Workers, local politicians, activists and organized labor celebrated the soft opening of the Central Carolina Worker Justice Center this morning.
The center, located in a room at the back of the Interactive Resource Center homeless day shelter in downtown Greensboro, will provide a much-needed space for workers to come together.
Former city councilwoman and community leader Goldie Wells said the space has been envisioned for more than a year, and with feedback from hundreds of workers. It is a place where low-wage workers can build unity for collective action, she said, and is designed to be driven by workers themselves.
The center is a joint project of many local organizations, including Church World Services, the American Friends Service Committee, NC Raise Up, the North Carolina AFL-CIO, the Amalgamated Transit Union, Black Lives Matter, the Communication Workers of America, the Fund 4 Democratic Communities, the Greensboro YWCA and more, Wells said.
Attendees participated in a speak-out session about problems they’ve faced at work, what they would improve about their jobs, addressing unemployment and discrimination among other work-place issues.
Several city council members attended — Jamal Fox, Nancy Hoffmann, Marikay Abuzuaiter and Justin Outling. Former state Sen. Earline Parmon, who represented Forsyth County, was also in attendance.
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