Interfaith
Worker Justice Strategic Plan
2006
- 2008
Mission | Vision | Values
Key Strategies and Goals
As
Interfaith Worker Justice (IWJ) approaches
its 10-year anniversary, the organization
is the leader in calling upon people
of faith to act on their religious
beliefs and values by standing in
support of issues of justice for workers
in the United States. To build upon
its history, and to forge an even stronger
organization as it enters its second
decade, the Board of Directors and
the staff of IWJ undertook a yearlong
comprehensive strategic planning
process. This plan establishes a dynamic
vision, backed by sound and forward-reaching
strategies, that will guide IWJ’s
work for the next three years – 2006
to 2008.
To
accomplish these goals, IWJ interviewed
more than 75 members of the board,
affiliate representatives, organizational
partners, and staff people to assess
the organization’s impact,
opportunities, and challenges.
With this information in hand,
the Board of Directors and staff held several
planning retreats to examine the
key issues facing IWJ. Subcommittees of the board and staff then
met
to
evaluate, question, and propose
recommendations on strategies
to address programs, campaigns,
affiliate involvement, staff development,
governance and administration, fund development,
technology, and facilities in the
coming years.
The
result is a Strategic Plan for IWJ
that clearly states the organization’s mission, vision,
and values, as well as the strategic
priorities required to embody
them. The plan is a guide for the future
that clearly reflects the vigor
of the organization and the renewed commitment of the board
and staff.
Mission
Statement
Interfaith Worker Justice (IWJ)
is a network of people of faith
that calls upon our religious
values in order to educate, organize,
and mobilize the religious
community in the United States on
issues and
campaigns that will improve
wages, benefits, and conditions for
workers, and give voice to
workers, especially workers in low-wage
jobs.
Vision
IWJ envisions the religious
community, acting on its
values in creative and strategic ways, as a powerful
leader in creating and sustaining
a nation where all workers
share in the prosperity of
our society, enjoy the fundamental human
right to organize, and lead
dignified lives as a result of their
labor.
IWJ
envisions a nation where all workers
enjoy the rights to:
-
Wages,
health care, and pensions that allow workers to raise
families
and
retire with dignity;
-
Safe
working conditions;
-
Organizing
and bargaining collectively without
harassment, intimidation, or retaliation;
-
Equal
protection under labor law – regardless of immigration
status – and an end to the practice of pitting
immigrant and U.S.-born workers against one another;
and
-
Participation
in a fair and just global economy
that promotes the welfare of both
domestic and foreign workers.
Employers
have a responsibility to respect
these rights; and elected
officials have a responsibility
to create public policies that promote and enforce these rights.
In
addition to enjoying these rights, IWJ also believes workers
are
responsible to:
To
ensure that employers respect these
rights and that workers can
exercise their responsibilities,
new and creative partnerships among the religious
community,
organized labor,
immigrants’ rights groups, government agencies
charged with protecting workers’ rights,
and other segments of society are needed. IWJ engages
clergy, lay
people, and future
religious leaders of diverse faith traditions to
participate fully and creatively
in these partnerships.
Values
Interfaith Worker Justice
upholds and promotes
the following values:
-
The
Dignity of Work: Work is a central
way people contribute
to the life of the community
and carry out
their part in the stewardship of the
world.
-
Living
Wages and Benefits: Those who work
deserve wages, benefits,
schedules,
and safe work environments that enable
families to thrive.
-
Empowerment:
Workers should
have a voice
in the workplace and the larger
society through
democratic
structures, unions, and worker associations
in ways that
enable people’s
gifts, passions, and ideas to flourish.
-
Prophetic
Effectiveness:
The religious community
should
use the power of its prophetic voice
to make meaningful
improvements
in the
world.
-
Moral
Responsibility: Direct
relationships
with people hurt by
unjust
policies and practices motivate
a passion
for action
against injustice.
-
Respect
and Understanding: Workers,
religious
leaders,
business leaders, and union leaders
must
speak with
and
listen to one another with respect
and must
seek
understanding.
-
Solidarity:
The
society
will be
strong
if it respects and affirms the
inherent
worth and
dignity
of all people.
-
Economic
Democracy: Decision-making
should be
at the most local
and appropriate levels and ensure that
all people
have a
voice in the major
decisions affecting
their lives and work.
Key
Strategies
and Goals
Increase
the number
of people and congregations
committed to achieve justice for
workers.
-
Strengthen
the network of affiliates.
-
Strengthen
the relationship with the faith community.
-
Recruit,
educate, nurture, and mobilize faculty
and future religious leaders.
-
Amplify
the religious voice on economic issues.
-
Organize
a national conference that will strengthen
the network through
sharing and skill building.
-
Produce
high quality resources for congregations
and affiliate groups.
Increase
the organization’s capacity to stand with low-wage
workers to improve wages, benefits, and working conditions.
-
Develop
the national public policy capacity
to work effectively on national
issues.
-
Expand
the public policy capacity to generate
educational materials on
worker issues.
-
Manage
Ethical Gulf Coast Reconstruction Initiative.
-
Build
stronger partnerships with unions on
strategic campaigns.
-
Expand
the Worker Center Network.
-
Expand
the Building Bridges program.
Expand
the financial, board, and
staff capacity.
-
Raise
funds from diverse sources to increase
the organizational budget
to $2.5 million.
-
Create
systems to expand the endowment fund.
-
Expand,
strengthen, and increase retention
of staff.
-
Nurture
and tap the board expertise.
-
Increase
communication with the public through
better use of technology.
The
Board and
staff
of
IWJ looks forward
to the
exciting
opportunities
presented
by the
Strategic
Plan,
and would like
to
thank
the
French
American Charitable
Trust for
its
support
of the planning
process.
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