When leaders at the San Lucas Workers Center (SLWC), a three year Mott ISO grantee, want something done, they don’t hesitate to go after the person who can take care of it. Take for instance the Center’s fight against Chicago-based stationary store Paper Source.

Leaders from the San Lucas Workers Center encourage day laborers to speak up for their rights and fight against discrimination and poor treatment in the workplace.

Paper Source uses Ron’s Temporaries to hire day laborers to produce their products. Ron’s is notorious for abusing day laborers despite warnings and fines for disregarding the Illinois Day Labor Services Act, which protects workers against poor treatment by day labor agencies. SLWC leaders decided that the most effective way to get the word to Ron’s that they would not stand for such poor treatment was to encourage companies that use Ron’s to switch to Code of Conduct-compliant agencies.

NTIC staff member Kelley Ford worked with SLWC organizer Ari Glazer to develop an effective organizing campaign that eventually led to the successful meeting with the owner of Paper Source and a transfer of many Paper Source workers from Ron’s to a Code-compliant agency.

“Without NTIC’s constant technical assistance on strategy and leadership development, our corporate campaign would not be nearly as successful as it has been,” said Glazer.
“[SLWC] keeps me alive,” said Ford. “They are an exciting group. They are truly leadership-driven, which is what our network is about. I feel like I am learning more from them than they are from me.”

NTIC has been in partnership with the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation since 1988. Through this partnership NTIC has made 262 grants to 195 new and emerging community organizations throughout the U.S. The grants include technical assistance, trainings and opportunities to network with other community organizations.