New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice

New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice

Job Position: Administrative Coordinator

Organization Description:
The New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice was founded in response to the stark exclusion of African American workers and the brutal exploitation of immigrant workers in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The Center is dedicated to organizing workers across lines of race and industry to advance racial justice and build worker power and participation to achieve a just reconstruction of New Orleans.

The New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice is dedicated to: (1) Organizing workers across race and industry; (2) Advancing racial justice; (3) Building grassroots worker leadership, power and participation; (4) Building powerful multiracial alliances; (5) Building towards a just reconstruction of New Orleans.

Summary of Duties: 

The Administrative Coordinator (AC) will be responsible for supporting the overall health and every day functioning of a busy, fast paced organization. The AC will manage the office, perform bookkeeping and basic accounting functions (with oversight from an Accountant), manage travel scheduling for senior staff members, provide executive assistant duties for the Executive Director, and offer ad hoc event support.

Primary Responsibilities include:

Financial

• Record expenses/revenue in financial tracking software

• Monitor and distribute petty cash
• Reimburse volunteers and staff for expenses paid with personal funds
• Maintain records of invoices for all expenditures
• Cut and record checks for purchases, bills and reimbursements
• Financial Reports for grant management purposes
• Create and maintain inventory of equipment and supplies
• Work with accountant on monthly basis to reconcile bank records and manage overall financial health
• Provide administrative support to the auditors on an annual basis

• Maintain adequate balance on credit card and issue travel alerts as needed

Admin & Office Management

• Coordinate routine purchases of office supplies

• Implement office policies and procedures
• Filing documents as necessary
• Manage phone and IT services for the office

Logistical & Scheduling Support

• Provide scheduling services for the Executive Director

• Coordinate travel scheduling for senior staff members
• Offer support for organizing actions and events

Additional duties as assigned

Qualifications:

Successful candidates will have:

• Commitment to our mission

• Ability to organize and carry out multiple tasks efficiently and with little supervision
• Good interpersonal skills including the ability to communicate successfully with people from diverse backgrounds
• Ability to work in high stress environment
• Knowledge of bookkeeping practices
• Knowledge of accounting software (Peachtree or Quickbooks)
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel); Access and Power Point a plus
• At least two years of experience working for a non-profit organization preferred
• Bachelors degree preferred
• Fluency in English with good written and verbal communication skills
• Spanish language skills a plus
• Familiarity with the New Orleans area preferred but not required

People of color and women strongly encouraged to apply.

To Apply:
Send Cover Letter and Resume to:
Sheena Brown, c/o Hiring Committee
Email only: workerscenterhire2@gmail.com

NO PHONE CALLS OR WALK-INS ACCEPTED.

Position Announcement: Immigrant Justice Organizer

New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice/Congress of Day Laborers

The New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice seeks a passionate, dedicated, creative organizer for the Congress of Day Laborers.

The New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice is a multi-racial organization dedicated to building the power and participation of poor people in order to expand democracy and transform the economy.  We organize directly affected people, and couple their courage with strategic legal, policy, and communications work to build campaigns that advance racial justice, immigrant rights, and a fair economy.   Our members are African American and immigrant workers and families in New Orleans, as well as guestworkers across the country. The Center anchors three grassroots membership organizations: the Congress of Day Laborers, Stand With Dignity, and the National Guestworker Alliance, as well as a strategic legal department that innovates law and policy strategies that build grassroots power.  In the last five years, the Center’s organizing and policy victories have been highlighted in the New York Times, Time Magazine, and  Newsweek.  For more information go to www.nowcrj.org and www.guestworkeralliance.org

The Congress of Day Laborers (the “Congreso”) is a project of the New Orleans Workers’ Center.  The Congreso is a rapidly growing membership organization of immigrant workers and families in New Orleans and beyond. The Congreso was founded by the day laborers who rebuilt New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.  Today, the Congreso’s members are at the cutting-edge of the movement for equal justice in the South, where the political season of hate that started with Arizona’s SB 1070 continues to undercut the human rights of immigrants.  Our members have a vision of permanent community in the changing South – and are building it through their campaigns.  In the last five years, the Congreso has won back unpaid wages, in post-Katrina New Orleans, exposed human rights abuses in jails and detention centers in; defeated back anti-immigrant policy; and advanced campaigns for the right to remain and the right to organize in the new economy. Our members and campaigns have been highlighted in the New York Times, Associated Press, the L.A. Times, and the Times Picayune.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. 1. Organizing the day laborer community in Greater New Orleans

• In 2011, in major victory, day laborers won a designated, dignified day labor space in Gretna, Louisiana.  The organizer would support day labor leaders in operating this space, and turning it into a space for the daily practice of popular democracy – through leadership development, popular education, member defense, and collective campaigns.

• The day laborers on New Orleans’ corners are the first line of immigrant rights defense in the city.  The organizer would organize day laborers on New Orleans’ principle day labor corner; and conduct city-wide outreach to day laborers on two other corners.  The organizer would recruit workers into leadership and2 participation in campaigns that advance justice.

1. 2. Organizing the broader immigrant community in Greater New Orleans

• The organizer will also be responsible for neighborhood and community-based organizing of immigrants in the Greater New Orleans area. The organizer will drive campaigns that built immigrant power and protect the fundamental civil, labor, and human rights that are being eroded in the age of anti-immigrant bills across the South.

1. 3. Leadership and membership development.

• The organizer will maintain, engage, and build the Congreso’s energized base, organize weekly membership assemblies, and work with Lead Organizer to engage members in outreach, organizing, and campaign work.

• The organizer will built grassroots leadership processes and schools to turn members into leaders, and leaders into organizers.  This will include identifying daily leadership opportunities, devising and implementing curriculum, and expanding the Congreso’s shared analysis of the root causes of problems and collective structural solutions.

1. 4. Member Defense

• The organizer will defend the bedrock constitutional, civil, and labor rights in a region where those rights are under attack.  Member defense includes screening calls, running interviews, supporting crisis response – organizing, legal, and communications.

1. 5. Cultural Work

• The Congreso is dedicating to cultural organizing as a key aspect of creating permanent community.  Leaders are in the process of creating a radio show and radio-novellas; they have toured plays; and are exploring visual arts and video projects.  The organizer would coordinate this cultural work.

1. 6. Alliance building

• The organizer would build broad alliances with African American community members, unions, civil rights and criminal justice organizations, womens’ organizations, LGBT community and organizations, clergy, and others who share our values.

QUALIFICATIONS

• The job requires a high degree of motivation and the ability to take initiative.  A successful applicant will have the following qualities: Creative. Deeply dedicated to the leadership of directly affected people.  Faith in poor peoples’ ability to change the world.  Patience and stamina.  The ability to work under pressure.  Love of team work and a good team player.
• The Congreso and the New Orleans Workers’ Center are strongly committed to multi-racial organizing, and racial justice, economic justice and gender justice frames.  While the immigrant justice organizer will focus primarily on the work described above, candidates must be committed to supporting African American organizing for jobs; labor organizing for workers’ rights; womens’ organizing; and other efforts across many communities to expand democracy in the South.
• 3-5 years experience in grassroots organizing required – including outreach, leadership development, and campaigns.
• Must be bilingual.
• Must have strong writing skills, office skills, and self-organization skills.
• Must drive.
• Must enjoy the work.

ACCOUNTABILITY. The Immigrant Justice Organizer would be supervised by the Lead Organizer for the Congress of Day Laborers.

Salary commensurate with experience.

Pls send a resume, a cover letter, to:  Jacinta Gonzalez, jgonzalez@nowcrj.org