(713) 862-8222
CREATING CHANGE WITH
AND FOR WORKERS
BECOME A MEMBER
Fe y Justicia Worker Center is a membership-driven organization. Our members are our most important affiliates who not only benefit from our programs, but also become leaders in realizing the mission, contributing to our development, and directing our actions. To become a member you must:
-
Be aligned with FJWC's mission and principles;
-
Have been an active volunteer or leader for at least three months in the last year;
-
Make a contribution that is significant to you (at least $3 per month); and
-
Complete a Membership Orientation.
CHOOSE YOUR ROLE
PROMOTER
Expand our network
As a promoter, you are responsible for speaking with one new worker per week about their rights and our movement and organizing one event per year where you bring friends, family, or neighbors to a workshop led by our facilitators.
FACILITATOR
Deepen our network's knowledge and connections
As a facilitator, you will lead workshops to help workers learn about relevant worker rights and social change topics, allow workers to connect, and make decisions together. We will train you and hope you lead four or more workshops per year.
CONVENING MOMENTS
Our events calendar here!
Our Worker Assemblies are a time when workers can connect, grow their networks, and provide mutual support to prepare to lead and win campaigns for social change. Everyone is welcome and we encourage you to bring a friend! See our calendar for upcoming dates.
We have workshops on many relevant topics available all the time! Be sure to check out our calendar for our upcoming workshops and events.
Our monthly leadership meetings are a time when trainers and promoters can check in on their progress toward their annual goals and advance their facilitating and leadership skills. The meetings are usually held every third Thursday of the month (see calendar here).
BARRIO MEETINGS
We are restoring our neighborhood-based committees to reach more people and advocate more effectively.
PROGRAMS
DOMESTIC WORKER LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Domestic workers tend homes and care for the young, the old, the disabled, the ill, and the vulnerable. This work underpins all other work accomplished in a society.
La Colmena ("The Beehive") is a network of members working toward building the collective power of domestic workers in Houston. They are trainers, promoters, and advisors who reach out to raise awareness about workers' rights and improve working conditions for domestic workers.
These amazing women are dedicated to supporting and protecting each other, and working together to advocate for workers’ dignity and justice in Houston.
STOPPING LABOR TRAFFICKING & EMPOWERING SURVIVORS
Labor trafficking accounts for 75% of human trafficking in the state of Texas. FJWC is the only Houston organization dedicated to preventing and responding to labor trafficking specifically.
FJWC has built systems to document labor abuse, screen for labor trafficking, and provide rapid response to claims with labor trafficking red flags.
FJWC also convenes a peer support and advocacy group for labor trafficking survivors.
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH TRAINING
Since 2011, our Occupational Safety and Health Education program has focused on hard-to-reach workers and small employers and has made it possible to recruit and train more than 1,700 people in the Houston area, providing engaging, interactive trainings in English and Spanish on diverse safety and health topics.
RECONSTRUCTION WORKS
As second responders, workers do the bulk of cleanup and rebuilding after disasters nationwide. Our resiliency depends on them.
At the end of 2017, FJWC and NDLON hosted a forum called Reconstruction Works with the goals of highlighting the role of day laborers, construction workers, domestic workers, and migrant workers as second responders to climate change disasters, and building a better understanding of what support second responders need as they rebuild cities alongside their own homes, as well as what support is already available, and what is missing.
DAY LABORERS
Day laborers are extremely vulnerable to hazardous working conditions, wage theft, and other labor abuses. FJWC aims to visit 44 day laborer corners in weekly visits with our Promoter members and volunteers. We provide day laborers with short workshops with useful job-related information, and kits that include water, a snack, and information about resources.
LABOR IN THE PULPIT
Religious congregations in Houston have participated in this important initiative since 2006, with excellent results and the satisfaction of intertwining the relationships between the Churches, Workers and the Workers' Center.
In recent years, faith communities have focused on weekend services, focusing on the injustices faced by low-wage workers, and the efforts of the faith community to support workers' struggles for living wages, family benefits and for the dignity and respect at work they deserve.
On April 28, FJWC, along with our partners from OSHA, AFL-CIO, and Workers Defense Project, observe Workers' Memorial Day to honor those who died while working. The week leading up to Workers Memorial Day is a time to shed light on the hazards that workers are exposed to and commit to fighting for safer conditions for all workers.