Organizing

At WWJ, we support workers mobilizing to fight for justice in their warehouses. Our work is based in helping build power among warehouse workers, developing petitions, staging walkouts and rallies, and coming up with other effective strategies to organize for safer workplaces, higher pay, an end to sexual harassment and discrimination, and respect on the job.

How We Do It

  • Direct action is a sure way to show the boss that workers take their rights seriously. When workers come together in solidarity towards a common goal, by way of walking off the job or holding a rally outside the facility, bosses are forced to recognize the power they hold and do something about it.

  • We have helped hundreds of workers with Deferred Action for Labor Enforcement (DALE) application training and many of them have received their permits or are in the process of receiving this essential protection for immigrant and undocumented workers fighting labor abuse at their workplaces.

  • The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) protects workers' right to enforce their health and safety in the workplace. Filing a complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) can be a daunting process; our organizers are trained to help workers through it.

  • There's power in numbers. Gathering as many workers as possible to deliver a written request to the boss demanding an end to any labor abuse or violation of rights they may be experiencing is one of the first steps in creating change in the workplace.

  • When injustice occurs in the workplace, our organizers are here to stand with workers who are ready to demand their rights be respected. We are proud to represent and support workers in delivering their demands to the boss.

There are many ways that workers can come together to fight for change in their workplaces. We’re here to support in any way we can so that they feel confident building the power necessary to take on the boss.

Are you a worker interested in learning more about our organizing efforts or want to find out how you can fight for your rights at work?

Recent Campaigns

Amazon Worker Safety

On October 11, 2022, over 50 workers at the MDW2 cross-dock facility walked out in protest of the company’s inaction in the face of racial death threats on a bathroom wall at the facility. Workers demanded increased safety measures, including metal detectors going in (instead of just coming out - Amazon prioritizes product theft over workers’ lives), and $25 per hour. On November 28, 2022, over 70 workers at MDW2 walked out at 3:30am. 2nd shift followed day shift, which walked out 2 months earlier. Cyber Monday is one of Amazon’s most profitable days of the year and the action generated 31 media stories that were seen by nearly 10 million people. 

Pivot Bio Walkout

In April 2023, 13 workers at Pivot Bio, a fertilizer manufacturing company in Franklin Park, began organizing in response to lack of proper PPE, machine hazards, and other health and safety issues. At an action in May, workers came together outside the facility to demand that the company, valued at $2 billion, invest in the health and safety of their workers and treat them with the respect they all deserve. In their campaign, workers gained the support of State Representative Norma Hernandez, Franklin Park Mayor Barrett Pederson, PASO, Chicago Community and Worker Rights, Raise the Floor Alliance, Chicago Jobs with Justice, United African Organization, and the Chicago Workers Collaborative.

Distribution 2000 Worker Safety

In October 2023, we supported a group of workers organizing against sexual harassment from a warehouse manager at a facility in Romeoville. Workers marched on the boss and delivered a demand letter accompanied by State Representative Dagmara Avelar, calling on the company to immediately fire the abusive boss. Workers continue to organize to demand respect from a company that likes to remind workers regularly that “we are a family”.