Coalition of Low-Wage and Immigrant Worker Advocates 2015 Conference

The Center for Workers’ Rights helped plan and facilitate this year’s Coalition of Low-Wage and Immigrant Worker Advocates (CLIWA) Retreat and Conference.  The Conference was held on May 15 and 16th at the SEIU-USWW office in Los Angeles.

 

CLIWA was born in 2006 from the merger of two coalitions: CIWA (Coalition of Immigrant Worker Advocates) and LAWAC (Los Angeles Worker Advocates Coalition.)  Its mission is to facilitate worker empowerment and end exploitation in low-wage targeted industries.  Based on this objective, CLIWA facilitates a proactive, effective, and empowering relationship between governmental regulatory agencies and low-wage workers, with a special focus on immigrant workers, and to work on policy and administrative reform to increase worker protections.

 

The membership of the CLIWA consist of non-profit legal services organizations and worker centers who advocate for the rights of low-wage workers, including immigrant workers, and whose mission coincides with CLIWA’s mission to facilitate worker empowerment and end exploitation in low-wage industries.

 

This year’s retreat welcomed former CLIWA member and newly appointed head of the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, Kevin Kish, as our luncheon keynote speaker, who discussed his intended changes for the agency,  Training sessions included discussion of remedies and strategies for combating arbitration agreements, tips on representing domestic workers, and retaliation remedies for immigrant workers.  Each year, CLIWA reviews updates in legislation and litigation and discusses best practices for wage claims at the Labor Commissioner.

 

Center for Workers’ Rights Executive Director, Daniela Urban, took leadership on the conference planning committee and arranged for scholarships for staff from worker centers, allowing conference attendance to reflect the spectrum of organizational members without concern for resources.  Ms. Urban now sits on the CLIWA Coordinating Committee.

Latest News

Construction Worker Remedies Paid Sick Leave Violations

California’s Paid Sick Day law is essential to workers with ongoing health conditions. Julio Santos Guzman, a construction worker in Sacramento, called the Center for Workers’ Rights because his employer would not pay him for the days he took off each year for his...

Center for Workers’ Rights Celebrates our 9th Annual Awards Ceremony

On Thursday, June 27th, the Center for Workers’ Rights celebrated our 9th Annual Awards Ceremony. Each Summer, CWR gathers community members, supporters, volunteers, coalition members, and other community based organizations to reflect on the past year’s victories,...

CWR Joins Organizations from California for Annual CLIWA Retreat

On June 8th and 9th the Center for Workers’ Rights joined other community based organizations for the Coalition of Low-Wage Immigrant Workers Advocates (CLIWA) retreat at UCLA’s Law School campus. This year’s retreat centered around best practices for engaging with...

Picnic at the Capitol in Solidarity with Immigrant Rights.

Organizations from Sacramento including, Lideres Campesinas, NorCal Resist, and Center for Workers’ Rights, hosted a picnic at the State Capitol in Sacramento on June 1st to show solidarity with the immigrant community throughout the country.  There is no doubt that...

Share This