Get Involved in the Community NOW!
There is an on-going threat to working poor people that we NEED your involvement on:
S7's Ongoing "Stop Wage Theft" Campaign
From our founding, Sincere Seven has stood firmly in the opposition to Wage Theft since the late 90's; as part of our Worker Justice, Workers Matter campaign headed by S7 newcomer, James Jones.
Wage theft is the denial of wages or employee benefits rightfully owed an employee. It can be conducted by employers in various ways, among them failing to pay overtime; violating minimum wage laws; the misclassification of employees as independent contractors, illegal deductions in pay; forcing employees to work "off the clock", or simply not paying an employee at all.
According to some studies, wage theft is common in the United States, as well as the nation's capitol, Washington, DC, particularly from low wage legal or undocumented immigrant workers. The Economic Policy Institute reported in 2014 that survey evidence suggests wage theft costs US workers billions of dollars a year. Some rights violated by wage theft have been guaranteed to workers in the United States in the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
Wage Theft Outreach Campaign with DC Jobs with Justice
In natural alignment with our Stop Wage Theft campaign, the S7 has locked arms with DC Jobs with Justice and is actively participating in the effort to reach out to DC workers and confirm the degree of Wage Theft occurences and variety to inform DC's Office of the Attorney General through a grant that's funding the outreach effort.
Our objective is to share with DC residents the various forms of Wage Theft and in turn, allow them to share with us any instances of Wage Theft they have experienced, have knowledge of or merely suspect. Our visits to different areas of the District have informed residents of the recent indexed increase of the minimum wage, as well as other forms of Wage Theft. The most prominent Wage Theft violations of law occur in the realm of The Wage Payment and Collection Law. This law requires that all employers pay their employees:
Regarding a Worker's Wage Pay:
At least twice monthly
On designated paydays,
Pay all earned and promised wages, and
Pay wages timely upon termination of employment
If you have or are experiencing wage theft on the job and want to adress it, consult with S7 by calling (202) 239-6565...leave a message and we'll get back to you as soon as possible to work on resolving your problem--and getting YOUR MONEY!
Wage Theft Workshops
DC Government's Failure to Care for Woodberry Village Residents
S7 coalition partner, M.I. Mother's Keeper was informed of a myriad of "quality-of-life" issues experienced by residents of the Woodberry Village Apartments off of/around Savannah Terrace, in Ward 8, SE, Washington, DC. Resident Hill contacted our network partner Rhonda Hamilton of M.I. Mother's Keeper after various resident's failed responses (dating back to November 2020) in contacting their Ward 8 representative.
Woodberry Village residents reported complaints of rats nesting within the foundations of several building throughout the complex. Additionally, failed and leaking plumbing, falling ceilings caused by leaking plumbing, non-flushing toilets and more troubling, non-working heating.
As of today in 2022, the many agencies of the District have concertedly and consistently failed to police the landlord, Capital Realty, and the Office of the Attorney General has elected not to enforce DC's housing laws on behalf of the tenants of Woodberry Village; this includes violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and violations of DC's Mold Act--continuing to adversely affect respiatory conditions of tens of children housed in the Woodberry Village complex.
Tenants have been "shuffled" from apartment to apartment--under the guise of "renovation"--causing problems receiving their mail, among other issues. Our advocacy has brought these issues to the attention of several governmental entities:
District Level
DC Council
DC Council's Housing Committee
DCRA
Office of the Attorney Genersl
Office of the Tenant Advocate
DC Housing Authority
DC Auditor
DC Fire Chief
Federal Level
Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
US Congress, House Oversight & Reform Committee
US Postal Service
...for those who don't know, the S7 posits that the endgame is to discomfort, intimidate and coerce the tenants to vacate their units that the property owner can convedrt Woodberry Village into market-rate condominium housing, which would make the 2019-20 purchase a highly profitable venture.
...in the meantime,to this day, the poor, Black, low-income tenants of Woodberry Village are still living under illegal and unsafe conditions...within full knowledge of DC's elected leaders,
#whataboutwoodberrySome of our past work and campaignsThe S7 is proud to support DC's tipped workers by endorsing ROC United's push to Raise and Equalize Wages...
Sincere Seven advocated for a "YES" vote for Initiative 77 on the June 19th ballot in Washington, DC! The voters said yes to raising the minimum wage--for ALL workers, including tipped wage workers--in a city-wide referendum. Unfortunately, the DC Council chose to ovverride and ignore the will of the District's voters and voted to repeal Iniative 77. The reasoning of the Council was shamefully weak, claiming the language on the ballot was "confusing.' So the new campaign to do it again is underway. The language in the new initiative shall be unambiguous and unmistakable...and the workers shall prevail (as opposed to the big restaurant lobby).
What the Vote Means:
A yes vote is a vote in favor of gradually increasing the minimum wage for tipped employees to the city's standard minimum wage by 2026.
A no vote is a vote against gradually increasing the minimum wage for tipped employees to the city's standard minimum wage by 2026.
Initiative 77 aims to eliminate the tipped minimum wage in Washington, D.C., by gradually increasing the wage for tipped employees until it is equal to minimum wage law for non-tipped employees. Workers may still be tipped by customers! As of March 2018, tipped workers received a base wage of $3.33 an hour.
The S7 is honored to join the national band of activists calling for civilian justice and government accountabiltity in the scores of Black men unjustifiably killed by police...
The Hands Up Coalition DC will peacefully assemble at the Justice Department every Monday at 4:00 PM, beginning December 1, 2014
The S7 is embarking on a campaign to send copies of Michelle Alexander's prose exposing the U.S. criminal justice system, "The New Jim Crow" to incarcerated prisoners from the Washington, DC area housed at the Rivers Correctional Institution in Winton, North Carolina. We believe men need the big picture answer to know how they got there and why.
In this incisive critique, former litigator-turned-legal-scholar Michelle Alexander provocatively argues that we have not ended racial caste in America: we have simply redesigned it. Alexander shows that, by targeting black men and decimating communities of color, the U.S. criminal justice system functions as a contemporary system of racial control, even as it formally adheres to the principle of color blindness. The New Jim Crow challenges the civil rights community--and all of us--to place mass incarceration at the forefront of a new movement for racial justice in America.
You can contribute to this worthy cause by going to our Contact Us page and donating there!
Growing With the Community
The Sincere Seven is actively recruiting and seeking people to participate in DC's workers rights movement. You can join the Sincere Seven by e-mailing sincereseven@hotmail.com for details.
S7's work cannot go forward without concerted support from those who believe in our work. Please give to the cause of social change the amount of your choosing...
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As of today in 2022, the many agencies of the District have concertedly and consistently failed to police the landlord, Capital Realty, and the Office of the Attorney General has elected not to enforce DC's housing laws on behalf of the tenants of Woodberry Village; this includes violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and violations of DC's Mold Act--continuing to adversely affect respiatory conditions of tens of children housed in the Woodberry Village complex.
