A Community Demanding Justice 2012 Annual Impact Report

Letter from the Executive Director…………….. Legal Services: Workers’ Rights Clinics…………………... Legal Services: Litigation………………….. Whom We Help: Litigation Case Studies………………………… Advocacy……….........................………….. Expanding Our Community……………………………... Spreading the Word……………………………………………... Special Events…………………………. Partners in Justice……………………………….. Board of Directors……………………………………………………. Our Staff………………….. Financial Statement…………………………………………….. Donors………………………………… Contact Us.........................………………………..

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Dear Supporter, 2012 was an exciting year for the Employment Justice Center. We took a hard look at our mission and our vision for the future, and used both to create a new Strategic Plan for 2013-2018. The plan seeks to accomplish many of our most important goals: expanding our programs to provide even more clients with the high-quality services we are known for; offering our own staff opportunities for professional and personal growth; developing resources to support and strengthen our programs; and providing our volunteers with meaningful opportunities to seek justice for all workers. We tackle employment justice in several ways. First, we remedy problems where they occur by addressing the challenges and legal wrongs workers are facing. In 2012, we provided legal assistance to more than 1,250 workers at our Workers’ Rights Clinics. We also continue to expand our in-house litigation practice, with an eye toward taking on cases that are particularly egregious or that have ramifications for the broader employment justice landscape. The second front in employment justice is advocacy. We pride ourselves in our work at the D.C. Council to make employment fair for everyone, and 2012 marked an especially productive year on the legislative front. We made significant progress on extending Paid Sick Days For All, protecting injured District workers, preventing discrimination against citizens returning from incarceration, and eliminating wage theft through worker misclassification. We plan to pursue all of these avenues, and more, in 2013. The third front is building a community of engaged worker activists and supporters who demand employment justice. To get a sense of just one way we expanded our community this year, look no further than our Facebook page—”likes” are up more than 50% from last year! We also expanded our community by involving partner organizations and allies in fun and innovative education programs like Trick-or-Treat for a Healthy D.C., our Halloween Paid Sick Days initiative to send volunteers costumed as sick waiters and cooks to educate District residents about how restaurant workers often have to come to work sick. We also strengthened ties with local law schools—conducting trainings and recruiting volunteers from Georgetown Pro Bono Volunteer Projects to staff our weekly Clinics and working closely with students and professors at the American University College of Law Immigration and Civil Justice Clinics and the George Washington University Law School Jacob Burns Community Legal Clinics. Finally, through partnerships with O’Donoghue and O’Donoghue, LLP, Kalijarvi, Chuzi, Newman & Fitch, PC, and Murphy Anderson, PLLC, we’re training workers to be their own best advocates. The goals we have set for ourselves in our new Strategic Plan are even more ambitious; to serve more clients through expanding our trademark Workers’ Rights Clinics; to support a culture of professional excellence and personal achievement for all of our staff; to locate and leverage the funding and human resources necessary to build, strengthen and expand our efforts to make workplace justice a reality for workers throughout the D.C. region; and to provide our amazing volunteers with diverse and meaningful opportunities to join our mission to secure, protect and promote workers’ rights. As we begin the inaugural year of our Strategic Plan, I truly hope that you will join us. After all, your support – physical, financial and even moral – helped make 2012 the incredible year it was. Please accept this impact report as our thank you, and as an invitation to join us in 2013. Sincerely,

Letter from the

Executive Director 1

The EJC believes that ALL workers have the right to safe and fair workplaces. The Workers’ Rights Clinic, hosted at Bread for the City, provides weekly help in two locations for low-income workers facing issues ranging from discrimination to wage theft. Volunteers including law students and local employment attorneys staff our Clinics, along with EJC lawyers and coordinators.

This year, we saw 1,260 people at our Clinics and returned $465,227 to the pockets of low-income workers in the form of back pay and damages. Throughout 2012, we saw a

continuation of an emerging pattern: more workers than ever before are coming to our Southeast Clinic, just south of the Anacostia River, for help. In response, we are building our partnership with Georgetown law students, who are close in proximity to the Southeast Clinic and who impress us with their knowledge and dedication every week.

Legal Services:

Workers’ Rights Clinics 2

Marco’s Story

Marco Morelli* began to work for a local restaurant in the summer of 2006. For six years, he worked in the kitchen, cleaning, cooking, and preparing food. He was regularly required to work 12 hour shifts for six days straight, and was never paid overtime or granted vacation time or sick days. Though his fellow employees quit early and often once they experienced the conditions, Marco stuck it out until August 2012, when he asked his boss why he had been scheduled for yet another 80+ hour week with no overtime pay. His boss fired him. Friends told him about the Workers’ Rights Clinic, and we helped Marco write a demand letter for $16,916.50 in unpaid overtime wages. When he received no response, we referred his case to the George Washington Law School Community Legal Clinics, where a team of dedicated law students and attorneys are helping him fight for the wages that he is owed.

*Client’s name changed for confidentiality.

“It was all about the justice, “It was all about the justice,

not the check.”not the check.” –– Solange Ayuk, who recovered Solange Ayuk, who recovered

$1,092 with the help of the WRC$1,092 with the help of the WRC

When we compare our 2012 Clinic numbers to previous years’, we’ve noted another trend: that more and more of our intakes involve workers who live or work in Maryland. Our excellent partners in Maryland are doing great work on the employment front, and we are glad that we can lend a helping hand.

