Sorry we have been absent! We have been really busy with lots of meetings and actions. GREAT NEWS!!! The schools at the Redlands and South Dade Labor Camps reopened. While HHA Director, Edmund Carrera, claimed to a reporter from the Miami Herald that he would sign the contract, the next day this was not the case. Jeanette, Bekah, and I went down to Homestead to thank and congratulate Mr. Carrera for choosing to keep the school open, but when we got there many of the parents and community members were saying he still hadn't signed. When confronted by the police and Mr. Carrera as they asked us to leave, Jeanette asked if she could say something to Mr. Carrera, and she told him that everyone was there to thank him because they thought he was going to sign the contract to reopen the schools. We were asked to leave the HHA property and some of us were even threatened with being arrested. We didn't back down, but instead went out on US-1 with signs. We were greeted with many honks and cheers of support. Not only did the people keep fighting, but so did the school board. They went back and forth with Mr. Carrera and their lawyers, until hours later the contract was signed. We received a call, as we had to leave, and could hear the cheers and cries of excitement. We couldn't believe it! We were all so excited to see that the people were able to come together and succeed, despite the extreme power inequality.

We had a real exciting week last week. We were able to attend two actions with labor unions. On Thursday July 16 we went up to the Miami Beach Resort to see a picket line in action. Unite Here! organized the event in order to voice concerns that current workers had. Throughout the picket some workers that were off came out and joined, and even more surprisingly workers on duty would lean over the driveway and join in with the chants. Unite Here! and the workers were articulating their frustration with poor treatment, pay, and benefits. While this wasn't the first picket line I have seen, it was the first one I participated in. Overall, it was great to see the community and workers coming together to raise awareness and make some noise for worker's rights issues.

Then, on Friday July 17, we went to a demonstration outside of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce in support of EFCA and Health Care Reform, as the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce plans to go to DC to lobby against EFCA. AFL-CIO organized the demonstration, but many unions were present. The crowd was lively and loud. Some people stood on the side of the road with signs and were greeted with many honks and cheers. Later, leaders from the different groups present went to talk to the chairman of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce to find out his take on EFCA. He claimed they were not going to just lobby against EFCA, and they hadn't taken a stance yet, but this is not true, as he has made statements to newspapers and other media sources that they do not support EFCA. Overall this demonstration was great, as the unions and all those present did a great job at getting their voices heard and getting information out.

These past few weeks have been great! We have been able to see and learn a lot, and have even been involved in some great actions.

Peace,
James

Crazy Week!

This week James and I have been extremely busy! On Monday we went to what we thought would be a one time visit to the Redlands Labor Camp, located in Homestead, FL. We were going to this camp to support the migrant families whose school was going to be closed.This school, which has been operating for over 35 years, offers pre-k, as well as before and after school programs. It is free of charge, and provides the students with certified instructors as well as breakfast and lunch.

At the event Monday evening (a press conference) we learned that the Homestead Housing Authority (HHA) representative at Redlands was refusing to sign the contract to renew the school. Apparently, he wants to open another program (day care) which will charge families in order to provide services. This is something that the residents at Redlands Labor Camp, particularly parents, do not want. The families living here consist of migrant workers, many of whom work in agriculture. They cannot afford to pay out any extra money.

We ended up returning to Redland Labor Camp on Tuesday, and stayed there until midnight for a vigil. We also returned on Wednesday, when our supervisor Jeanette, along with two other representatives, was able to meet with Mayor Lynda Bell to discuss the situation occuring at Redlands. The issue is unfortunately much deeper than the closing of the school program. The residents of Redlands are constantly degraded and threatened by the HHA. Mayor Bell has agreed to investigate the situation, but those are Redlands Labor Camp need the support of the entire community if any real change is to occur.

On another note, Tuesday James and I were able to sit through a pesticide training, hosted by the Farmworkers Association of Florida. This training covered the signs and symptoms of pesticide exposure/poisoning, and how we could get health clinics to regognize pesticide poisoning in patients. One thing those leading the training stressed was that it's vital that health care providers take an occupational history. Because the symptoms of pesticide poisoning are similar to that of the common flu, an occupational history could help physicians rule out the possibility of pesticide poisoning.

Although this week has been extremely interesting, I know I am ready for the weekend and a little downtime!

First Impressions

Hi Everyone! Bekah and James here! Miami has been great! Well we guess minus the heat and humidity, but hey, what else did we expect. We have been able to do and see a lot. We got here last Thursday and had the opportunity to see South Beach and all the insanity on Friday. We got to go to Mass and the Beach on Sunday and MONDAY we started work. We went to Immokalee and learned and saw a lot. Check out the section on the SFIWJ to hear about our experience that day! We started work work on Tuesday. We have been working hard to update the website and created a Facebook group and page for SFIWJ so join those and check out the website! We are excited to go to the worker center tomorrow where will meet and talk with workers. We can't wait!
Keep in touch and check into the facebook group and profile, and the website should be updated soon!