Sign Petition Against Guestworker Abuse

I just received this petition from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) to stop the all-too-common abuse that guest workers endure in the US.

Guest workers are basically individuals who come here from other countries to work for a specified amount of time. Many people come to be live-in nannies for families with children, and while many of these workers are treated well, there have been countless instances of abuse, unpaid wages, etc.

The SPLC has a nearly 40 year history of legally fighting against racial discrimination and white supremacy. There is more information on this petition below, and a link to some more information on the SPLC as well. Please sign!


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PETITION
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Southern Poverty Law Center
Petition to Stop Guestworker Abuse

Sign our petition and help stop the virtual enslavement and abuse of guestworkers.

Sign the petition If you believe in the American ideals of fairness and human dignity, you'll be appalled at the way tens of thousands of foreign "guestworkers" are being systematically exploited in a government-sanctioned program that many describe as modern-day slavery.


"We had no electricity. The first week we were not paid. The second week we were paid $70."
— Mexican H-2B worker

"El patron would put a lock on the gate where our trailers were. After a time, they would not let us communicate with other people."
— Mexican H-2A tomato worker

"I felt like an animal without claws — defenseless. It is the same as slavery."
— Dominican H-2B hotel worker

These are the workers, mostly poor Latinos, who are lured here by U.S. businesses with promises of decent jobs only to be cheated out of their wages; forced to live in squalid conditions; and denied medical benefits for injuries. If the workers complain, they face deportation, blacklisting and other forms of retaliation.

We've documented the abuses in a new report — Close to Slavery: Guestworker Programs in the United States — and are filing lawsuits against the most abusive employers.

As a nation, we must fix our broken immigration system. But we must not condone a program that abuses and enslaves poor workers from other countries who are lured under false pretenses. Not only does this system violate our most deeply held values, it undermines the rights and wages of American workers as well.

Congress has the opportunity to right this terrible wrong. Though lawmakers are unlikely to pass comprehensive immigration legislation this year, Congress can still reform the guestworker system. But lawmakers will act only if the American people speak out strongly against this moral outrage.

Sign the petition. You can make a difference. Please sign our petition to stop guestworker abuse. We'll make sure the president and the appropriate Members of Congress receive it.

Your commitment to justice and acceptance is so important to us. Thank you for your support.

Southern Poverty Law Center
400 Washington Ave.
Montgomery, AL 36104

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THE SPLC
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More info on the SPLC via Wikipedia.

The SPLC web site.

One of the SPLC's web-based initiatives, Tolerance.org.

Volunteering in Ecuador

Anyone want to join me in Ecuador to do some volunteer work?

Round trip airfare is about $450 from NY/NJ area, you can stay with me for free while you're there. Food is cheap. I'll be there from August 7th til at least October, perhaps up to Christmas. If you want to stay longer than a short trip, you can do it and fund it through teaching English, and I can help you do it.

There are a few different options for volunteering: helping with house construction for a rural family, helping to create an international food market to increase the income of the farmworkers, organizing eco-travel tours to educate on how petroleum companies are ruining the jungle, or any ideas you have, please throw them out there.

Let me know if you're interested!

Labor victory for Oregon farmworkers!

this short letter is copied out of the mass e-mail i got from United Farmworkers, more info below that...

Victory at Threemile Canyon Farms Dairy

Following four and a half years of struggle, a groundbreaking historic contract was just signed with the United Farm Workers and the Threemile Canyon Farms LLC, Boardman, Oregon.

We want to thank everyone for all the support they gave us in this campaign. This was a tremendous victory for farm workers at the Threemile Canyon Dairy. It is the first UFW contract in the state of Oregon and it is the first time farm workers in this state will be insured family medical benefits, a pension plan, regular wage increases and better working conditions.

Below please find video, photos, news clips and press statements from the press conference announcing this victory. To find the most recent information you can visit our campaign page at: www.ufw.org/threemile.

Thank you so much for your support and we look forward to many more farm worker victories in the state of Oregon.

Si Se Puede,
Arturo S. Rodriguez
President

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Videos and more info on UFW and the recent contract signing can be found here.

Detailed information on the labor contract can be found here.

A very interesting restaurant...

thanks lis for passing this along...this restaurant in denver allows people to have lunch even if they can't pay, so long as they chip in to help out with the dishes, mopping, or something else. interesting idea, no?

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5490648,00.html

working through the Internet

I'm just sitting here early in the morning trying to figure out ways to make money through the Internet to fund my travels. I'm thinking of checking out Google AdSense and maybe some other ads. I've been editing through the Internet for awhile and may have a new job doing Spanish to English translation, but its slow getting clients. Anyone who has any ideas on working via the Internet please send them along!