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Iowa Flood Victims Can Access Union Assistance |
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As flood waters begin to recede in Iowa, the union movement in the Hawkeye State is assessing the damage left by several tornados that have ravaged the state and much of the Midwest along with what some are calling the biggest flood in 100 years.
Ken Sagar, president of the Iowa Federation of Labor, says much of the state still is under mandatory evacuation, and many residents don’t know what sort of impact the flooding has had on their homes and businesses.
He strongly urges union members to call the AFL-CIO’s toll free Disaster Hotline at 877-235-2469. He says you should be prepared to get a message due to the volume of calls. But if you leave your name, local union, international union and a telephone number where you can be reached, an AFL-CIO staff member will get back to connect you with the services that are available from your national union and other sources. To find out about this and other services available to Iowa residents affected by the flood, visit the state AFL-CIO website here.
Union Privilege, which provides consumer benefits to union members and retirees, is offering help for union members affected by the floods who hold the Union Plus credit card. The Union Plus Credit Card Disaster Relief Fund is available to help cardholders who are facing financial hardship due to the floods. Union cardholders are eligible to apply for Disaster Relief Fund grants of $500. The money does not have to be repaid.
To apply for a Disaster Relief Fund grant, cardholders can call the Union Plus Credit Card Disaster Relief Fund at 1-877-761-5028. The Disaster Relief Fund provided $400,000 to 800 union members on the Gulf Coast impacted by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The extent of the damage is mind-boggling. Heavy rains caused several major Iowa rivers feeding into the Mississippi to flood their banks over the past few weeks. Iowa Gov. Chet Culver has declared 83 of the state’s 99 counties “disaster areas,” and agricultural damage is estimated to be at least $1 billion.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates more than 11 million people around the Midwest will be affected by these natural disasters, as flooding continues down the Mississippi River. Sagar says he’s heard, but can’t yet confirm, that as many as 60 members of the Electrical Workers in Coraville lost their homes in the floods.
Sagar says union offices and workplaces have been devastated. Of the 14 central labor councils in the state, 12 of them are in flood zones and, along with many local union offices, may be under water.
Some folks are very overwhelmed by the scope of that. I know a couple of union offices are now working from their homes, using their home computers and resources they have at home because their offices are in mandatory evacuation zones and they can’t even get in to see what they have left.
The impact of the disasters may go beyond the loss of homes and possessions, Sagar says. Many of the state’s plants and factories took on a lot of water, and there are no assurances that they will reopen, he says.
Can you imagine, you’ve just lost your house, and now the corporate offices decide they’re not going back in and rebuild?
The Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics and Allied Workers (GMP) have issued an appeal for donations to help GMP members affected by the storm. In a letter published in the union’s Horizon magazine, GMP President John Ryan says:
A number of GMP members have suffered major losses to their homes and possessions as a result of the tornado. One GMP member’s mother died in the storm.
To donate to the GMP flood relief fund, mail a check payable to GMP Local Union #459 Relief Fund to GMP International Union, 608 East Baltimore Pike, P.O. Box 607, Media, PA 19063.
No matter how extensive the damage, union members will respond and make a difference. Says George Kourpias, president of the Alliance for Retired Americans and an Iowa native:
It is difficult times like these that remind us, no matter which generation we are a part of, how important it is to band together to help those in need and rebuild our communities.
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My Uncle lives in one town over from Postville, and was really affected by this flood. His family is going through a rough time right now, but they have been receiving help from relatives and other organizations. One was AgriProcessors, the large kosher meat producer, who sent out about 4,000 food baskets to the local victims. My uncle is thinking of moving, but needs to find a new job, along with ability to pay his rent, food, and other expenses that have really hit him hard.
It’s good to see people and businesses trying to move on and do better. Even Agriprocessors, the Kosher producer of meats and chickens, have been going through changes, but are still contributing and donating ready to eat deli meats to their people!!