Rosalinda experienced for the first time this summer what working under a union contract means. A single mother of three teenagers ages 14, 17 and 18, Rosalinda and her kids had worked for the previous 9 years for a grower in NW Ohio without a collective bargaining agreement. The treatment was OK, she says, although …
It is no secret that many Mexican families migrate and work in the fields of the United Sates to sustain themselves. The Cabrera family is no exception. Albino Cruz Bueno first came to work in the fields of North Carolina in 2004. A few years after that his son, Abel Cruz Cabrera, followed in his …
Beginning in 2012, Triangle Friends of Farmwokers, a group founded to support farmworker organizing campaigns, has been leading the charge on organizing monthly visits at Kangaroo stores in and around Raleigh, North Carolina. Each month the group organizes local community members to deliver a letter to the store manager, and briefly picket outside of the …
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In December 2011, a group of North Carolina organizations led by the Beloved Community Center (BCC) wrote Kangaroo Chairman of the Board Ed Holman asking for a meeting to discuss how the NC based chain can help end human rights abuses in the tobacco fields of its home state. FLOC President Baldemar Velasquez also reached …
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On December 13, 2013, Members of the British Parliament received an unusual briefing, when FLOC President Baldemar Velasquez met with Members at the Westminster to report on the serious human rights abuses occurring in tobacco fields throughout the South. The meeting was a collaborative effort of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), American Federation of Labor and …
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In August, 2012, Fuerza y Libertad called a meeting to discuss the recent Deferred Action process for youth that arrived in this country before they were 16. We did outreach by calling through our contacts list and using a text messaging system that reaches over 1600 people in the region. The meeting room was packed, …
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On August 25, 2013, community leaders and supporters of the immigration reform movement marched through downtown Goldsboro, NC. The group consisting of DREAMers, labor groups, human right advocates and undocumented immigrants, marched through Goldsboro demanding that their representatives support commonsense immigration reform. There, the 200 people march turned into a festival with mariachis playing music, …
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Fuerza y Libertad is a community organization dedicated to building real power within the Latino Community in Eastern North Carolina. Members gather at the FLOC office for monthly meetings to discuss issues impacting the community and how we can organize to fight back against issues like discrimination, workplace abuses, and policies that are harmful to …
Written in 2008 by FLOC Founder President Baldemar Velasquez This coming Sunday I will move into a labor camp in the most difficult time of the year. North Carolina leads the nation in heat stroke deaths, many of the past cases happen in July and August when men are not only battling the heat but …
More that 150 people came together in September to combat harsh immigration enforcement measures. The group included a score of law enforcement, elected officials, and organizations ranging from ACLU to the Lucas County Democratic Party. A short video of emotional testimonies (above) highlighted stories of families torn apart by deportation discusses the psychological impact on …