Advocacy

Along with worker organizing and outreach, we advocate for better laws in the state of Illinois that ensure all workers are protected at work and in their communities. That includes workers’ rights, environmental justice, and public health – our advocacy is expansive and works to create space for working people, from all backgrounds, to thrive in every way possible.

Clean Air & Warehousing

In partnership with Lewis University, we are conducting community-based air quality monitoring in areas overburdened by air pollution from diesel trucks and warehouses in Joliet and across Will County (see map). Learn more about the project.

Join us in the fight for clean air!

  • Get a PurpleAir sensor for your home or business

  • Canvass with us

  • Host a community discussion

  • Spread the word

Understanding the Data

For this project, we are using PurpleAir sensors to collect hyper-local air quality data that can back up our community’s concerns about dangerous pollution and help inform our effort towards clean air for workers and residents in Illinois.

PurpleAir.com allows us to view the data from our sensors in real time. Here’s how to navigate the PurpleAir Map:

  1. Click the button below to access a map of the area we are monitoring in Will County, which is centered in Joliet.

  2. Every PurpleAir sensor on the map will appear as a colored dot called a map marker with the current air quality index (AQI) number on it. Click any of the markers to reveal a popup window with details about the selected sensor and a graph at the top left of the screen representing the AQI of that sensor over time.

    • Our sensors are labeled as “Sensor: WWJ-XXXXXX” (ex. WWJ-222400)

  3. Within the popup window, the large, bold number at the top right is the current AQI, which coincides with the color of the marker and window.

    • The AQI number is updated every 2 minutes and can vary drastically from one hour to the next

    • Under each number, there is a description of what the current AQI range represents, followed by the average AQI in different specific times ranges, which you can hover over to see what they mean

    • All AQI ranges and coinciding color meanings can be found by hovering over the color scale at the bottom left of the map, starting with green (0-50 AQI / least severe) and ending with maroon (>300 AQI / most severe, emergency conditions)

Campaigns

We’re Proud Of

  • Temp Worker Fairness & Safety Act

    Alongside the Chicago Workers Collaborative, we helped advocate for and successfully expand worker protections for temporary workers that make up a large population of warehouse workers in Illinois and across the country.

  • Access to Justice

    We proudly partner with and advocate for Illinois Access to Justice, a state-wide program that seeks to mitigate the devastating consequences of all forms of detention and incarceration, and the resulting crippling effects on historically marginalized communities – a notable portion of which makes up Illinois warehousing.

  • ICIRR Policy Platform

    Each year, we work with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights to push forward legislation, programs, services, and funding that will benefit immigrant and refugee workers and families in our state.

  • Responsible Jobs Creation Act

    Before the TWFSA, there was the Responsible Jobs Creation Act in 2017, which was an ambitious and hard fought win by WWJ, Chicago Workers Collaborative, IL AFL-CIO, and Raise the Floor to regulate the growing temporary staffing industry in Illinois.

  • Good Food Purchasing Policy

    Through the key principles of equity, transparency, and accountability, the Good Food Purchasing Policy (GFPP), implemented with the City of Chicago, its Sister Agencies, and the Cook County Government, encourages large institutions to shift their purchasing practices toward five core values – Local Economies, Environmental Sustainability, Valued Workforce, Animal Welfare, and Nutrition.