Legal Services: Workers’ Rights Clinics 3

¿Se Habla Español? ¡SÍ! Many of our staff and volunteers at Clinic each week are bilingual. About 30% of those coming to us for help this year received that help in Spanish. In addition, the EJC is able to serve wor-kers in virtually any language through its partnership with the Community Legal Interpreter Bank.

Client Demographics GENDER

Men 756(56.33%)

Women 583(43.44%)

Other 3 (0.3%)

RACE

Black/African American 727 (54%)

Hispanic 402 (30%)

Caucasian 83 (6%)

Asian 45 (3%)

Other 35 (6%)

Native American 0

Unidentified 0

Client Residence Washington, D.C. 602 (56.4% )

Maryland 222 (20.8% )

Virginia 100 (9.4% )

Other/Unreported 144 (13.4% )

Client Industry Restaurant/Food Service 132 (14.1%)

Construction 109 (11.6%)

Government 95 (10.12%)

Other 91 (9.7%)

Janitorial/Cleaning 70 (7.5%)

Health Care 59 (6.3%)

Education 54 (5.8%)

Transportation 43(4.7%)

Retail 37 (3.9%)

Hotel/ Hospitality 34 (3.6%)

Security 34 (3.6%)

Nonprofit 32 (3.4%)

Office/Admin 19(2.0%)

Child Care 11 (1.2%)

Domestic 9(1.00%)

Technology 8 (0.09%)

Legal Services 8(0.09%)

Parking Attendants 6 (0.06%)

Finance 6 (0.06%)

Unknown 3 (0.03%) Employer Location

Washington, D.C. 561 (60%)

Maryland 167(17.78%)

Virginia 106 (11.29%)

Other/Unreported 103(10.97%)

In 2013, thanks to a generous grant from the Moriah Fund, the EJC will be working to launch remote programs to increase our reach by supporting other community organizations to host Clinics in their own spaces. Through the use of technology, including Skype, we will be able to work with community partners to address employment injustice no matter where it occurs. These programs will make our legal services more geographically accessible, and allow us to integrate Know Your Rights trainings and advocacy follow-up with the community as a whole.

The EJC provides more than legal advice to workers at the Clinic: it also takes cases on behalf of low-income workers who might otherwise have difficulty securing representation. About 95% of the EJC’s cases come from walk-in Clinic visitors. We handle wage and hour and public sector workers’ compensation cases, focusing on egregious cases and those that have the potential to improve the broader landscape of workers’ rights in the areas of wage theft and workers’ compensation for injured public workers. We also work with law firms including James & Hoffman, Cohen Milstein, and Ashcraft & Gerel to refer cases that have a high degree of merit.

Legal Services: Litigation 4

American University Washington College of Law Civil Practice Clinic: Llezlie Coleman, Richard Ugelow, Law Students American University Washington College of Law Immigrant Justice Clinic: Jayesh Rathod , Anita Sinh, Law Students Arnold & Porter: Sarah Brackney Ashcraft & Gerel: Virginia Diamond, Rebekah Miller, Lawrence Pascal Chason Boscolo: David Kapson, Matthew Peffer Claimant Advocacy Project, AFL-CIO: Tonya Love, Lolita Martin Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll: Joseph Barton, Meghan Boone, Monya Bunch, Joshua Kolsky, Michelle Yau Covington and Burling: Mateo Caballero, Michael Francese, Jeffrey Huvelle, William Woolston Cozen O’Connor: Jonathan Grossman, Robert Magovern, Iden Grant Martyn, Jia Gilani Crowell and Moring: Jeffrey Ahdoot, Andrew Bagley , Brian McLaughlin D.C. Legal Aid: Drake Hagner Denise M. Clark Gary M. Gilbert & Associates: Daniel Katz, Shannon Leary George Washington University Public Justice Advocacy Clinic: Nancy Craig, Jeffrey Gutman, Law Students Harold Levi

Hogan Lovells: Corey Roush, Khang Tran James and Hoffman: Darin Dalmat, Steven Hoffman, Edgar James , Daniel Rosenthal Katz, Marshall & Banks: Michael Filoromo, Avi Kumin Legal Services of Northern Virginia: Peyton Whiteley Mary Ann Kelly Mooney, Green, Saindon, Murphy and Welch: Jeffrey Blumenfeld, Betty Grdina, Andrew Lin, Olga Metelitsa, Mark Murphy Murphy Anderson: Michael Anderson, Lorrie Bradley, Renee Gerni, Mark Hanna, Arlus Stephens, Michelle Woolley NAACP Legal Defense Fund: Johnathan Smith Omar Vincent Melehy Passman & Kaplan: Joseph Kaplan, Johnathan Lloyd Public Justice Center: Sally Dworak-Fisher, Andrea Vaughn White & Case: Dana Foster Wilson and Parlett: Scott Sanford Zwedling, Paul, Kahn & Wolly: Wendy Kahn

Whom We Help:

Litigation Case Studies 5

Protecting Injured Workers: Anthony’s Story

Anthony Green* was working as a welder for the D.C. Government when he was told to cut through a pipe that was supposed to have been emptied. It turned out the pipe hadn't been drained, and sewage spewed out onto Anthony. As a result of the sewage he ingested, he contracted an infection that destroyed his heart, requiring a heart transplant. A few years later, his liver gave out too, and he had to have a liver transplant. Because of his work-place injury, Anthony became completely disabled and reliant on D.C. Public Sector Workers' Compensation benefits for basic survival. But the Program claimed that he wasn't complying with their program to return him to work and suspended his benefits. Anthony could not pay his bills and became homeless. EJC Attorney Keira McNett took Anthony's case, and in partnership with Iden Grant Martyn and Jia Gilani of Cozen O'Connor, was able to get Anthony's benefits reinstated and negotiate a settlement for the benefits he was wrongly denied. Anthony is now back in his home and is able to take care of his health. *Client’s name changed for confidentiality.

