American Rights at Work (ARAW) was a U.S. self-described

nonpartisan Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

that advocates for workers and their right to form unions without interference. ARAW received funding from unions affiliated with both the AFL-CIO and the

Change to Win The Strategic Organizing Center (SOC), formerly known as the Change to Win Federation (CtW) is a coalition of North American labor unions originally formed in 2005 as an alternative to the AFL–CIO. The coalition is associated with strong advocac ...

coalition, but its board of directors and day-to-day activities are not controlled by either labor group. American Rights at Work merged with

Jobs With Justice Jobs With Justice (JWJ) is a labor rights organization in the United States, focused on the vision that all workers should be able to collectively bargain. It was founded in 1987 and is made up of individuals and affiliated organizations. As of ...

in 2012.

Leadership

The chair of the organization's board,

David Bonior David Edward Bonior (born June 6, 1945) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. First elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976, Bonior served as Democratic whip in the House from 1991 to 2002, during which time D ...

, took a leave of absence in December 2006 to chair the presidential election campaign of former U.S.

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

John Edwards Johnny Reid Edwards (born June 10, 1953) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as a U.S. senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2004 alongside John Kerry, losing to incumbents George ...

. Other board members include

Julian Bond Horace Julian Bond (January 14, 1940 – August 15, 2015) was an American social activist, leader of the civil rights movement, politician, professor, and writer. While he was a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, during the e ...

and

Bradley Whitford Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman in the NBC television political drama ''The West Wing'' (1999–2006), for which he ...

. The executive director of ARAW is Kimberly Freeman Brown."Lobbying World," 'The Hill,' November 10, 2009.
/ref> The founding executive director was

Mary Beth Maxwell Mary Beth Maxwell was the founding executive director of American Rights at Work and the author of the organization's inaugural report. Maxwell was chosen in April 2009 by President Barack Obama to be senior advisor in the United States Department ...

Notes

References

"American Rights At Work: Labor laws not strong enough." ''Workers Independent News.'' July 7, 2005.
*Castillo, Juan. "Workers at Labor Forum Recount Tales of Abuse by Their Employers." ''Austin American-Statesman.'' October 19, 2005.
"Democracy at Comcast, Free Choices at Work - Making the Case for the Employee Free Choice Act." Center for American Progress.
*Gaffney, Mark. "American Laws Violate Workers' Rights." ''Detroit News.'' December 16, 2005. *Gallagher, John. "Laboring After Congress; Bonior Builds Solidarity Stumping for Union Cause." ''Detroit Free Press.'' April 10, 2004. *Greenhouse, Steven. "Labor, Under the Gun, Meets to Plot Strategy." ''New York Times.'' February 25, 2003.
"Human Rights at Work." ''The Nation.'' December 26, 2005.
*Knowles, Francine. "Report Says Deck Stacked Against Union Organization." ''Chicago Sun Times.'' December 7, 2005. *Landrum Jr., Jonathan. "American Rights at Work to Investigate Abuses at Workplace." ''Associated Press.'' October 14, 2005. *Lester, Will. "AFL-CIO Leaders Recruit Groups to Get Out Word About Workers' Plight." ''Associated Press.'' October 25, 2005. *Pickler, Nedra. "Edwards Taps Bonior to Lead Future Presidential Campaign." ''Associated Press.'' December 5, 2006.

External links

American Rights at Work website
{{Change to Win Federation Workers' rights organizations National Labor Relations Board United States labor law Political advocacy groups in the United States Organizations established in 2003 Multinational mass media companies

Leadership

See also

Notes

References

External links