The Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) is seeking a full-time Retail Worker Organizer through February 1st to drive the organization’s work to win a “Fair Work Week” policy in Emeryville and advance worker leadership in retail to fight for more dignified, sustainable and healthy working conditions. A Fair Work Week includes a variety of scheduling protections for retail workers including: 3 weeks advanced notice of schedules, access to full-time work to address mass underemployment, an end to abusive “clopenings,” where workers close and open with little rest between shifts and “predictability pay” – addressing endemic last minute changes to workers schedules that wreak havoc in their lives. This position has the potential to become permanent and transition to another form of organizing within ACCE after February.
We seek an individual with a passion for economic justice and experience in both policy work and labor organizing. This job requires someone who is energetic, is skilled at connecting and building trust with new people, is highly relational, can manage ambitious goals and can work in a fast paced environment. A strong candidate need not bring immediate expertise on low-wage worker policy issues, but must have experience organizing workers around labor issues and developing campaigns. The work is based entirely in the Emeryville area but may expand to a regional model over time.
About ACCE
ACCE is a multi-issue, membership-based community organization building the power and voice of poor and working families across the state of California. With offices in 6 cities, ACCE works in local communities and statewide to fight for economic, racial and social justice. ACCE’s grassroots approach prioritizes training and empowering community residents from across the state to wage effective bottom-up campaigns that prioritize community action and direct action, as well as policy work and lobbying. In Oakland, our campaigns focuses include the retail worker organizing, tenant organizing and the fight to address displacement and neighborhood organizing in deep East Oakland to address inequitable distribution of city resources into Oakland’s flatland communities.
Position location: Oakland / Emeryville
Primary Responsibilities: The candidate will report to ACCE’s Oakland Lead Organizer
Outreach in the field in retail stores at the Bay Street Mall, Powell Street Plaza and Target plaza to contact workers, connect with their issues and develop direct relationships
Develop a committee of worker-leaders who will begin to fight for workplace issues, advocate for improved labor policies like a Fair Work Week and become part of ACCE’s overall work
Work with the committee and our partners to develop a larger campaign strategy to win a Fair Work Week in Emeryville: this may include digital strategy (social media, email blasts), resident outreach to Emeryville voters, visits with city council members, direct actions, etc.
Leadership development and training of worker leaders: this may include having workers participate in outreach in the stores, developing them as speakers to speak to media or at council meetings, developing workers to facilitate their own meetings, training them in on the legislative process
Participate in regular national organizing calls with our partners across the country engaged in similar fights
Job Requirements:
This job requires a car! We give workers rides and commute often between Emeryville and our office based in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland.
Experience working on policy campaigns driven by community, labor or other social justice organizations;
At least 1 years experience in labor organizing (this experience must include time spent on external organizing/direct organizing)
Deep understanding of issues facing communities of color, and low-and moderate-income families;
Comfort with the implementation of a range of campaign strategies and tactics, ranging from legislative campaigns to corporate campaigns, from electoral work to digital organizing;
Excellent communication skills;
Excellent organizational skills – good attention to detail and well organized;
Self-motivated – proven ability to work independently and overcome obstacles;
Ability to work well with diverse groups and populations;
Dedication and ability to work flexible hours;
Spanish/English bilingual preferred but not required.
This position comes with full benefits. Salary is based on experience but ranges between $39 – 46K per year.
Please send a cover letter, resume to oakland@calorganize.org AND oakacce@gmail.com
ACCE is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and actively recruits people of color, women, individuals with disabilities and members of the LGBTQ community.