Fighting Wage Theft: Maria’s Story

In 1980, Maria Alvarez* started working at a well-known D.C. Spanish restaurant. Maria was more than an employee: for nearly thirty years she was an instrumental part of the restaurant’s business. She waited tables, bartended, bussed tables, managed operations, and even served as security in the later hours. Each week, she worked up to eighty hours – but she was never paid overtime, nor given paid vacation or paid sick days. For her hard work, Maria brought home $400 per week, working out to about $5 per hour on average – well below the minimum wage. Sometimes, her employer would “pay” her a bonus sum, but once she had endorsed the checks, and before she had cashed them, he would ask for them back – so they were never really hers at all. In 2010, Maria came to the Worker’s Rights Clinic. After a demand letter went unanswered, we took on her case. For two years, EJC Staff Attorneys Lisa Guerra and Sally Abrahamson litigated Maria’s case, and in February 2012, the case went to trial. In January 2013, the court awarded Maria $90,000, a recovery of three years of wages and liquidated damages – and the maximum amount allowed under the law. Stories like Maria’s drive the EJC, and its dedicated volunteers and advocates, to continue to fight for workplace justice on every front.

Ari Weisbard, Advocacy Manager, testifies on wage theft before the D.C. Council Committee on Workforce and Community Affairs

We fight for workplace justice on many fronts. Even as we address the injustices of workers who have been wronged, we work to enact broad protections for workers, enforce protections that exist, and equip workers to hold their own employers accountable. In 2012, we made significant progress in making D.C. a fairer, more just place to earn a living. STOP WAGE THEFT. Along with a diverse coalition of D.C. advocacy organizations, we launched a

concerted campaign to stop wrongful misclassification of construction workers as contractors, which

results in denial of lawful wages and benefits. We brought the issue to the D.C. Council – and we won!

In a victory for workers across the district, the D.C. Council passed the Workplace Fraud Act in its final

legislative session. Thousands of construction workers will gain protection under the law. It’s better

for workers, levels the playing field for contractors, and sets a good example for cities and states

everywhere. In 2013, we plan to launch a bigger campaign to Stop Wage Theft. After seeking input

from experienced wage-and-hour attorneys and more than 50 affected workers, we have a draft bill,

two dozen emerging worker leaders, and a campaign and media plan in place for improving the law.

Join us in the months ahead as we roll out this campaign!

Advocacy

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When surveyed in 2008, low-wage workers in three major cities reported losing an average of $51 per week to wage theft, or $2,634 per year. That amounts to 15% of

their annual income, at average earnings of $17,616 per year.

See http://www.unprotectedworkers.org/index.php/broken_laws/index

PAID SICK DAYS FOR ALL. In 2008, the EJC spearheaded D.C.’s paid sick days legislation - the nation’s

second such law. Throughout 2012, we focused on expanding those protections to include tipped

restaurant workers, who often show up to work when sick because they can’t afford not to. We built

our Paid Sick Days for All Campaign coalition to include 23 organizational members, launched fun and

engaging initiatives like Trick or Treat for a Healthy D.C. to spread the word about sick workers,

collected more than 1,100 petition signatures demanding that all workers be able to earn paid sick

days, and obtained a commitment by the D.C. Auditor to study the impact of the District’s current

paid sick days law.

PROTECTION FOR INJURED D.C. WORKERS. In the past three years, as part of a package of budget

cuts, the District has engaged in a roll-back of protections for injured public workers. The city’s

regressive policies, coupled with a refusal to enforce existing protections, are driving many former

middle class public workers into poverty. This year, through our annual budget advocacy, we helped

prevent more than $25 million in cuts to critical social services. In 2013, we will continue the fight.

A FRESH START. A cornerstone of EJC advocacy efforts has been to increase the opportunities for

people with arrest or conviction records to obtain legal employment and housing. While the

“Returning Citizen Anti-Discrimination Act” narrowly failed to pass the Council this year, the D.C.

Council did pass a law that will make it easier for residents to seal their criminal records in some cases

- a frequent request at the Workers’ Rights Clinic.

Advocacy 7

Sick employees are not good for business: Presenteeism, which is when workers come to work when they are sick, results in a decrease in work productivity that reportedly cost the U.S.

economy $150 billion last year, and recent studies suggest that presenteeism costs U.S. companies twice as much as

absenteeism.

