WWEC Gala Fundraiser June 24 2016
June 14, 2016|Posted in: Uncategorised
Dear Community Partner,
The Windsor Workers’ Education Center (WWEC) cordially invites you to our first-ever Gala Dinner and Fundraiser Event on Friday June 24th 2016 at 6:00pm at the St.Clair Centre for the Arts in the International Ballroom.
The Windsor Workers’ Education Center is a community organization of workers, students and activists committed to improving the lives and working conditions of people in low-wage and unstable employment. We have come a long way in supporting non-unionized workers in low wage and unstable employment. Our goal is to ensure that all workers have a voice at work and are treated with dignity and fairness.
Over the last three years, WWEC has been partially funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The primary focus was to educate workers on their rights under the Employment Standards Act and how to exercise those rights. Increasingly, workers coming to the Centre are newcomers and established immigrants, and of those, the workers are primarily women of colour in non union manufacturing and vegetable sorting plants and greenhouses. Those workplaces have a mix of local workers and temporary foreign workers resulting in workplaces where people have different statuses and rights leading to layers of exploitation and mistreatment. We believe it is time to change the focus of the Centre from being reactive to being more pro-active.
We hope this fundraiser will be the beginning of a conversation on how WWEC can be most relevant to workers. Certainly, we will continue to advocate for better labour legislation and assist workers with problems in the workplace; however, with the growth and persistence of low wage precarious work, a new dialogue among workers and those who strive for fairness, justice, and dignity in work is necessary. As well, work has already started on a sewing collective that has real potential to create jobs in a worker- run enterprise. Also, The Scoop Newspaper is now an online media and will be structured as a worker cooperative. WWEC needs a bigger space, an expanded vision, and a commitment of time and money from workers and supporters.
Thus, the purpose of this letter is to invite various community organizations and stakeholders to support WWEC. Support can be provided in various ways which include: donations, sponsorship, membership, and an information/outreach display table during the evening and beyond..
Tickets are on sale, individual tickets are $60 dollars in advance ($70 starting June 10th). A table of 8 people will cost $450, and a table of 4 people will cost $225. All proceeds will go toward expanding WWEC’s vision and purpose including a new WWEC location.
Please contact Salem Berhane at voc@wwec.ca or 519-252-1212 for any additional information or to reserve your seats for dinner on June 24th 2016.
Sincerely,
Salem Berhane
Volunteer Outreach Coordinator
Windsor Workers Education Centre
Paul Chislett
President
Windsor Workers’ Education Centre
Paul Chislett
Board president WWEC, member at large Social Justice Windsor District Labour Council, host of campus community radio program The ShakeUp on CJAM 99.1FM