In 1981, Black workers in North Carolina organized to boycott a K-MartinRocky Mount, North Carolina,[1] where the all-White management had fired a Black employee.[4] The first meeting in that campaign drew 400 people.[4] The BWFJ was formally created on December 11, 1982.[4]
In 1985, BWFJ created the Black Workers Unity Movement (BWUM) to attempt to expand beyond North Carolina.[3] In 1996, BWFJ participated in the creation of the modern Labor Party.[5] In 1998, BWFJ participated in the Black Radical Congress founding convention.[3]
In 1990, BWFJ helped organize the 1600 workers of Cummins Engine in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.[2] In 2006, BWFJ helped City of Raleigh Solid Waste Division employees unionize.[6] In 2008, BWFJ helped 50 Smithfield Packing slaughterhouse employees in Tar Heel, North Carolina unionize.[6] In 2022, BWFJ helped 4000 Amazon fulfillment center employees in Garner, North Carolina to form Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment (CAUSE), a step toward unionization.[6]