See Elizabeth Rupprecht and Matthew Grawitch, “How Does Presenteeism Affect My

We are building a strong, diverse community to work together to demand justice in the workplace. We started where it made sense to start, by bringing community organizers back to the EJC. Our outreach staff, Hannah, Naomi, and Jamie, are responsible for a number of our initiatives this year, including Spanish-language workers’ meetings. Thanks to generous funding from the Public Welfare Foundation, we were able to bring Hannah on as part of a targeted effort to combat wage theft in D.C. Jamie and Naomi come to us as AVODAH Jewish Service Corps Fellows. Together, they are leading our efforts to strengthen and expand our community. Hannah Kane, Employment Justice Organizer

Expanding Our

Community 8

“Know Your Rights” Worker Training Program.

The EJC’s “Know Your Rights” program teaches workers how to clearly demand their rights. In 2012, the EJC trained 563 workers, more than half of whom were women, as part of a self-perpetuating, long-term solution to infringement of employment rights. Once empowered, these workers serve as an education source for employers, fellow workers, and the broader community. In 2013, we’re working closely with long-time partner O’Donoghue & O’Donoghue, LLP to develop even more effective Know Your Rights trainings that will reach workers in different sectors and in Spanish.

“I am inspired by the workers I have “I am inspired by the workers I have

come into contact with through come into contact with through

advocacy campaigns at the EJC. They advocacy campaigns at the EJC. They

areare resilientresilient in pursuing workplace in pursuing workplace

justice, not only for themselves, but justice, not only for themselves, but

for others as well.” for others as well.” ––Jamie Gorosh, EJC AVODAH Jewish Jamie Gorosh, EJC AVODAH Jewish

Service Corps Fellow Service Corps Fellow

James Reese, Solange Ayuk, Jose Ramirez, Eliseo Hernandez, David Melendez, and Carlos Castillo, President of United Workers of D.C. testified before the D.C. Council Committee on Workforce and Community Affairs about their experience with wage theft

Expanding Our

Community 9

WAGE. Workers Advocating for Greater Equality (WAGE) members are trained to effectively communicate with the media, testify before legislative panels, and teach other workers their rights. Members have testified before the D.C. Council, organized protests, been quoted in news stories, and authored op-eds and letters to the editor that bring light to their experiences of injustice. In October, among other trainings, we prepared a worker to testify alongside Barbra at a Council hearing on the Returning Citizens Anti-Discrimination Act of 2012.

IWA. While the EJC works to restore the rights of injured D.C. government workers, the workers themselves participate as Injured Worker Advocates (IWA) working to restore fairness to the D.C. workers’ compensation system. This year, we helped IWA members craft testimony on proposed regulations, while pro bono attorney Nancy Craig wrote a letter to the D.C. Council cataloging agency failures to comply with court orders to grant benefits to injured workers. In May, we brought workers to meet with five Council members, and continued meeting with personnel throughout the year, keeping injured workers’ issues at the forefront.

The EJC is the only organization in D.C. that provides free legal services and advocacy. It is critical that workers and employers alike know we are ready to redress wrongs and fight for a fairer employment landscape. That is why we declared 2012 as the Year of Spreading the Word. We focused on building our online and community presence, sharing our work and thoughts with allies, and building stronger relationships with the media. Overhauling our website. If you have not stopped by lately, check out our new online digs. Not only is our website more intuitive

and easily navigable, but it provides a deeper and broader set of resources for workers than ever before.

You can find information on wage-and-hour law, discrimination, criminal record expunging, workers’

compensation, Family Medical Leave and unemployment insurance – all in English and Spanish. You can

also find examples of our testimony before the D.C. Council, clips of EJC members in the media, and more.

Our goal in 2013 is to expand our resources to include more fact sheets, including wage theft by

misclassification, offer more commentary on employment justice issues, and become a one-stop-shop for

workers, employers and community members with questions about employment law.

Strengthening our online community.

We love Twitter! It’s an excellent way to flash action

alert tweets to supporters, remind volunteers about

Clinic hours, and share insights into employment

justice. If you’re not already, follow us @DCEJC! We’re

also on Facebook, and this year, we expanded our

“likes” by nearly fifty percent! We’re making use of

this great tool for justice advocates in our community

by posting when we’re advocating for change with the

D.C. Council, sharing great videos and info-graphics on

employment justice issues, looking for talented legal

fellows, and inviting donors to invest in worker justice.

Spreading the Word 10

On Giving Tuesday, the EJC organized a Twitter Storm to spread the word about

wage theft. With the help of allies like the AFL-CIO, hundreds responded by retweeting

this and similar messages!

There will be an app for that! In 2013, we’ll spread the word about There will be an app for that! In 2013, we’ll spread the word about

workers’ rights even further, as we work with Georgetown University workers’ rights even further, as we work with Georgetown University

Law Center to develop an application to help workers receive Law Center to develop an application to help workers receive

information about overtime and other workplace rights in English and in information about overtime and other workplace rights in English and in

Spanish. Spanish.

Spreading the Word 11

A Sampling of Where the EJC Spread the Word This Year:A Sampling of Where the EJC Spread the Word This Year:

Coming Soon!

The Workers’ Rights Manual – it’s back! Look

for a fully-updated version in 2013.

Every year, we spread the word about the plight of workers in the D.C. metro area, and celebrate

outstanding advocates of workplace justice, at our annual Labor Day Breakfast. This year, Chairman

of the National Labor Relations Board Mark G. Pearce received our Champion of Justice Award and

delivered the keynote address. Almost 300 advocates attended, contributing nearly $140,000 and

celebrating each of our honorees.

