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Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community
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Economic justice means building a fair economy that works for everyone. It means fair trade policies that protect workers' rights to organize and to receive a living wage for their work at home and abroad.  It includes budget and tax policies in which corporations and wealthy individuals pay their fair share, and which support good schools and childcare, affordable healthcare and housing, retirement security, and a safety-net for those in need. It promotes the common good by funding public services. It means calling for new national priorities that reduce wasteful military spending and redirect tax dollars to helping our children, elders, and communities meet their needs. It includes notions of a social contract in which society and individuals fulfill their mutual responsibilities to each other. - AFSC Return to the UUJEC HOME PAGE. Who Are We? Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community (UUJEC) was founded in 1994 as a dynamic, independent grassroots affiliate of the UUA. Our mission is to engage, educate, and activate Unitarian Universalists to work for economic justice, recognizing that as people of faith in the struggle for justice, we are supporting and renewing our spiritual lives. Our current focus is The Great Turning, single payer health care for all and an agenda for a new economy. Return to the UUJEC HOME PAGE. 
on the government to stop this war by doing the following.
Write, phone, e-mail and fax your elected representatives and Pres. Obama and implore them to get the troops out. Urge them to to cosponsor Jim McGovern's resolution calling on the defense secretary to outline an exit strategy. Watch the DVD Re-think Afghanistan. You can watch it free at their website or you can order a copy of the DVD and hold a screening party yourself. Sign the Campaign for Peace and Democracy emergency statement calling for an end to military intervention in the region and an infusion of humanitarian aid instead. Join peace groups like the American Friends Service Committee, military families speak out, Win without war and Peace Action West. And check out United for Peace's site to find out about upcoming demonstrations rallies, vigils and other actions. Return to the UUJEC HOME PAGE. Financial deregulation has facilitated the economic crisis and "corporate greed" exhibited in exorbitant bonuses and salaries for industry executives has made the crisis worse. We need a Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA), as proposed by the Obama administration, which would cover bank and non-bank financial services. We need financial industry regulation -- especially of the "shadow markets" which is to be largely blamed for causing the economic crisis -- and we need limits on executive compensation. Let's have a moratorium on foreclosures and the loosening of credit at low interest rates to help pay student loans, let people stay in their homes and protect small businesses and the jobs they offer. And we need banks to extend credit and lower interest rates to help ease the crunches in state budgets that have led to social programs being slashed and jobs gutted nationwide. Return to the UUJEC HOME PAGE. RACE TO THE BOTTOM GUITAR MAKER FIRES KOREAN WORKERS, MOVES TO CHINA AND INDONESIA The global race for low wages is sinking living standards around the world and is so relentless that even $24-a-day guitar makers in South Korea are not immune from the pressure. After decades of using its workers in South Korea to build a global guitar making empire, Cort Guitars & Basses illegally fired them all and moved production to non-union facilities in China and Indonesia. Wanting better conditions, Cortek workers formed a union in 2006. Shortly afterwards, Cort and Cort-tek dismissed all 123 of their workers in April and July of 2007. As their entire operations were being shipped to China and Indonesia, the company's only communication with its work-ers in Incheon and Daejon was to chain the factory gates, nail down the union's door and post a notice. Afterwards, they used intimidation and lies to force workers to sign resignation papers. At home in South Korea, the workers tried everything they could to resolve the struggle including court challenges, hunger strikes, street rallies and sit-ins on electricity power lines. One worker even set himself on fire, hoping that his death would help his co-workers regain their jobs. Illegal and unjust Both the Seoul Administrative Court and the Korea's National Labor Relations Commission ruled that the mass dismissals were illegal and unjust. The case is now before Korea's Supreme Court. Still Cort has not budged. Cort workers seeking the return of their jobs came to Los Angeles in January to protest at a trade show held by NAAM, the trade association of the international music products industry. The United Steel Workers was among the labor organizations that showed support at a rally and press conference. To learn more about the Cort workers and to sign a petition, visit http://cortaction.wordpress.com/ Article by United Steel Workers Return to the UUJEC HOME PAGE. National Economic Reform: A Moral Imperative is a Congregational Study / Action Issue (SAI) designed to address the systemic failure behind the current political paralysis. A system that rewards the greed of the few who swindle the many is both an economic and moral failure. 
Economic Injustice and Inequality are at the heart of the political gridlock, not just for regulation and taxes, but also health care, climate change, fair trade, and much more. Mega corporations are not accountable to us. Instead they exploit the public in order to transfer extraordinary wealth to their executives and shareholders. Please join Unitarian-Universalists for a Just Economic Community in supporting this study/action issue (SAI) at the GA in Minneapolis To get more information click on the following: 1. SAI Flyer 2. SAI Talking points 3. SAI Proposal Return to the UUJEC HOME PAGE. Make sure your congressmen votes to end these tax cuts. Return to the UUJEC HOME PAGE. |