farmworkers

Burger King: Pretty much near un-American

Raj — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 13:07:11 -0700

The New York Times carried an article by Eric Schlosser that complements yesterday's post on Hunger in America. ... read more »

Farm Labour Organiser killed in Mexico

Raj — Thu, 03 May 2007 14:12:08 -0600

Here's something from the United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers of America, covering the intimidation and violence suffered by farmworkers (and their union organisers) in Mexico and the US.

Santiago Rafael Cruz, Labor Oranizer For U.S. Union, Killed In Mexico

By Dan La Botz

Santiago Rafael Cruz, an organizer for the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) based in Toledo, Ohio, was murdered in Monterrey, Mexico on April 9. Cruz was found bound and beaten to death in the union offices; there had been no forced entry and there was no robbery. Baldemar Velasquez, president of FLOC, believes that he may have been murdered because the union had disturbed the operations of corrupt individuals involved in labor contracting operations in Mexico. ... read more »

On Cesar Chavez Day

Raj — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0600

Photo Credit : Joann Cornejo

Today is Cesar Chavez Day. It's a good day to remember that the poorest and most exploited people in farming aren't farmers - they are the farm workers.

Although Chavez fought his fights in the western United States, with the United Farm Workers, the struggle for decent wages and conditions for farm workers is both global, and far from over.

I've excerpted the most powerful parts of a much longer speech that Chavez gave on November 9, 1984. Well worth a read today, of all days. ... read more »

Coalition of Immokalee Workers

Raj — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 17:19:46 -0700

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers won a major victory in 2005, when they brought Taco Bell to the negotiating table. The CIW are a broad coalition of farmworkers based in Florida, whose labour makes possible the ingredients in a wide range of foods. They protested their conditions of slavery in the US, and won substantial victories for their members. Read their history here, and then find out about their campaign for Fair Food, and more, at
http://www.ciw-online.org/

United Farm Workers

Raj — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 18:46:23 -0700

The UFW has, since 1962, been fighting for farmworkers in California and beyond. Their website is well organised, and has links to their ongoing campaigns. More at
http://www.ufw.org