Labor Day Breakfast honorees, from left to right:

William Persina (Denise M. Clark Advising Attorney of the Year Award) • Ira Jaffe (Special Award for Employment Justice Mentoring) • André Henderson (Denise M. Clark Intake Volunteer of the Year Award) • Andrea Lindemann Gilliam (Community Partner of

the Year Award) • Andy Shallal (Good Business, Good Neighbor of the Year Award) • Mark G. Pearce (Champion of Justice Award) • Joseph Barton (representing honoree

Cohen Milstein for Judith M. Conti Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year Award) • Danny Katz (William W. Anderson Co-Counsel Attorney of the Year Award) • Stephen Cortien

(representing Washington, DC Building and Construction Trades Council for the Labor Partner of the Year Award) • George Eisner (representing Mid-Atlantic Regional Council

of Carpenters for the Labor Partner of the Year Award)

Special Events 12

“People who work hard should be able to feed, clothe “People who work hard should be able to feed, clothe

and house a family. Making that simple truth a reality is and house a family. Making that simple truth a reality is

the EJC's goal.” the EJC's goal.” –– Joseph Kolick, Jr., EJC Board MemberJoseph Kolick, Jr., EJC Board Member

We also spread the word in innovative ways, canvassing U Street and Trick or Treating on Halloween to solicit signatures in favor of Paid Sick Days for All, bringing flowers to food service workers who may have had to work while sick, and holding seminars at Busboys & Poets with owner (and EJC Good Neighbor Good Business Award recipient) Andy Shallal to educate diners on the lives and realities of restaurant workers.

Special Events 13

Whether they provide free and low-cost legal advice at our Clinics, take cases on a

pro bono basis, organize trainings or solicit petition signatures, they are helping create a more just landscape for workers in our area. In line with our mission to expand our community, we worked in 2012 to grow our volunteer base – and to increase the kind and number of opportunities available to them.

Achiya Yaffe • Adam Gorod • Adam Martin •Aiko Castillo • Aimee Mayer •Aleta Sprague • Alexandra Goldstein • Alexandra Tsiros •Alex Goldstein •Alexis Akeredolu • Alina Hoffman •

Alyssa Campbell • Amanda Hesse • Ambika Ganesh •Ambreen Tariq • Amina Mirza • Andrea Gittleman • Andre Henderson • Andrew Clarke • Andrew Lin •Andrew Sackett • Angelica Carrillo • Anne Ryder • Ann Webb • Anton Hajjar •Ashley Hodges • Attalah Gabriel •Ben Botts • Benjamin Kapnik • Bethany Davis • Bill Persina • Bill Young • Brian Shearer • Caitlin Rosser • Cara Lasley • Carey Bylin • Carla Pineda • Carleigh Torres-Gavin • Carol Light • Catherine Singley- Harvey • Celina Stewart • CharleneMcMillan • Chelsea Peter • Christina Liu • Christopher Allen • Chrysanthe Courniotes • Colleen Kilbnlee • Colleen Kilbride • Colleen Krisulevicz • Consuella Richardson • Corinne Koepepen • Courtney George • Courtney Lee • Cris Ramon • Cynthia Arevalo • Damian Privitera • Dan Grant • Daniel Havivi • Danielle LeClair • David Casserly •Davina Richardson • Debbie Gantt • Diana Banks • Douglas Boorstein • Douglas Parker • Edgar Ndjatou • Elizabeth Mak • Ellen Eardley • Ellen Range • Ena Richter • Erandi Zamora • Erica Smith • Eric Elder • Eric Johnson • Ericka Fleet • Erin Kelly • Erin Kesler • Evan Ballon • Eve Ricketts • Francis Heil • Gabi Lubig • Gabriele Ulbig • Garrett Thomas • Gary Kloepfer • Geoffrey Leonard • George Hardey • Grace Heusner • Gretchen McMullen • Guy Milhalter • Heather Crouch• Heather Henderson • Heidi Hotz • Hnin Khaing • Hodan Siad • Howard Wolf-Rodda • Ife Bethel-Sean • James Goodley • James Racine • Jeffrey Peters • Jennesa Calvo-Friedman • Jenny Klein • Jessica Chu • Jessica Krupke • Jessica Wang • Joe Katz • Joel Kravetz • John Annand • John Bambas • John Tremblay • Joni Jacobs • Joseph Cullen • Josephine Vowels • Josh Hardy • Juhi Aggarwal • Julia Cassidy • Kaitlyn Beyer • Kamilah House • Karen Racowsky • Katerina Horska • Katy Jo Muncie • Kayley Bebber • Keith Howell • Kevin Kleponis • Kirk Goza • Koreena Bobo • Kristin High • Kyle DeCant • Kyle Mohr • Laura Moskowitz • Lauren Rine • Laurielle Campbell • Laurie Monahan • Leah Gross • Lee Wang • Lillian Schruben • Lisa Li • Liza Zamd • Lizzie Watson • Loni Silva • Lorili Powell • Lorin Dale-Pierce • Lorrie Bradley Maria Guzman • Marissa Wagner • Martha Katz • Mary Corbin • Mary Luceri • Mary Thuell • Matthew Levy • Matthew Vogel • Matt Rubin • Matt Mihalich • Maureen Boyle • Megan Lovett • Megan Marsh • Meghan Draste • Meghan Droste • Melanie Wolfgang • Melissa Rasmussen • Michael Eidelson • Michael Levine • Michael Paarlberg • Michael Robinson • Michael Townsley • Michelle Woolley • Molly Theobald • Monica Castro • Nancy Craig • Nichelle Davis • Nicholas Kelly • Nikkia Wharton • Nora Lewis • Olga Metelitsa • Patrick Oakford • Qiana Brandon • Rachel Bowen • Rachel Nadas • Rachel Sier • Rachel Stapleton • Rachel Steber • Rachel Wolf • Reanne Townsend • Rebecca Eisenbrey • Rebecca Peters • Renee Gerni • Richard Renner • Robert Kurnick • Romy Kim • Rory Smith • Samantha Jones • Sam Waite • Sarah Bagge • Sarah Kanter • Sarah Morgan • Sarah Raab • Saralyn Salisbury • Shirley Rojas • Sommer Murphy • Stephanie Azar • Stephanie Lin • Stephanie Miller • Steve Kahn • Steven Corfman • Steven Rubenstein • Tammy Dang • Tammy Dany • Tania Mejla • Taylor Fennell • Terry Stratton • Tessa Bialik • Theresa Roozen • Tom Ramstack • Tracy DeJesus • Tracy Fleming • Veronica Neisler • Vin Kamath • Virginia Diamond • Walakewon Blegay • Wayne Garris • Yael Krigman • Yeon Me Kim • Yoni Bard • Yuan Yuan (Jesika) Wang

