August 29, 2011
To: Northwest Council Members
From: Rick Hoffman, R-7
Subject: Pre-Submitted New
Business: Rescinding of all motions
providing monetary or other support to Jobs with Justice (JwJ) of Washington
State and transferring the support to Jobs with Justice of Portland Oregon.
Background
In
over the past year Jobs with Justice of Washington State has become
dysfunctional and an embarrassing hindrance to the labor community rather than
an asset. Internal strife has consumed much
of the energy of the organization for more than a year. The culmination of the strife occurred at the
last JwJ council meeting where a motion in violation of JwJ own bylaws was
passed that essentially stripped the Seattle-King county organizing committee
of all authority to support any labor actions.
The newly elected board at its meeting after the election then proceeded
to ostracize members of the Seattle-King County organizing committee for
supposed wrong doing with out a hearing provided to those accused of wrong
doing.
In
a sad and ironic twist of justice, numerous present members of the JwJ council
and board have violated principles of justice that we hold to be foundational
principles of justice. They have passed
motions and created rules that apply solely to members of the Seattle-King
County Jobs with Justice organizing committee, an act in the same vein as a
“Bill of Attainder” the passage of which is not allowed by the constitution of
the United States and by most if not all states. Again, in violation of a
fundamental principal of justice they charged, found guilty and then punished
individuals without any hearing whatsoever and they have created arbitrary
rules and punishments to suit their needs.
The
Martin Luther King County Labor Council has withdrawn its usual support of
approximately $800 per year and instead has only given the $50 membership fee
to the organization. United Food and Commercial Workers and other unions have
also withdrawn their support from JwJ of Washington State.
Rather
than give our support to the dysfunctional organization here in Washington
State we should instead be providing support to an organization that is
effective working in an area where we have members. We should therefore transfer our support to
JwJ of Portland Oregon
Recommendation
I, Rick
Hoffman, therefore recommend passage of this motion.
MOTION
It is moved that: THE NORTHWEST
COUNCIL hereby rescinds all prior motions of monetary or other support for Jobs
with Justice of Washington State and requests the SPEEA board to support this
motion and further requests SPEEA board to provide to Jobs with Justice of
Portland Oregon the aforementioned monetary support. It is further moved that no support shall be
provided to Jobs with Justice of Washington State until such time as this
council determines it is a viable asset to the labor community.