Our Work
The Pioneer Valley Workers Center is an immigrant and worker-led organization that fights for collective power and racial and economic justice. Workers lead campaigns to confront exploitation and deportation, supported by our Sanctuary in the Streets network.
Join Our Workers Committees
This is a great place to identify solutions to the challenges that you may face on the job and also to receive emotional support from other workers experiencing similar issues. For example, we help recover stolen wages and mediate workplace problems. When necessary, we file complaints or take collective action to stop abusive behavior. The worker facing the problem makes all decisions about what kind of support they want.
Our bi-weekly Worker Committees meets every other Wednesday at 6pm, in Northampton and every other Sunday at 2pm in the North End of Springfield.
Legal Clinic
The Pioneer Valley Workers Center hosts free Legal Clinics and Know-Your-Rights trainings in English and Spanish (please contact us ahead of time if you’d like us to offer one in another language). We also connect workers with lawyers who meet with them for free, and can work on individual cases with them if they decide to pursue legal action. We work with a dedicated team of lawyers who understand why it is so important to connect their work to organizing campaigns. We know that doing this amplifies our voices and increases public pressure on abusive bosses in a way that can result in big wins.
More information on upcoming trainings can be found on our Facebook page and our Events page.
Health and Safety
The Workers Center hosts regular workshops that address health and safety in the workplace. Workshops are free, and a great way to learn about identifying and addressing safety issues in the workplace.
If you have an immediate concern about unsafe conditions at your place of employment, contact the Workers Center by email or call the office to talk to a staff person.
Farmworker Surveys
The Workers Center has partnered with the UMass Amherst to conduct research on the working conditions of farmworkers in the Pioneer Valley. This important research is helping to identify challenges these workers face.
If you are interested in participating please contact the Workers Center. A staff person will make an appointment to sit down with you to conduct a 30 minute interview; the surveys are anonymous and the names of the workers are not associated with the surveys.
Legislative Action
There are many ways to address workplace challenges. Taking legislative action is an important way to connect our local organizing with bigger picture regional and national reforms.
Recently passed legislation will have a tremendous impact on the workers in our community, such as the minimum wage increase and earned sick time. To successfully pass such legislation, workers must be on the front line, sharing their experiences, meeting with legislators, writing letters, visiting the State House, and educating the public about pro-worker legislation.
Contact us to find out more about how you can play a role in passing good legislation for our community!
Know Your Rights Trainings
If you want to learn more about your rights on the job or have questions about the legality or ethics of practices in your workplace, attend one of our trainings or contact us.
Workshop topics include:
- Rights of Undocumented Workers
- Health and Safety
- Sexual Harassment
More information on upcoming trainings can be found on our Facebook page.
Can my boss do that?
If you have any concerns about working conditions at your place of employment, contact the Workers Center by email or call the office at (413) 570-3060 to talk to a staff person.