Partners in Justice 14

We know you’re passionate about worker justice. Join us!

Even if you’re not available for Clinic hours, check out our

Facebook page and Twitter to stay up to date on our actions.

There so many ways to volunteer with the EJC, and we

welcome you!

Our volunteers make our work possibleOur volunteers make our work possible. .

2012 Volunteers2012 Volunteers

After years of working with

O’Donoghue & O’Donoghue

attorneys to conduct Know

Your Right trainings, we have

expanded our efforts. In

2013, with skilled bilingual

attorneys, we will provide

trainings for the first time in

Spanish. We also plan to

expand our reach by training

service providers – so more workers have the opportunity to learn their rights. O’Donoghue’s Dinah

Leventhal, Scott Seedorf, John Harney and Catherine Fayette conduct trainings for workers, while our

AVODAH Jewish Service Corps Fellow, Jamie Gorosh, organizes the trainings and conducts outreach

to workers interested in advocacy opportunities. In addition to our partners at O’Donoghue, Renee

Gerni of Murphy Anderson, PLLC and Edgar Ndjatou of Kalijarvi, Chuzi, Newman & Fitch, P.C. also

conducted Know Your Rights trainings in 2012.

We’ve always relied on law students as faithful and valuable Clinic volunteers. But

we are working to develop deeper relationships with all of our area law schools,

viewing it as an opportunity to mentor a new generation of lawyers in public

service. We started in 2012 with Georgetown Pro Bono Volunteer Projects, offering

on-campus trainings and targeting recruitment of students there for our Southeast

Clinic. We also strengthened our ties with the George Washington Law School

Community Legal Clinic. In 2013, we plan to develop partnerships with rising

lawyers at the University of D.C. David A. Clarke School of Law and other area law

schools.

Partners in Justice 15

Partner Spotlight: Know Your Rights TrainingsPartner Spotlight: Know Your Rights Trainings

Partner Spotlight: Rising AttorneysPartner Spotlight: Rising Attorneys

President: Orrin Baird Associate General Counsel Service Employees International Union Vice President: Hope Gleicher Nonprofit Montgomery Secretary: Carol Waller Pope Chairman, Federal Labor Relations Authority Treasurer: Lisa Lindsley Director, Capital Strategies AFSCME Joseph Kolick General Counsel International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Barbara Kagan Public Service Counsel Steptoe & Johnson, LLP Sarah Massey Owner, Massey Media Heidi Shierholz Economist Economic Policy Institute

Board of Directors 16

In the capital city of the most powerful nation in the history of the In the capital city of the most powerful nation in the history of the

world, employers exploit vulnerable populations. world, employers exploit vulnerable populations. It is shameful, It is shameful,

and without the EJC, these unscrupulous employers and without the EJC, these unscrupulous employers would never would never

stop. Lowstop. Low--income workers need an expanded EJC to ensure that income workers need an expanded EJC to ensure that

their rights are protected, and that Washington D.C. is a fair place their rights are protected, and that Washington D.C. is a fair place

to work. to work. —— Lisa Lindsley, Treasurer of the EJC Board of DirectorsLisa Lindsley, Treasurer of the EJC Board of Directors

Saying Hello!

We were pleased to welcome new members into our fold in 2012: George Murphy, a Partner at Murphy Anderson, PLLC; Community Board Member Meei

Shi Child; and Marla Greenberg of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Office of the General

Counsel. In 2013, Keith Mestrich, Senior Vice President, Washington, D.C. of Amalgamated Bank and Nicholas Cuttner, Consultant and Advisor with

PDN, Ltd., will be bringing their talent and dedication to our board as well.

Bidding Farewell

In 2012, we said good-bye to Aydin Tuncer of Raymond James & Associates; Community Board

Member Jorge Carranza; and former Board President Joseph Semo. We owe them a sincere

debt of gratitude for their leadership and service.

