EARN Notice October 2024

Dear EARN partners,

As disappointed as I am that we all didn’t get to meet in person at EARNCon 2024 in New Orleans, I’m glad we didn’t take the chance. This has been a very stormy couple of months for so many states, not just along the Gulf. We know some of you have been impacted by Francine, Helene, and Milton, and we send our sympathy and solidarity. Hat tip to Florida Policy Institute for setting up this helpful hurricane response policy tracker, a great resource for Floridians and all of us. 

Immigrant workers and their families have been disproportionately impacted by these disasters and have also come under increasing attack during this election season. The truth is immigrants are vital contributors to our economy, and policymakers should not be trying to deport them, but strengthening labor protections for immigrants (and all other workers) so that no one in our economy can be exploited. In partnership with the Immigration Research Initiative (IRI) and other EARN groups, we’ve started releasing national and state immigration fact sheets that demonstrate these contributions in striking detail. 

It also should be noted that hurricane season is most likely to affect the US South, a region in which a deeply flawed economic model has held sway for too long. Our Rooted in Racism and Economic Exploitation series provides fascinating, infuriating details of how this model operates and the harm it does to Black and brown families. The most recent entry in the series highlights how voter suppression helps perpetuate the region’s anti-worker policies. 

Much depends on what happens in the weeks to come. Whatever comes our way, though, we’re glad to be fighting the good fight alongside all of you. 

Solidarity,  
Dave Kamper
Senior State Policy Strategist

New Publications

What We're Reading

Upcoming EARN Events

Monday, October 21 at 2 pm ET
This virtual webinar will provide an overview of efforts to weaken child labor standards in states across the country and highlight the work of EARN groups and their partners to fight back. Attendees will hear from EARN groups in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, and Kentucky that were involved in child labor campaigns in 2024 and learn about concrete steps they took to oppose harmful bills or promote bills to strengthen child labor standards in their states. Participants will also gain a better understanding of the child labor rollback agenda and tactics for opposing this agenda; the intersection of child labor with related policy areas affecting child and family well-being, public education, labor standards, and immigrant rights; and the policy options for improving child labor laws and their enforcement. 

• Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAvfumvrTstH9cKjJtXd5Xnp_2zqLtz-f7W 

ICYMI: Recent EARN Events

All session slide decks and materials are linked in the conference virtual program.

Using Community Benefits Agreements to Win Good Jobs and More: On Wednesday, October 2, we hosted a discussion on what community benefits agreements are, how labor and community coalitions have built the power to win them, and how current federal policy provides new opportunities to incentivize creation and implementation of strong community benefits agreements in some contexts. 
Webinar Recording
Password: CBA_EARNTalk1 

Webinar Slides  
Quick Guide to Community Benefits Agreements

Presenters:
Ben Beach from PowerSwitch Action 
Tamara Brummer from the AFL-CIO Center for Transformational Organizing 
Jay Mehta & Athena Last from Jobs to Move America 
Dev Wakeley from our EARN group Alabama Arise & the Alabama Coalition for Community Benefits.

State Progress in Advancing Equity in Child Care: On Tuesday, October 8, 2024, this session covered the work happening across states to strengthen the child care sector and addressed the inequities that make child care particularly inaccessible for people of color and people with low incomes.
Webinar Recording 
Password: 0%epN@Qk 

Presenters: 
Belvie Herbert, Senior Administrator at the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services 
Kristi Givens, Founder and Executive Director of Kids of Excellence and Co-Founder of For Providers by Providers, both based in Louisiana 
Charis Davis, Parent Leader at the Ohio Parent Advocacy Network; and 
Carol Burnett, Executive Director of the Mississippi Low-Income Child Care Initiative 
Moderated by: Rachel Wilensky, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)