| Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride | | Print | |
| Written by Administrator | |
| Wednesday, 17 September 2003 00:00 | |
 Sponsored by SC AFL-CIO, UNITE, SC NAACP, Hispanic Outreach, and SC Progressive Network Photo: Clayola Brown, VP of UNITE (International Textile Union) and Michael Berg (Interpreter and Mid-East Issues Coordinator for CPRC) at the podium. for the rights and freedoms immigrant workers--and you can take part. Immigrant workers work hard, pay taxes and want a fair chance at the American Dream, but their rights are routinely violated. And when one group of workers is exploited, it hurts all workers. Beginning Sept. 20, hundreds of immigrant workers will board buses heading toward New York as part of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride. The Freedom Ride is modeled after the 1961 Freedom Rides of the U.S. civil rights movement, which took busloads of student activists from across the country into the Deep South to challenge segregation. Today's Freedom Riders are seeking the same rights and opportunities everyone in this country deserves. Please read on to learn more and find out how to get involved. The Freedom Riders will depart from 10 major cities and will converge in Washington, D.C., New Jersey and New York in early October. They're riding buses to raise awareness about the plight of immigrant workers and advocate a clear road to citizenship, family reunification, workers' freedom to form a union without regard to immigration status and full civil rights protections. On their way, they'll stop in dozens of communities for local rallies. Join us at the Brookland Baptist Church, 1066 Sunset Blvd., West Columbia, on Monday, September 29, from noon-2pm to welcome them. Immigrant workers want good jobs, access to health care and rights on the job--the same things all workers want. Immigrant workers make up 12.4 percent of the U.S. labor force, and pay an estimated $133 billion in taxes a year. Almost 43 percent of immigrant workers are paid less than $7.50 an hour, compared with 28 percent among all workers. Immigrants toil in some of the country's toughest, lowest paying and most dangerous jobs. They suffer higher rates of on-the-job injuries, illnesses and fatalities than other workers. But when they stand up for their rights on the job, employers often threaten deportation. Employers regularly harass and intimidate workers to block their freedom to form unions--but immigrant workers are especially vulnerable. These are outrageous attacks on the rights and freedoms of immigrant workers, who deserve the fruits of their contribution to the American economy. And they are an affront to every person concerned about workplace and social justice. Learn more by visiting the Freedom Ride website: http://www.iwfr.org/ And read the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride cover story in the new issue of America@work: http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/7paTcnK14pay/
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