Last week, WJW Construction Organizer, David Ortiz Whittingham spoke at the Wisconsin State Capitol to help reintroduce the Economic Bill of Rights. David joined legislators and social justice organizations in calling for stronger protections for workers. The resolution includes ensuring a living wage, funding public education, and protecting the environment.

“At the worker center, we regularly partner with workers from deeply unjust workplaces… It’s because of this reality that we stand today in support of this Bill of Rights, given that state law in its current form is insufficient to guarantee decent working conditions in our state.

To cite just one example, laws against wage theft are so weak, and so poorly enforced where they do exist, that wage theft is effectively legal in the state of Wisconsin. The Economic Bill of Rights protects against this abusive practice, along with many others, by ensuring the right to dignity at work and a living wage.

We are deeply grateful to Representative Hong, Senator Smith, and their colleagues for their advocacy on this issue, and we look forward to standing with such efforts moving forward.”

Click here for more information about the press conference. The full press conference can be found here.