Media Advisory: As Historic Infrastructure Bill Advances In Congress, Local Groups Demand Bill Foster Fight for Strong Labor and Climate Provisions and That He Say No To Controversial Northpoint Project
WWJ and Their Allies Will Also Demand That Congressman Foster Drop His Support for Northpoint and That He Follow The Lead of The Community and Not The Leadership of The Controversial Joliet Mayor O’Dekirk
Joliet — As part of a larger week of actions by organizations within the Green New Deal Network across the country, Warehouse Workers for Justice (WWJ) and their allies will be rallying outside Congressman Bill Foster’s office in Joliet to demand that he fight for the full amount in the historic $3.5 trillion infrastructure package making its way through Congress. In addition to demands to include healthcare, worker protections and climate provisions in the deal, WWJ will be demanding that Congressman Foster drop his support for Northpoint, a proposed industrial warehouse complex in Will County, and that he act with greater urgency to leverage protections for workers and the environment from the powerful local warehouse industry.
“We are demanding that Congressman Foster fight for every dollar of the $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill and that he ensures there are strong provisions for a just transition to renewable energy and clean transportation, labor protections, and investment in the communities most in need,” said organizer Zhenya Polozova of Warehouse Workers for Justice. “We think this major infrastructure bill should just be a start and want to see Congressman Foster be a champion for our community. We are asking that he leverage his power to get the warehouses to do more for workers, the community and climate. For example, some of these warehouses should be the first to buy electric vehicles from Lion Electric which will be made right here in Joliet. This will put people to work, while cleaning up our local air.”
WWJ and their allies are also taking issue with a letter Congressman Foster signed to J.B. Pritzker encouraging the governor to overrule the community of Elwood in an attempt to complete the NorthPoint project. “We are disappointed with Congressman Foster and the rest of the congressional delegation who are following the lead of Mayor O’Dekirk and the trades on this, the main champions on this project.” said Roberto Clack, Executive Director of WWJ. “We know that the rank and file of the building trades, like warehouse workers, can have better working and living conditions under robust climate and green jobs policies. Therefore, we call on the building trades to stop supporting projects like Northpoint that will bring decades of bad jobs and pollution to our communities, and instead invite them to be allies in the fight for a Green New Deal that prioritizes working families.”
WHO: Warehouse Workers for Justice and the Illinois Green New Deal Network
WHAT: Rally Outside Congressman Bill Foster’s office demanding he say No To Northpoint and Yes To A Strong Infrastructure Package!
WHEN: Monday, July 16th, 5pm
WHERE: Outside Congressman Bill Foster’s Office, 815 N Larkin Avenue, Joliet, IL 60435
PRESS CONTACTS: Roberto Clack, Warehouse Workers for Justice 312.450.1972, roberto@warehouseworker.org
Yana Kalmyka, Warehouse Workers for Justice, 347.930.9516 yana@warehouseworker.org
Official social media hashtags: #GreenNewDeal #JustSayNoToNorthpoint #ResponsibleDevelopmentJoliet #JolietNorthpoint #NoMoreTemps #SealTheDeal #TaxTheWarehouses
Based in Joliet, Illinois, Warehouse Workers for Justice is a worker center fighting for stable, living-wage jobs in warehouses and distribution centers. We educate workers about labor rights, teach folks how to enforce their rights, organize in the workplace and community and fight for public and private policies that promote full-time work at decent wages in the warehouse industry.
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