Senior Garment Campaign Organizer

Organizational Background

Global Labor Justice (GLJ) brings strategic capacity to cross-sectoral work on global value chains and labor migration corridors. GLJ holds global corporations accountable for labor rights violations in their supply chains, advances policies and laws that protect decent work and just migration, and strengthens freedom of association, new forms of bargaining, and worker organizations.

GLJ has a team of over 20 staff people, based in our Washington, D.C. office and around the world, committed to defending labor rights and building worker power in the global economy. GLJ partners on its garment sector work with the Asia Floor Wage Alliance (AFWA) and their partners with the values of long-term strategic transformational change in the sector and global South movement building.

Position Summary

The Senior Garment Campaign Organizer will be responsible for developing and leading campaigns to defend global worker rights and build worker power in garment and textile supply chains. Our current campaigns focus on eliminating gender-based violence and harassment, winning a living wage across the supply chains of major fashion companies and enforcing joint-employer liability. In recent years, we have achieved enforceable brand agreements and aim to expand the model throughout the garment industry.

Responsibilities include developing strategy with partners, managing and coordinating campaign and negotiation teams, developing and mobilizing diverse and effective allies, and building programs with unions that expand membership and labor rights including freedom of association.

This Senior Garment Campaign Organizer will report to the Garment Program Director and work within the garment supply chain team. The Senior Garment Campaign Organizer will also collaborate with research, legal, and communications staff.

Key Responsibilities:

Area #1: Develop and lead campaigns that defend labor rights and build worker power for garment workers.

• Plan and execute sophisticated and winning campaign strategies by working with partners, GLJ staff, and allies.
• Coordinate campaign messaging, traditional media work, mass communications, and digital organizing with the GLJ communications team.
• Build and maintain strategic allies in the labor movement and social movements at the city, state, and national level.
• Create opportunities for meaningful, direct organizing interactions between workers and union leaders and powerful allies.
• Build trust with partners and move the campaign forward through joint decision making and strategy.
• Plan for and provide anti-retaliation support to partners and union leaders and activists who come under threat for organizing, including rapid cross-organizational responses to retaliation.
• Lead with a learning mentality including regular assessment and adjustment of campaigns.

Area #2: Deepen key strategic long-term partnerships with unions, federations, and worker organizations in the sector.

• Build and maintain relationships of trust and mutual learning while executing shared strategy. The Senior Garment Campaign Organizer must understand the importance of following the lead of our partner organizations and unions while remaining true to GLJ’s organizational values and mission.
• Develop and implement capacity building with partners and allies that contributes to winning campaigns and core organizational strength.
• Track changes in the sector and identify trends and emerging opportunities to move key issues and new potential campaigns.

Area #3: Represent GLJ in key global labor and policy spaces related to the sector.

• Represent GLJ in key consultative and campaign spaces in coordination with other staff.
• Understand and align the different interests of ally organizations and work to build strong alliances to support the core goals of our partners and of GLJ.
• Collaborate with legal and policy staff in national, regional, and global labor and human rights spaces.

Competencies and Qualifications

The ideal candidate is a driven and experienced organizer, campaigner, and strategist who believes deeply in the importance of strengthening the leadership and power of labor organizations in the Global South. Specific competencies and qualifications include:

• 5+ years’ experience in organizing campaigns related to labor, corporate accountability, and/or human rights including experience developing strategy and coordinating activities.
• Experience organizing and/or campaigning with low-wage workers, showing a commitment to an anti-racist and gender justice approach (garment sector experience is a plus).
• Record achieving specific, measurable wins from corporate and/or policy campaigns.
• Deep commitment to working in alliance with unions and partner organizations in the Global South.
• Ability to successfully sustain work through staff, partners, and allies over multi-year campaigns.
• Experience successfully bargaining or negotiating agreements with employers, brands, political officials.
• Experience as a trainer of staff, partners, or allies.
• Knowledge of the political, economic, and labor contexts in South and Southeast Asia or willingness to learn.
• Ability and willingness to travel in the U.S. and globally to build the program and organization, including approximately two to three international work trips per year.
• Willingness to work during non-traditional business hours to accommodate time zones of staff and partners.
• High level of organization, self-direction, and strong attention to detail.
• Commitment to working as a team player – collaborating across projects, communicating clearly, and contributing to strengthening the organization.
• Sense of humor to maintain perspective and balance.
• Strong English-language writing and communication skills.
• Experience with digital campaigning is a plus.
• South or Southeast Asian language skills are a plus.

Job status: A U.S. based employee in this position is a full-time, exempt, member of IFPTE Local 70 bargaining unit.

Supervisor: The Senior Garment Campaign Organizer reports to the Garment Program Director.

Salary Range: The Senior Garment Campaign Organizer salary range is $80,000-90,000 USD for U.S. employees based on years of experience and includes excellent benefits, including full healthcare coverage for employees and family members.

Location: Washington DC with remote work considered in the US or globally.