Worker Justice

"Great is work, as it gives honor
to the one who does it."

—Nedarim 49b

Our tradition tells us that it is a Jewish moral imperative to treat workers fairly. But we know that in this country and around the world, the workplace is often ground zero for forced labor, exploitation, wage theft, and violence – especially for members of Black, brown, and undocumented communities, as well as those with temporary work visas. From the tomato fields of Immokalee, FL, to construction sites in Brooklyn, to undocumented workers excluded from COVID benefits, T’ruah rabbis and cantors across the country are in solidarity with workers standing up for dignity, equity, and safety in their workplaces.

Our work includes:

• Solidarity with farmworkers: Since 2011, T’ruah has brought more than 100 rabbis, cantors, and lay leaders to visit the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a farmworker-led organization that is transforming the Florida tomato fields from places of modern day slavery to some of the best workplaces in U.S. agriculture. The #tomatorabbis, as members of the rabbinic delegations call themselves, have gone home to involve members of their own communities in asking major corporations to join the coalition’s Fair Food Program, which raises the wages of tomato workers and ensures fair, regulated working conditions in the fields to end the conditions that have led to widespread labor trafficking and slavery.T’ruah has worked with the coalition to bring Trader Joe’s, Ahold (Stop & Shop/Giant), and Chipotle into the Fair Food Program. We are currently organizing Jewish communities to ask Wendy’s to join 14 major corporations in doing the same, and are partnering with the coalition to expand the Fair Food Program into additional states and crops.
• Building the faith-rooted movement for worker justice: Along with organizations and networks like the Interreligious Network for Worker Solidarity, T'ruah works to bolster national advocacy and organizing that builds up the worker justice movement and aims to stop the attacks on workers coming from both legislatures and individual companies.
• Selling fairly traded chocolate for Jewish holiday celebrations: T’ruah partners with Equal Exchange and Divine Chocolate, to encourage Jewish communities to purchase kosher fairly traded Chanukah gelt, kosher-for-Passover chocolate, coffee, and other products.

Local campaigns:

T'ruah's New York City cluster is partnering with Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ) and the Laundry Workers Center on their Cabricanecos campaign, standing in solidarity with migrant and indigenous workers who are seeking access to safer and more equitable working conditions at job sites across Brooklyn.

Partners:

Internally, T'ruah strives to live our values around worker justice. Whenever possible, our products, including paper materials and t-shirts, are union printed, and we use a union cleaning company for our office. We aspire to equity, transparency, and dignity in all aspects of our hiring process and in how we treat our employees.