APALA Supports Indian Guest Workers Fight for Justice
Thursday, June 12, 2008
APALA
Supports Indian Guest Workers Fight for
Justice
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June
12, 2008
Contact:
Amado Uno
Phone:
202-508-3733
Email:
muno@apalanet.org
Hunger Strike
Success
Includes Request for Congressional Hearing
and Community Support
Demanding Continued
Presence
Washington
D.C. – In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina,
over 500 Indian workers paid
$20,000 to recruiters, with promises of green
cards, legal permanent residency
and visas for their families. Instead,
they received
ten-month H2B visas.
After trafficking
them to the Gulf Coast, Signal International
held the men in forced labor,
subjecting them to deplorable working
conditions. In
response, workers broke the human trafficking
chain by
escaping labor camps in Texas and
Mississippi.
Subsequently, they reported Signal to
the Department of Justice on
charges of human trafficking, and triggered a
criminal anti-trafficking
investigation.
“Workers
must be granted continued presence so they may
remain in the U.S. to
participate in a federal anti-trafficking
investigation,” said Maria Somma,
APALA National
President.
In
the absence of direct action from the
Department of Justice, workers initiated
a hunger strike on May 14, 2008 to protest the
gross human and labor rights
violations at the hands of recruiters and
Signal International.
APALA joined a broad-based coalition
comprised of organized labor, civil rights
advocates and religious leaders to
support the action.
After a grueling
twenty-eight days on a water-only hunger
strike, workers celebrated humble
victories.
“These
Indian workers join a proud legacy of Asian
American and Asian immigrant
workers standing together to fight for dignity
and respect,” said Luisa Blue,
APALA First Vice President. “APALA is
proud to stand in solidarity with these
workers.”
Organizers
praised Congressman Dennis Kucinich for his
leadership to secure the signatures
of 17 of his colleagues for a letter
requesting that the Department of Justice
grant workers continued presence.
National allies submitted nearly 9,000
letters to Congress demanding
protection for the workers, and the Institute
for Policy Studies granted the
workers its prestigious 2008 Letelier-Moffitt
Human Rights Award. Workers, organizers
and allies were also quick to temper the
success of the campaign with
the reality that the Department of Justice has
yet to grant workers continued presence.
"The struggle is not over," said Amado Uno,
APALA Executive Director. "We will
continue to fight on behalf of these Indian
guest workers until their demands are
met."
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Founded in 1992, the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), AFL-CIO, is the first and only national organization of Asian Pacific American union members.