Organizer

About GWC: Founded in 2001, the Garment Worker Center is a worker rights organization leading an anti-sweatshop movement to improve conditions for tens of thousands of Los Angeles garment workers. Through direct organizing, GWC develops leaders who demand enforcement of strong labor laws and accountability from factory owners, manufacturers, and fashion brands. We center immigrant workers, women of color, and their families who are impacted by exploitation in the fashion industry.

Position description: GWC seeks a dedicated, passionate garment worker organizer to develop and grow our base. The position will focus on identifying solutions with workers to labor abuses in the industry. The organizer will conduct outreach and recruit workers to GWC membership, as well as support GWC’s strategic campaigns. Extensive training will be provided. For this position, the organizer must be able to work flexible hours, including early mornings, evenings and weekends. Must be fluent in Spanish.

Duties:

• Conduct weekly outreach to workers..
• Meet with workers individually, identify workers who want to organize, and develop a team.
• Recruit workers to become dues paying members and follow up with expired and pledged memberships.
• Build workplace committees that aim to develop solutions to bad treatment, wage theft, poor sanitation, and covid dangers.
• Facilitate leadership development among your team of members and committees.
• Support workers in securing workplace investigations by the Department of Public Health and CA Bureau of Field Enforcement.
• Facilitate general membership meetings, including training and political education in collaboration with other GWC organizers.
• Support monthly orientations (Cafecitos) with workers.
• Assist in developing worker training curriculum and leading worker training in collaboration with GWC organizers.
• Turn out garment workers to meetings and actions.

Qualifications and Skills

• Strong commitment to social, racial, gender, and economic justice.
• A desire to grow and build worker power.
• Self-motivated, able to set priorities and goals, excellent planner, can execute organizational plans, and works well in collective settings.
• Must be proficient with LA’s public transportation system, or able to drive their own car.
• Willing to be trained in Microsoft Word and Excel, Google Calendar, Google Drive.

• Fluency in one of the following two languages is required:
  • Fluency in Spanish - both written and oral skills (To work in the DTLA, South LA, or SE LA region.)
  • Oral fluency in Mandarin. Written fluency in Simplified Chinese (To work in El Monte and San Gabriel Valley.)
• Fluency in Zapotec or a Mayan language is ideal but not required.