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Join us Sept. 13 for evening of celebration and liberation.

You are cordially invited to our fundraiser Friday, September 13. For our first-annual showcase, we will gather at UCR Arts, in the heart of Downtown Riverside, with good food, original music and more.

On September 13, 2012 weary marchers arrived at the steps of LA’s City Hall exhausted and proud. It was the last stop on a 50-mile march, known as the WalMarch, from the Inland Empire to the Downtown Los Angeles. Warehouse workers who worked in the Walmart supply chain garnered national media attention for their courageous pilgrimage to shine a spotlight on dangerous working conditions, high heat, low pay and Walmart’s overreliance on “permatemps,” or so-called temporary workers who labor for years in temporary status with none of the benefits.

We chose Sept. 13 to honor our past as we look forward to the future of worker organizing in the Inland Empire. Workers’ march sparked lasting change and was an important moment in our collective work to transform the Inland Empire for workers and community members into a region that listens to the people, protects workers and ensure people can enjoy a good standard of living. We look forward to celebrating that power with you.

Workers Lead as the Climate Changes

Our climate is changing. One of the core themes of the WalMarch in 2012 was heat and its impact on warehouse workers. Since then, the planet has warmed — the past 10 years are the hottest years on record. In the Inland Empire we can expect more days over 100 degrees. Sounding the alarm on the impact of heat illness, the protections employers must guarantee workers to protect them when working in the heat and the standards the state can require and enforce have been at the core of our work at the Warehouse Worker Resource Center. At our first-annual fundraising event, we will honor two of the leaders in the effort to put people first and take action to protect workers from heat: former Sen. Connie Leyva and founding member of the WWRC, Victor Ramirez.

We will also honor two important coalitions fighting for change in San Bernardino and statewide. The San Bernardino Airport Communities helps elevate the voice of community members and workers directly impacted by the continued massive expansion of the warehousing and logistics industry. Safety Net for All leads the effort to bring equity to worker protections in California specifically to expand unemployment insurance to excluded immigrant workers.

Our work is centered on the power of people. It’s gente con poder. It’s workers who have a voice on the job and the support and resources to organize who will bring change to the warehousing and logistics industry. Our honorees understand and lead this fight.

Honorees

Hon. Connie Leyva

Former Senator Connie Leyva, current executive director of KVCR, has championed workers her entire life. As a senator she sponsored critical legislation to support and protect workers including SB 1167, which created California’s first-ever protections for workers who labor inside. Her pioneering work and unwavering commitment to the people of the Inland Empire is unparalleled.

Victor Ramirez

Since Day One Victor Ramirez has been a leader for warehouse workers in the Inland Empire. His courage, insight, positivity and leadership has helped shape the Warehouse Worker Resource Center into what it is today. Whether he is on the bus to Sacramento to advocate for equity for undocumented workers, conducting interviews on protections from heat for workers or leading our historic march from Ontario to Los Angeles, the WalMarch, Victor is a leader and bringing voice to the 200,000 warehouse workers in the Inland Empire.

San Bernardino Airport Communities

This vibrant coalition comprised primarily of people who live in the area just north of the San Bernardino Airport and local community organizations has been fighting to save homes, while leading the way in organizing community members to demand more from cities and developers in the face of continued massive warehouse development. Earlier this year, after months of empowering, informing and organizing community members, the Inland Valley Development Agency, the local redevelopment authority, announced that it will not move forward with the Airport Gateway Specific Plan, the rezoning proposal that would have displaced more than 2,700 residents in the cities of San Bernardino and Highland.

Safety Net for All

More than 180 organizations from across California make up the Safety Net for All Coalition, which works to expand safety net programs for excluded immigrant workers, including California’s unemployment benefits program. SB227, which was introduced by Sen. Maria Elena Durazo (Los Angeles) and a coalition of lawmakers, will create the first-ever excluded worker pilot program in California. A consistent and powerful presence in Sacramento, the coalition is also calling on state officials to include funding for the program in the state budget.

Event Details

Location: UCR Arts, 3824 & 3834 Main Street, Riverside, CA 92501

Date: Friday, Sept. 13, 2024

Time: 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Food: Delicious heavy appetizers and seasonal drinks

Attire: Your choice!

Parking: Parking information will be provided for ticketholders closer to the event.

Children 15+ welcome to attend with a ticket.