On August 29, 2012 Greg Junemann, International President of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), attended Camp Solidarity. He was joined by representatives from the Embassy of Japan and the Embassy of Taiwan, who also were interested in learning more about labor organizing in agriculture.
Following the visit, President Junemann wrote about his experience on the AFL-CIO blog. Here’s a preview of his reflections:
“The work camps are made of rows of shacks that encircle a stony yard. The shacks rest on concrete slabs. The crude buildings are made of bare wood with bare pipe in the few buildings that have running water (the kitchens, the laundry rooms and the bathrooms are all located in the same buildings). A lone 50-gallon water heater is used to accommodate up to 100 people, who all need to bathe, wash their clothes and eat in the same complex. When the hot water runs out, the workers simply have to shower and do their laundry in cold water. There is no running water in any of the shacks used for sleeping.
We arrived in time to find most of the workers had just washed after the day’s work. They were all incredibly friendly and in good spirits, although none of them could hide the fact that they were dog tired. At this point in their day, the simple act of sitting down was a joyous experience.” Read more
