We tend, especially as lawyers, to talk about social change through the framework of our “rights,” The vision for NWJP is more about expanding access to remedies. Rights do afford an opportunity, and NWJP has always been about expanding those opportunities through policy change and legal precedent. However, remedies afford the actual exercise of power. 

In the inherently inequitable and often unjust relationship between employee and employer, the attainment of remedies can tip the scales back towards workers and make their rights tangible, material...lived.

To experience lived justice, workers themselves must be in control of their own exercise of rights and remedies. By helping workers secure lived justice and find a remedy for oppression or exploitation in the workplace, we all can catch a glimpse of what true equity, dignity and collective prosperity look like. It can harden our resolve for change or give us reason to fight for justice another day.  

In our previous emails, NWJP staff attorneys, Mayra Ledesma, Kate Suisman and Alex Boon, have each shared a story of a lived justice victory over the last year. Those are posted on our newly revamped website here: Mayra, Kate, Alex.

In Mayra’s case, the systemic and individual wins for forestry workers was carried by her connection to the clients and her personal commitment to fighting for migrant workers. And, she worked closely with Michael to build out the effective legal strategy, bringing her passionate advocacy to his deep subject matter experience.

For Kate, our participation in the historic legislative defeat of the racist exclusion of farmworkers from overtime protection was grounded in NWJP’s original founding. The original leadership of PCUN, Oregon’s farmworker union, was involved in the founding of NWJP and helping Michael shape our original vision. Kate has helped renew and update our relationship with PCUN’s new generation of leaders. Her passion and commitment to racial justice helped her lead the three-part strategy to support the farmworkers’ campaign that was ultimately successful.

Finally, Alex is a talented newer attorney who dived into large and unwieldy litigation aimed to strike at the exploitation of farmworkers by the H-2A foreign temporary visa program. With some technical legal support by Michael, Alex was able to push the case to successful resolution, preserving legal precedent that we won in that case that will make it harder for agricultural employers to take advantage of the visa program to the detriment of local workers. 

I am deeply impressed with the way that NWJP staff has grown and thrived over the last two years. But, we need your help to continue our work securing lived justice for low wage and immigrant workers. We can only build a new chapter for NWJP on the legacy of Michael Dale and find out what might be possible for us to achieve with your help.

Please help us continue this work and further Michael’s legacy by making a contribution today, if you haven’t already. The best way to support our work in an ongoing way is by signing up as a monthly sustainer and pledging $10, $25, $50 or whatever amount works best for you each month.

Best wishes,

Corinna Spencer-Scheurich

Director
Northwest Workers' Justice Project