FLOC North Carolina Farm Workers Hold Union Assembly
Over four hundred FLOC members in North Carolina will hold an assembly in Raleigh this Sunday to address their needs and concerns. For the first time in history, migrant farmworkers in North Carolina are working under the protections and guarantees of a labor contract with the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO.
Faith, NC (PRWEB) August 26, 2005
For the first time in history, migrant farmworkers in North Carolina are working under the protections and guarantees of a labor contract with the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO. Taking their new democratic rights another step, over four hundred workers are expected to gather this Sunday in Raleigh to address their needs and concerns.
The assembly will be held Sunday, August 28, 2005, 12:00-5:00 pm at Southeast Raleigh High School (2600 Rock Quarry Road, Raleigh, NC).
“This meeting is for us as workers to come together and express our need for our union. Many good things have come from the FLOC contracts, but some of us need to learn more all the issues that the union is taking on. Here we will address the work of the union, and make sure that we have all the bases covered, “says Ruben Morales Antonio, one of the FLOC regional presidents.
FLOC leaders and workers will be available for interviews at 12:00 noon before the assembly begins.
The North Carolina farm workers made labor history in 2004 when FLOC won collective bargaining agreements. Since the days of slavery, agricultural laborers have never before had a direct and equal voice in their working conditions.
This is the first year that these migrants are working under the labor contract, and they are coming together to discuss the focus of their unionÂ’s activities. Some of the issues that they will decide include the costs and process for obtaining work visas, the costs and arrangements for travel from Mexico to North Carolina, assured living arrangements before coming to North Carolina, and access to health care while working in agricultural production in the state.
Some of the protections guaranteed under the FLOC labor contracts include negotiations regarding wages and working conditions, bans against discrimination based on national origin and race, protections against hazardous working conditions such as misuse of chemicals and pesticides, and, in particular, a grievance procedure for timely resolution of complaints about pay and conditions. To date thousands of problems have been addressed under the grievance procedure, including wage discrepancies, access to health care, work-related illnesses and injuries, field sanitation, and housing.
The FLOC workers have also organized committees to address such issues as health, training and education, living conditions, contract negotiations, and union activities.
Over a hundred supporters from North Carolina communities have volunteered to help drive workers from their camps o the Assembly, and are helping with the logistical arrangements for the assembly.
Many Americans are unaware of the important contributions made by immigrant workers to local economies, estimated at over 330 billion dollars annually in production of goods and in purchasing items which support othersÂ’ livelihoods.
For more information, please contact Leticia Zavala or Ken Barger at 919-731-4433 or 919-394-7797
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