Economic Justice Alliance of Michigan
Advancing economic justice in Michigan
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Michigan is among the states seeking to limit progressive elected officials’ authority by changing electoral rules and suppressing the public’s vote on relevant ballot initiatives. Often, decisions marginalize and penalize people of color, blocking their participation in the state’s economic recovery. EJAM addresses injustices suffered within these communities (many with high populations of low- and moderate-wage workers) by empowering them to fight for income equity and employee rights.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Michigan Economic Justice Fellowship
This intensive training is designed for minimum- and low-wage earners who are interested in making an impact in their community by helping workers gain more respect and compensation. Through 12 days of training over the course of eight months, participants learn how to be leaders in Michigan’s economic justice movement.
Where we work
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of people trained
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Michigan Economic Justice Fellowship
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Through organizing, EJAM raises awareness about the damaging effects concentrated wealth and power have on communities. Currently, it is engaged in campaigns for earned paid sick time and one fair wage. Despite signs of recovery, the divide between those with adequate financial resources and those without is growing in Michigan. What this means is that more families are living in poverty even though many of these households consist of two workers, holding down full-time employment. Many low-wage employees are facing dire economic circumstances. Without concerted effort to bring the challenges experienced by families with low income to the attention of voters and policymakers, Michigan’s economy will stall, and people will continue to struggle to meet their most basic needs.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
EJAM focuses on one fair wage (OFW) and earned paid sick time (EPST). In 2018, nearly 400,000 voters signed petitions to place both issues on the ballot. If approved, they would have increased the minimum wage, raised the subminimum rate for tipped workers, and required employers to offer paid time off. The legislature adopted the proposals before the November election, making it easier to amend them. Both EPST and OFW were gutted during the legislative lame-duck session. The stripped-down versions of the laws were in-acted in March 2019. Since then, EJAM, its members, and allies filed 14 amicus briefs declaring the body’s adopt and amend ploy as unconstitutional and in opposition to voters’ will. The Michigan Supreme Court held a hearing on this issue in July 2019.
Another issue for EJAM is leadership development. EJAM’s signature program is its Economic Justice Alliance of Michigan fellowship, which cultivates grassroots leaders who advocate for their communities on issues of wage insecurity. Designed for low- and minimum-wage earners, this intensive training teaches those who are interested in making an impact by helping workers gain more respect and compensation at work. It instills participants with valuable community organizing skills that can help them advocate as well as secure meaningful and higher-paying employment. Fellows learn how to be leaders in Michigan’s economic justice movement by developing a broader understanding of the political landscape and strengthening core leadership skills to engage more fully in issue campaigns.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
EJAM leverages the content expertise and relationships of its members to bring attention to economic inequity, racial bias, and barriers to democracy. It provides collective space and time, additional skills and resources, and helps to coordinate overlapping work. By strategically focusing its joint attention, EJAM partners can make a more significant impact on public discourse and the policy landscape than they would individually. As the current environment is politically hostile, has little progressive infrastructure, and few power-wielding economic justice organizations, this is especially important. Collectivizing campaigns and developing leaders while remaining independent organizations allow EJAM partners to be agile, but also have a louder voice on issues relevant to their constituents.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In its brief existence, EJAM has graduated more than 200 people from its Michigan Economic Justice Fellowship, matching some with full-time jobs in social change organizations. It also achieved an incremental increase in the minimum wage in 2014. Most recently, EJAM catalyzed a collaborative statewide effort resulting in Michigan becoming the 11th state to win earned paid sick time.
EJAM needs to build momentum among low-wage earners, voters, small business owners, and like-minded organizations. EJAM’s focus is on educating and engaging these populations as well as those who feel disenfranchised because political systems are unwilling to prioritize their needs and interests, thus marginalizing their voices. In addition to the organization’s central staff, EJAM will turn to those who have participated in its programs and possess the leadership and analytical skills necessary to surface relevant economic justice concerns with policymakers. Organizations and individuals involved with EJAM will become drivers of other statewide economic justice campaigns and will bring increased and meaningful focus to economic justice in Michigan, shifting public consciousness to embrace and further pro-worker public policy.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To tell the story of organization's impact
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
Feedback has informed the days and times we offer our Michigan Economic Justice Fellowship sessions. It's also helped us identify resource gaps among participants that have resulted in us finding ways to meet participants' needs better.
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Economic Justice Alliance of Michigan
Board of directorsas of 03/11/2022
Dr. Alicia Farris
Restaurant Opportunity Center
Alicia Renee Farris
Restaurant Opportunity Center
Randy Block
The Michigan Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Network
Linda Campbell
Building Movement
Eboni Taylor
Mothering Justice
Jessica Hernandez
The Ezekiel Project
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/05/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.