ATTENTION WELFARE/WORKFARE RIGHTS > > ORGANIZERS AND LEADERS: > > > > ACORN invites you to participate in a National Organizers' > > Summit on Welfare Reform this summer in Milwaukee, > > from July 25-27. > > > > ACORN, joined by labor unions, religious organizations, > > and national political leaders, is sponsoring this Summit to > > call attention to the consequences of welfare reform, and to > > highlight the work of the many organizations that are > > mobilizing welfare and workfare recipients to fight back. > > > > Over 1000 ACORN members from around the country, > > along with representatives from scores of other community, > > church, and labor organizations, will be coming to > > Milwaukee for this event. We chose Milwaukee because > > Wisconsin's W-2 program has come to symbolize the worst > > abuses of so-called welfare reform. Wisconsin's welfare > > recipients have been forced off the rolls in record numbers, > > and most have ended up in oppressive sub-minimum wage > > workfare slots, or have fallen "through the cracks" onto the > > uncertain charity of soup-kitchens, shelters, and > > overburdened relatives. A sponsoring committee led by > > Milwaukee ACORN and other local organizations working > > with W-2 recipients is hard at work planning this event. > > > > The highlight of the Summit will be a Hearing on Sunday, > > July 26, at which a panel of national leaders will be taking > > testimony from welfare and workfare recipients from around > > the country. The composition of the panel is still in > > formation, but early confirmations have come from Linda > > Chavez-Thompson, Executive Vice President of the AFL- > > CIO; Professor Frances Fox Piven, long-time expert on > > welfare rights; well-known writer Barbara Ehrenreich; and > > former Administration official Peter Edelman, who resigned > > to protest the Clinton welfare legislation. > > > > Among those testifying will be workfare workers from New > > York City who recently voted 17,000 to 200 for form a > > union; workfare recipients from Los Angeles who just won a > > precedent-setting grievance procedure; welfare recipients > > from Boston who just won a commitment from the city to > > spend welfare-to-work funds to move people into living > > wage jobs; and many other courageous leaders of an > > emerging national welfare/workfare rights movement. This > > gathering will be unique in its focus on the voices and > > experiences of welfare and workfare recipients themselves: > > the majority of ACORN members and Summit attendees > > have first-hand experience with the welfare system, and are > > involved in local and statewide fights against welfare reform. > > > > The Summit will also include workshops and training > > sessions for welfare and workfare leaders and organizers, on > > issues such as: how to build effective welfare and workfare > > rights organizations; how to impact state and federal policy > > issues; how to combine service delivery, including legal > > services, with organizing; how to work with community > > organizations, unions, and other organizations; and much > > more. > > > > This promises to be an important and well-covered event, > > which will play a significant role in amplifying the voices of > > welfare and workfare recipients who are struggling first > > hand with the consequences of this country's disastrous > > experiment in ending welfare. We hope you will join us. > > > > We have arranged inexpensive room and board at local > > colleges. For more information on this event, and to reserve > > a place, contact: Lisa Donner, at 718-246-7900 ext 243 > > [EMAIL PROTECTED]
