Challenging the Business of Fear Report
The report, Challenging the Business of Fear, features first-of-its-kind research based on surveys and interviews with nearly 300 workers employed in a broad cross-section of Illinois’ low-wage industries. Collaborators, Raise the Floor Alliance, a coalition of Chicago-area worker centers, and the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative (NESRI), captured what happened when these workers were injured or tried to address abuse at work.
The COVID Jungle: Chicagoland’s Essential Food Workers and the Need for Vaccination Priority
On Tuesday January 12, 2020, worker justice organizations released "The COVID Jungle: Chicagoland’s Essential Food Workers and the Need for Vaccination Priority." Chicagoland is home to the country’s second largest food economy. Food production and warehousing in its suburbs make up a who’s who of major food corporations including Mars Wrigley, Trader Joe’s, Starbucks, Skinny Pops, McDonalds and more. This first-of-its-kind report shows how essential food workers, who have made quarantining possible during the pandemic, could be overlooked for life-saving vaccine priority because they’re temporary workers. The report is a result of 90 worker interviews in food production, distribution, and logistics currently working in the Chicago area throughout the pandemic, and includes first-hand worker testimonies.
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