Worker Justice Wisconsin, Inc.

What Worker Justice Wisconsin, Inc. does

Worker Justice Wisconsin, Inc. is a Madison, Wisconsin-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit worker center that advances workplace justice for low-wage and immigrant non-unionized workers through a coalition model linking faith communities, labor unions, and community allies. The organization runs a portfolio of programs — Worker Cooperative Incubation, Construction Organizing, Wage Theft Campaign, Workplace Organizing, Membership, Resources, Know Your Rights Training, and the Rapid Response Network — alongside faith-labor initiatives such as Labor in the Pulpits/On the Bimah/In the Minbar and the Faith and Labor Statement. Documented outcomes include direct wage recovery for individual workers (e.g., $27,000 determined owed to a Taco Madre worker by Wisconsin DWD, $6,875 recovered for Crescencio in unpaid overtime, nearly $15,000 for 10 construction workers from Yellowstone Apartments) and union recognition for groups such as the Crushin' It Apparel workers, who voted 6-0 to join IUPAT DC 7. The organization does not operate any technology product; it has no app, no API, no proprietary platform, and no AI components.

The business model is donation- and grant-funded. Revenue streams are individual donations (including a Worker Solidarity Fund that supports workers during disputes) and nonprofit grants such as those from the Madison Cooperative Development Coalition (MCDC) for cooperative development programming. All services to workers are provided free of charge; there is no pricing model and no commercial go-to-market motion. Geographic scope is limited to Wisconsin, with all programming delivered through direct community organizing, in-person trainings, workplace interventions, and coalition-based advocacy rather than through any distribution channel. The organization is led by Executive Director Rebecca Meier-Rao with a small program staff including Robert Christl (Worker Center Program Director), David Ortiz-Whittingham (Construction Organizer), Socorro Cortez (Worker Center Organizer), and Gretchen Baumgardt (Faith Outreach Coordinator).

Worker Justice Wisconsin evolved from the Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice (ICWJ), which was previously directed by Rabbi Renee Bauer, and rebranded to its current name to reflect a broader worker-center identity beyond its faith-coalition origins. Strategically, the organization combines service delivery (wage recovery, know-your-rights training), capacity building (cooperative incubation through MCDC), and policy/coalition action (Poor People's Campaign, Wisconsin Building Trades Council, Regional Council of Carpenters) under a bilingual English/Spanish service model. Distribution is primarily through grassroots community outreach, social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn), biweekly email newsletters, community events (LaborFest, Faith Labor Breakfast, Labor in the Pulpits), and earned media coverage in outlets such as The Capital Times, Wisconsin Examiner, Channel 3000, and WORT 89.9FM.

Name

Worker Justice Wisconsin, Inc.

Legal name

Worker Justice Wisconsin, Inc.

Website

https://workerjustice.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Worker Justice Wisconsin is a Madison-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit worker center that organizes low-wage and immigrant non-unionized workers in Wisconsin through wage-theft recovery, know-your-rights training, cooperative incubation, and faith-labor coalition campaigns, funded by donations and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Worker Advocacy and Community Organizing

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Reentry & Justice-Involved Support Services (BPAGAEAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Racial & Ethnic Justice Organizations (BPAGAFAC), Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

Keywords

• Worker advocacy services
• Wage theft recovery
• Worker center organizing
• Labor rights education
• Community labor coalition

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: The organization accepts donations from individuals and community members. They have a Worker Solidarity Fund that accepts donations to support workers facing financial hardship during workplace disputes.
2. Nonprofit Grants: Receives grants from foundations and organizations such as Madison Cooperative Development Coalition for cooperative development programs.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Worker Justice Wisconsin is a nonprofit worker center that partners with low-wage and immigrant non-unionized workers in Wisconsin to recover stolen wages, learn their workplace rights, and build collective power through organizing campaigns. It delivers programs in worker cooperative incubation, construction organizing, wage theft recovery, workplace organizing, and faith-labor coalition building, supported by a Worker Solidarity Fund and a Rapid Response Network for direct actions.

