Day: February 21, 2013

by

North Carolina Workers Organizations Support Grand Isle Shipyard Filipino Workers


For Immediate Release
February 21, 2013
Contact Name: Hanalei Ramos
Contact Information: j4gisfilipinoworkers@gmail.com

North Carolina Workers Organizations Support Grand Isle Shipyard Filipino Workers

Rally for the Grand Isle Shipyard Filipino workers at the Exxon station on Raleigh Road.

Durham, North Carolina – During the rush hour commute, organizers gathered at the Exxon station on Raleigh Road in Chapel Hill of Durham to demand the corporation to discontinue their relationship with Grand Isle Shipyard. Exxon, BP, Shell and Unocal all avail of Grand Isle Shipyard’s service, the oil company responsible for the deaths of three Filipino workers this past November 2012 and exploiting hundreds more.

Jonna Baldres of the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) and Philippine Forum, provided a background on the exploitative conditions and campaign to obtain justice for Grand Isle Shipyard Filipino. Yves Nibungco, a National Steering Committee Member of the Justice for Grand Isle Shipyard Filipino Workers urged the communities in North Carolina to take action, particularly calling on Exxon to stop availing the services of Grand Isle Shipyard. He also urged the community to call Congressman Richard Hudson of North Carolina, who is a member of the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections to investigate the inhuman working conditions and unfair labor practices of the Grand Isle Shipyard and Black Elk Energy.

During the mobilization, Donna Dewitt, co-chairperson of the Southern Workers Assembly (SWA) supported the campaign of the GIS Filipino Workers, connecting the struggles of US workers and the migrant Filipino workers. Dewitt related, “Guestworkers face particularly challenging labor conditions, as their visa is tied to continued employment with an individual employer, creating a huge imbalance of power. Similar to other US workers, whether citizens, legal residents, or undocumented, these workers have been denied the most basic labor rights due to the greed of a company that put profits over people.”

Justin Flores of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) drew connections between the local struggles of migrant Latino workers on local tobacco farms in North Carolina and the Grand Isle Shipyard Filipino Workers in Louisiana. “We know that what happened at Grand Isle is a logical conclusion of a system that leaves workers without rights. This is what happens when workers can’t complain on the job, this is what happens when workers can’t collectively bargain; and this is what happens when workers’ only way of staying in the country is by maintaining a single employer. We know what it means when US laws don’t mean anything in rural Mexico or the Philippines. We know that the sending countries are fine with it as long as the remittances come back into the country. I’m glad that my brothers and sisters don’t see Grand Isle Shipyard as just one company, but as part of a broken system from Louisiana to North Carolina.”

Later that night, Kasama, a Filipino student organization at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, assembled a forum to discuss the Justice for Grand Isle Shipyard Filipino Workers Campaign. Caroline Jurado, Co-leader and Treasurer of Kasama UNC-CH said, “I think Filipino youth should support the Justice for Grand Isle Shipyard Campaign because we are the people who will pave the way to our future. We’re not only fighting for the Filipino workers at Grand Isle, but for our working rights as well. Our family and relatives traveled abroad once too, whether it was in United States or elsewhere, in hopes of bettering their lives and ours. By supporting this campaign we are ensuring that their hopes will come true and bring the fair and just treatment that our fellow Filipinos and other overseas workers deserve now and in generations to come.”

Forty audience members packed the said forum. Among the attendees are members of the North Carolina Student Power Union; United Food and Commercial Workers – Local 1208, Smithfield Foods of Tarhill; Southern Workers Assembly; FLOC; UNC-CH Student Action with Workers; and Durham Branch of Workers World Party. The forum ended with a solidarity message from the attendees saying, “North Carolina supports the Grand Isle Shipyard Filipino workers! Makibaka! Huwag matakot! (Join the struggle, don’t be afraid!)

Caravans from Chicago, New York City, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and Miami area will be converging in New Orleans, LA to support the struggle of the Grand Isle Shipyard (GIS) Filipino Workers, as part of National Fact-Finding and Solidarity Mission for the Grand Isle Shipyard Filipino Workers. Caravan participants will gather the experiences of the Filipino workers who were trafficked and abused by Grand Isle Shipyard and DNR Offshore Crewing Services, as well as outreach to workers who can join the class action lawsuit, initiated by exploited workers, against Grand Isle Shipyard.