With a staff of just ten, we like to think we punch above our weight. That’s because our staff is an incredible and delightful mix of social justice warriors, who come to work every day believing they can make a difference for workers – and doing just that. In 2012, we welcomed a number of new faces: take a look at our new team!

Barbra Kavanaugh, Esq., Executive Director

Barbra Kavanaugh joined the EJC staff in September 2011. Barbra comes to us with decades of experience as a litigator and an advocate for equality for all people. Her previous experience includes serving as an elected member of the City Council of Buffalo, NY, where she championed living wage legislation. In addition, she served for more than a decade with Neighborhood Legal Services in Buffalo and for several years as New York State Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Buffalo office. Barbra is an avid Tango dancer – so avid that it resulted in the not-quite-tragic foot injury pictured at right. She took it in stride and keeps on dancing!

Laura Brown, Esq., Director of Legal Services

Laura Brown is our Director of Legal Services. She manages the EJC’s Workers’ Rights Clinic, supervises the legal services staff, and edits the EJC’s Workers’ Rights Manual and other EJC publications. Prior to joining the EJC in 2008, Laura was a staff attorney at Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities in Washington, D.C. Laura has also worked as an associate at the law firm of Woodley & McGillivary, a D.C.-based law firm specializing in federal wage and hour cases and union representation, and as a staff attorney/business agent with UNITE HERE Local 25, the hotel and restaurant employees’ union in D.C. In her spare time, Laura runs . . . both down the National Mall and after her small children, Maya, age three, and Ian, age one.

Ari Weisbard, Esq., Advocacy Manager

Ari joined the EJC as Advocacy Manager in 2011. Ari first got involved in labor issues as a college activist, sitting-in for a living wage for three weeks and teaching his Workmen's Circle Sunday school class through a building window. After graduating from Harvard College and Yale Law School, Ari clerked in Phoenix and San Francisco and worked on federal policy initiatives for the Service Employees International Union. Ari first got involved in D.C. politics as a leader of Jews United for Justice's “Invest in D.C.” campaign, which successfully protected vital safety net programs from devastating cuts by advocating higher local income taxes on the wealthy instead. In his spare time, Ari cooks up a storm, from roasting his own coffee to baking fresh bread four times a week. He also loves visiting his nephew, pictured here, in Medford, Massachusetts.

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Keira McNett, Esq., Senior Staff Attorney As Senior Staff Attorney, Keira manages the EJC’s pro bono referral program, supervises in-house litigation, and represents clients, individually and as co-counsel with law firms. Even before becoming a staff member in June 2012, Keira was involved with the EJC in various capacities for more than 10 years, first as an intake volunteer while in law school, later as an advising attorney, and then as a contract attorney. Keira previously worked at the law firm of Murphy Anderson, where she represented unions and plaintiffs in labor, employment law and employee benefits cases. Keira graduated cum laude from

Georgetown University Law Center, where she served as an articles editor for the Georgetown Law Journal. She likes to practice yoga and dig in the dirt with her 3-year-old. Justin Zelikovitz, Esq., Litigation Counsel

Justin Zelikovitz joined the EJC as Litigation Counsel this year. Justin came to the EJC from the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau, where he represented indigent English- and Spanish-speaking clients in employment, housing, consumer, and bankruptcy cases. Before graduating from the University of Virginia School of Law, Justin graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Duke University. An avid traveler, Justin has visited 48 countries.

Janaki Spickard-Keeler, Development & Operations Manager

Janaki Spickard-Keeler joined the EJC in January of 2010. She was a manager of retail stores and was disappointed with the widespread abuse of employees in the industry. Janaki also has a background in communications, and is a graduate of Smith College. She is a novelist and a dancer, and serves on the Board of Directors of the William Penn House. Naomi Iser, Advocacy Associate

Naomi Iser joined the EJC in September 2011 as an AVODAH: Jewish Service Corps Member and in August 2012 became the EJC’s Advocacy Associate. Naomi helps lead several EJC advocacy campaigns, including our campaigns to ensure Paid Sick Days for all D.C. workers, to increase access to employment for Returning Citizens, and to reform D.C.’s broken public sector workers’ compensation system. Naomi graduated from Brandeis University in 2011 with a degree in International Studies and Comparative Literature.

Our Staff 18

Hannah Kane, Employment Justice Organizer

Hannah Kane joined the EJC in August, 2012. Hannah coordinates the EJC's wage theft campaign, using a combination of coalition building and worker organizing to strengthen protections against wage theft in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining the EJC, Hannah received her Masters in Social Work from George Mason University. During graduate school, Hannah worked as an organizer and social worker with Tenants and Workers United, and as a social worker with the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition. Hannah is a member of the National and Virginia chapters of the National Association of Social Workers. Hannah is also an avid rock climber and empanada chef extraordinaire!

Jamie Gorosh, AVODAH Community Outreach Fellow 2012-2013

Jamie joined the EJC in September 2012 through AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps. Jamie works as a Community Outreach Fellow on advocacy campaigns at the EJC, focusing on the campaign to combat wage theft. Jamie enjoys working at the EJC because of the lively atmosphere of passion and dedication to pursuing workers rights. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 2012 with a BA from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. She enjoys hiking and traveling.