Product overview

Worker Justice Wisconsin is a nonprofit worker center that offers a portfolio of programs and services rather than a unified software product. Its core offerings include Worker Cooperative Incubation, Construction Organizing, Wage Theft Campaign, Workplace Organizing, Membership Program, and Resources. The organization also runs faith-based initiatives including the Faith and Labor Statement and Labor in the Pulpits/On the Bimah/In the Minbar program. Additional services include the Rapid Response Network for direct action alerts and Know Your Rights Training for worker education. These programs work together to advance worker justice through collective organizing, education, and community building with faith and labor allies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Worker Cooperative Incubation Program that helps workers learn about and start worker-owned cooperatives, with advising and connections from the Madison Cooperative Development Coalition (MCDC). It supports workers who have experienced wage theft and mistreatment in launching alternatives such as Iron Roots Co-op.
• Construction Organizing Organizing and advocacy program focused on construction industry workers in Wisconsin, providing Know Your Rights training, OSHA/safety education, and support against misclassification and wage theft.
• Wage Theft Campaign Campaign to combat wage theft in Wisconsin by educating workers about their rights and supporting them in recovering stolen wages, with documented recoveries including $6,875 for Crescencio and more than $27,000 for a Taco Madre worker.
• Workplace Organizing Program partnering with low-wage and immigrant worker leaders to fight workplace injustice through collective actions, campaigns, and direct support from worker center organizers.
• Know Your Rights Training Training sessions educating workers about their workplace rights, including OSHA and workplace safety education, delivered in English and Spanish at workplaces, schools, consulates, and community locations.
• Rapid Response Network Network that sends alerts about direct actions such as protesting wage theft and applies community pressure to employers who have violated workers' rights, supporting solidarity with workers in active disputes.
• Labor in the Pulpits/On the Bimah/In the Minbar September-long interfaith program providing religious congregations opportunities to lift up the dignity of work and support low-wage and immigrant workers through sermons, teachings, and faith-labor coalition activities.
• Faith and Labor Statement Statement signed by faith leaders from Methodist, Lutheran, Catholic, Jewish, Buddhist, and Muslim congregations expressing support for worker justice as part of the organization's interfaith outreach.
• Membership Program Membership program through which workers join WJW's collective worker organizing efforts and community-building activities.
• Worker Resources and Educational Materials Educational materials, government resources for workers, and information about workers' rights and workplace protections provided through the WJW website.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Hilton Monona Terrace employeesminorOthers · 25 October 2025Worker Justice Wisconsin members, staff, and community allies picketed in solidarity with Hilton Monona Terrace employees who were bargaining their first contract after unionizing in August 2025.
• Madison Cooperative Development Coalition (MCDC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2022Partnership with and grant from MCDC enables Worker Justice Wisconsin to hold educational sessions on worker cooperatives. MCDC's Charity Schmidt provided education, advising, and connections to help cooperative development. MCDC helped Iron Roots Co-op with cooperative development.
• Madison Teachers Union (MTI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMTI invited Worker Justice Wisconsin to set up an information booth during parent-teacher conferences at East High School in Madison to speak with parents about their rights and issues at work.
• IUPAT DC 7 (International Union of Painters and Allied Trades)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkers from Crushin' It Apparel won their union election to join IUPAT DC 7. WJW staff and workers appeared together at LaborFest's Solidarity Roll Call. The union represents workers in negotiations with employers.
• Wisconsin Building Trades CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDavid Ortiz-Whittingham, WJW Construction Organizer, presented at the annual conference of the Wisconsin Building Trades Council alongside attorney from UW-Madison Law School Immigrant Justice Clinic on worker rights topics.
• Iron Roots Co-opcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIron Roots Co-operative founders met through Worker Justice Wisconsin after experiencing wage theft and mistreatment at their workplaces. WJW continues to support the co-op's development as part of its worker cooperative incubation program.
• South Central Federation of LaborcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKevin Gundlach, President of South Central Federation of Labor, showed support for Crushin' It Apparel workers. The federation provides political and organizing support for worker justice campaigns.
• Regional Council of Carpenters/Carpinteros Latinos UnidoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard member Apolonio 'Polo' Duran comes from this organization. WJW hosted solidarity event with the Regional Council of Carpenters in July 2022 to fight misclassification.
• UW-Madison Law School Immigrant Justice CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGita Connolly, attorney at the UW-Madison Law School Immigrant Justice Clinic, co-presented with WJW's Construction Organizer at the Wisconsin Building Trades Council conference on worker rights topics.
• Poor People's CampaignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorker Justice Wisconsin is a mobilizing partner of the Poor People's Campaign, participating in campaigns to address worker poverty and justice issues.
• Construction Business Group (CBG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBG provides information and resources on worker misclassification in the construction industry. Workers may contact CBG at (608) 240-4170 for assistance in determining whether to file complaints.
• Faith Communities NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith communities including Methodist, Lutheran, Catholic, Jewish, Buddhist, and Muslim congregations sign the Faith and Labor Statement and participate in Labor in the Pulpits/on the Bimah/In the Minbar program.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Centro de los Derechos del Migrante (CDM): National migrant worker advocacy nonprofit focused on wage theft recovery and labor rights education. Comparable in serving immigrant, non-unionized low-wage workers through Know Your Rights programming.
• National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON): National network of day laborer worker centers organizing immigrant day laborers. Comparable in serving non-unionized immigrant workers facing wage theft and retaliation through community organizing.
• Coalition of Immokalee Workers: Florida-based worker center using consumer-pressure campaigns and worker organizing to combat wage theft and labor abuses. Comparable worker-to-worker organizing model and direct-action strategy.
• Workers Defense Project: Texas-based nonprofit worker center organizing low-wage construction and service workers. Highly comparable to WJW given overlapping construction-industry focus, immigrant worker base, and Know Your Rights training model.
• Make the Road New York: New York-based worker and immigrant rights nonprofit combining workplace organizing with legal services and adult education. Comparable in combining Know Your Rights training, wage theft advocacy, and cooperative development.
• Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC United): National nonprofit restaurant worker advocacy organization. Directly comparable to WJW's restaurant-sector wage theft recoveries (e.g., Taco Madre case) and worker-led organizing campaigns.
• National Domestic Workers Alliance: National alliance organizing domestic and care workers to improve wages and working conditions. Comparable worker-center model serving low-wage, often immigrant workers via member-led organizing.

Broad incumbents

• Jobs With Justice: National worker rights coalition linking labor unions with community allies. Comparable coalition-building approach and cross-affiliate organizing campaigns.
• Interfaith Worker Justice: National faith-labor coalition network supporting worker centers across the U.S. Highly comparable faith-labor model to WJW's Labor in the Pulpits/On the Bimah/In the Minbar program, though operating at a national scale.

Others

• Texas RioGrande Legal Aid: Legal services organization providing employment law and wage claim assistance to low-wage Texas workers. Functionally comparable to WJW's partnerships with UW-Madison Immigrant Justice Clinic for wage theft recovery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/WorkerJusticeWI
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKVYipgdDIr3QSOHLq3MUfg/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/workerjusticewi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/worker-justice-wisconsin
• Instagraminstagram.com/workerjusticewi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Worker Justice Wisconsin, Inc.