of the foreign-born population who die of work-related injuries, and therefore CCWR fights and advocates for their rights; and
WHEREAS, as only about fifteen percent of workers in Illinois are unionized, immigrant workers are vulnerable to threats from employers such as contacting immigration authorities on their statuses, which is why CCWR assists immigrant workers in overcoming such barriers and organizes them to advocate for their workplace rights and;
WHEREAS, with CCWR’s support, workers have recovered stolen wages, organized for better working conditions and defended their jobs. Their work has led to changes at the city, county, and state level to address issues of exploitation and push for the collective self-determination of workers;
WHEREAS, in 2014, because of cases brought to the attention of the Illinois Department of Labor by CCWR, the implementation of three amendments to labor laws went into effect to make sure landscaping companies, and similarly structured companies, do not violate workers’ rights.
WHEREAS, in 2015, after years of organizing and advocacy together with Chicago street vendors, the City of Chicago approved a City ordinance in 2015 that allows pushcart street vendors to sell their prepared products on the street; and
WHEREAS, CCWR also works toward promoting laws and policies that create alternatives to provide people with more equitable economic opportunities, and has focused on supporting and establishing a worker cooperative ecosystem as a form of economic justice for communities of color that face poverty, marginalization and that have no documents; and
WHEREAS, CCWR is a founding member of the Illinois Workers Cooperative Alliance (IWCA), working towards creating financial and other resources for worker cooperatives at the city/county/state levels, and in collaboration with other organizations formed the Illinois Coalition for Cooperative Advancement (ICCA) with the main purpose to pass the worker cooperative association Act at the state level; in August 2019 the Limited Worker Cooperative Association Act was signed into law; and
WHEREAS, CCWR has been very active working with other coalitions to improve the lives of our community members and have been founding member of Raise the Floor Coalition, Organized Communities Against Deportation (OCAD), Chicago Immigration Policy Working Group, Resist, Reimagine Rebuild Coalition, and the Chicago Gang Database Coalition; and
WHEREAS, CCWR has helped protect the worker rights of immigrant communities and has been powerful advocate for all social justice issues.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Cook County Board President and the Cook County Board of Commissioners do hereby congratulate the staff, volunteers, and supporters of Chicago Community and Workers’ Rights on their 10th Anniversary.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT, this text be spread upon the proceedings of this Honorable Body and that a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Chicago Community and Workers’ Rights in honor of its outstanding achievements.
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