Anaia Peddie, Lutheran Volunteer Corps Clinic Coordinator Fellow 2012-2013 Anaia Peddie is a recent graduate of Spelman College where she studied English literature and Spanish. As a member of the Lutheran Volunteer Corps, she is performing a year of public service at the D.C. Employment Justice Center as the Clinic Coordinator. She hopes to pursue post-graduate studies in Public Policy.

Another reason we’re so effective: the incredible support we receive from interns, law clerks and

fellows. In 2012, we were lucky to have:

Ann Webb, Law Clerk • Martha Katz, Law Clerk • Rachel Zelman, Law Clerk - Seibel Fellow • Saerhomee Kim, Law Clerk• Chalana Williams, Law Clerk - Crowell & Moring Summer Associate• Adelaide Pagano, Law Clerk • Amy Gellatly, Law Clerk • Selby Abraham, Law Clerk - Peggy Browning Fellow • Andrew Hass, Law Clerk • Michael Robinson, Law Clerk • Kelly Rojas, Law Clerk - Seibel Fellow • Marley Cogan, Intern • Josh Horen, Intern

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Statement of Position Statement of Activities

Assets: $253,464 Revenue: $612,744 Liabilities: $10,129 Expenses: $654,168

Net: ($41,424)

Financial Statement 20

Donors 21

Businesses & Organizations AARP Legal Counsel For The Elderly American Income Life Insurance Blackbaud, Inc. Burness Communications, Inc. Center For Law and Social Policy Compass The Edgar Lomax Company The Segal Company, Inc. ULLICO Foundations & Funds AARP Foundation Chet Levitt Fund for Employment Law Community Foundation NCR Consumer Health Foundation D.C. Bar Foundation Equal Justice America Eugene & Agnes Meyer Foundation Fabrangen Tzedakah Collective Jovid Foundation Marpat Foundation, Inc. Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Naomi & Nehemiah Cohen Foundation Peggy Browning Fund Public Welfare Foundation Taproot Foundation The Moriah Fund World Bank Community Connections Fund Individuals Alan Kabat Ann E. Allen Anne Donohue Anonymous Aydin & Beatriz Tuncer Brian Stiglmeier Carol Light Christine Owens Christopher Calamita Colin Summers Daniel Abrahams David A. Dugoff & Victoria Bor David Casserly David Colodny David Dalke David W. Ricksecker David Witherspoon Douglas & Elizabeth Parker William Jones Eli Staub

Gary Kloepfer George Murphy Heidi Shierholz Hope Gleicher & Andy Burness Ira Jaffe J. Penny Clark Jacob & Suzanne Feinspan James C. Roumell Jeffrey Gutman Jonathan Hiatt Jonathan L. Gould Joni S. Jacobs Joseph & Dorothy Conti Joseph Kolick, Jr. Joseph Semo Judith Conti Jules Bernstein & Linda Lipsett Julia & Nicholas Clark Kurt T. Rumsfeld Leon Dayan Lisa Lindsley Lynn Edelman Marget A Bartel Maria Gomez Marie Chopra Marla Greenberg Martin Kohn Mary Signorille Matthew Rubin Melinda Holmes & Desmond Hogan Melvina Ford Orrin Baird Patrick J. Szymanski Paul Flynn & Amy Shannon Peter & Stacy Leff Peter Ford Phyllis Borzi Rachel Hines Renee Bowser Robert & Judy Kurnick Robert Joseph Barton Sara Schoen Stephen Bruce Steven Kahn Susan D. Bennett Wendy Kahn & Martin Burns Labor AFL-CIO AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee AFSCME

Amalgamated Transit Union Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Local 1 Communications Workers Of America International Union Of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Ironworkers Local #5 Metropolitan Washington Council AFL-CIO Mid Atlantic Regional Council Of Carpenters SEIU SEIU Local 32BJ Steamfitters Local #602 UFCW Local 400 UNITE HERE Local 25 Washington Building & Construction Trades Council Law Firms Arnold & Porter, LLP* Ashcraft & Gerel LLP Clark Law Group, PLLC Covington & Burling LLP* Crowell & Moring* Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, LLP James & Hoffman, PC Kalijarvi, Chuzi, Newman & Fitch PC Katz, Marshall & Banks, LLP Law Offices Of Gary M Gilbert & Associates, PC Law Offices Of George E Foote, PC Levendis Law Group, PLLC Murphy Anderson, PLLC O'Donnell, Schwartz & Anderson, PC O'Donoghue & O'Donoghue Passman & Kaplan P.C. Sherman, Dunn, Cohen, Leifer & Yellig Slevin & Hart, PC Steptoe & Johnson, LLP* Webster, Fredrickson, Correia & Puth PLLC White & Case Wilmer Cutler Pickering, Hale and Dorr LLP* Woodley & McGillivary Zwerdling, Paul, Kahn & Wolly, PC *These firms participate in the Raise the Bar D.C. Campaign

Employment Justice Center

1413 K St NW, 5th floor Washington, DC 20005

(202) 828-9675 justice@dcejc.org

www.facebook.com/dcejc @dcejc

Workers' Rights Clinics

Northwest Clinic 1525 7th St. NW

Every Wednesday except in August Southeast Clinic

1640 Good Hope Road SE Twice a month except in August