Impoverished Farm Workers Respond to Need in Haiti

by James Parks, Feb 1, 2010

CIW members put up a sign in Immokalee publicizing their donation drive.

Union members and other working people across the country are digging deep into their hearts and pockets to provide aid to the victims of the massive earthquake in Haiti. You can take action now to help the Haitian survivors by clicking on the AFL-CIO Haitian Disaster Relief site here.

One of this country’s most impoverished areas—the farm worker community of Immokalee, Fla.—is doing its part. Enlisting its low-power radio station, Radio Conciencia, members of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) launched a donation drive. They will send all donations to the Red Cross.

The CIW website says the response has been overwhelming.

Seeing farm workers—who are themselves suffering unemployment and economic crisis due to two weeks of freezing temperatures that destroyed crops across south Florida—stream into the office with water, clothes, and canned food is nothing short of inspiring.

In other actions:

• Nearly $50,000 has been donated so far to the Solidarity Center’s AFL-CIO Earthquake Relief for Haitian Workers’ Campaign through the Union Plus matching program. Click here and Union Plus will automatically match your contribution to the fund, up to $100,000. You do not need to use a Union Plus credit card for the matching donation.
• In Los Angeles, several unions and worker groups are joining with the United Way to send food, clothing and work boots to assist with the relief efforts. Groups that have stepped up in a big way include the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), AFSCME, Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Local 250, Teamsters and the UCLA Labor Center.

		Become a Fan on Facebook			Follow Us on Twitter			Subscribe to YouTube			Subscribe to Blog RSS

Print This Article | E-Mail This Article |Comments (0)