Letter From Our Executive Director
Warehouse Workers for Justice Executive Director Marcos Ceniceros at our 15th Anniversary Fundraiser on December 7, 2023.
Dear friends,
15 years ago, Warehouse Workers for Justice (WWJ) began as a project of United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) to address the growth of the warehousing industry which was thriving while skirting labor laws, exploiting workers and making it harder for workers to organize collectively.
Back then the big fight and national attention was focused squarely on the behemoth of Walmart. Since then, Amazon has taken center stage, transforming the logistics industry and driving a race to the bottom that makes warehouse work more dangerous and less profitable for workers every year.
I’m proud of the team at WWJ and all of our work. Alongside workers, we were able to stage walkouts at Amazon; support workers to collect petition signatures and march on abusive bosses; force concessions from companies; recover stolen wages; push back on anti-immigrant and racist policies and rhetoric; support workers with sealing and expungement of their records; complete applications for Deferred Action; support the passage of policies that address industry issues; stand alongside workers fighting sexual harassment; and continue to build a strong base of workers and community members.
The pandemic years highlighted the fragility of our current system and workers are more fired up than ever after suffering for years under a system that has been failing them for decades. We are committed to providing an organizing home for these workers so that, together, we can build the power we need to force systemic change and make sure all the bosses understand that nothing moves without us.
In Solidarity, Marcos Ceniceros