For more information about the “Justice for Grand Isle Shipyard Filipino Workers” Campaign visit: https://j4gisfilipinoworkers.wordpress.com/ and for the full statement of the Southern Workers Assembly, visit http://southernworker.org/

by

Community Organizations Launch a National Caravan to Support Grand Isle Shipyard Filipino Workers

 

For Immediate Release
February 20, 2013
Contact Name: Hanalei Ramos
Contact Information: j4gisfilipinoworkers@gmail.com, 347 829 9802

 

Community Organizations Launch a National Caravan to Support Grand Isle Shipyard Filipino Workers

Durham, North Carolina – Community organizations of National Alliance of Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) and BAYAN-USA have organized a caravan from cities such as Chicago, New York City, Washington, D.C., Miami, and the New Jersey area to support the struggle of the Grand Isle Shipyard (GIS) Filipino Workers. The caravans are travelling to New Orleans, Louisiana throughout the week of February 19 to February 22 to participate in a National Fact-Finding and Solidarity Mission to bear witness to the conditions of Filipino shipyard workers who were trafficked and abused by Grand Isle Shipyard and DNR Offshore Crewing Services. Support their cause and help defend the Filipino workers who are now fighting for their dignity and rights. The Northeast caravan will be joined by the Chicago caravan including the Fellowship of Filipino MIgrants, NAFCON MIdwest, Anakbayan Chicago, and Lay Scalabrinian Missionaries.

BAYAN-USA Northeast and NAFCON-Northeast of the New York and New Jersey caravan will be conducting a press conference in an Exxon station at Raleigh Road in Chapel Hill of Durham, North Carolina on February 20, 2013 at 5PM. This press conference is in collaboration with the Durham Branch of Worker’s World, Southern Workers Assembly, and the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC), UNC CH Student Action with Workers. Jonna Baldres and Yves Nibungco of the National Alliance for FIlipino Concerns will talk about the struggle of the Grand Isle Shipyard Filipino workers and will also be joined by Justin Flores of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee and Zaina Alsous of the Student Power Union Student Action With Workers.

There will also be a forum with Kasama at UNC CH at Murphey Hall 314 of Chapel Hill, North Campus of the University of North Carolina. The forum will discuss and tackle the conditions of the workers and updates in the ongoing campaign to obtain justice for the Grand Isle Shipyard Filipino Workers. These events are made possible by Anakbayan-USA, Kasama at UNC CH, Southern Workers Assembly, Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC), UNC CH Student Action with Workers, Durham Branch of Workers World Party, BAYAN USA, and the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns.

For more information about the “Justice for Grand Isle Shipyard Filipino Workers” Campaign go here: https://j4gisfilipinoworkers.wordpress.com/

by

TONIGHT! Justice for Filipino Shipyard Workers Forum at UNC – Chapel Hill

Please invite any contacts in the region to attend tonight’s forum:

Justice for Filipino Shipyard Workers Forum
February 20, 2013
6:00 – 8:00 pm
UNC – Chapel Hill, North Campus
Murphey Hall 314

A caravan from New York and New Jersey with members from NAFCON and BAYAN USA will be stopping by UNC – Chapel Hill on their way to Louisiana as part of a national fact-finding mission to see the conditions of Filipino shipyard workers who were trafficked and abused in Louisiana. Support their cause and help defend the Filipino workers who are now fighting for their dignity and rights. Jonna Baldres and Yves Nibungco of the National Alliance for FIlipino Concerns will talk about the struggle of the Grand Isle Shipyard Filipino workers and will also be joined by Justin Flores of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee and Zaina Alsous of the Student Power Union Student Action With Workers.

For more information about the "Justice for Grand Isle Shipyard Filipino Workers" Campaign go here: https://j4gisfilipinoworkers.wordpress.com/

This event is co-sponsored by: Anakbayan-USA, Kasama at UNC CH, Southern Workers Assembly, Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC), UNC CH Student Action with Workers, Durham Branch of Workers World Party, and the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns.

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/events/495145777189258/