Labor Updates (6/10/08)

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)
Indian Guestworkers to Rally Outside DOJ: Indian guestworkers and supporters will march on the Department of Justice (DOJ) Wednesday at noon to demand the DOJ allow workers to stay in the US during the ongoing investigation against their employer Signal International. “The workers, who walked off jobs in Gulf Coast shipyards in early March, say they were victims of human trafficking when they were brought to the United States under a temporary guest worker program,” reported Julia Preston in the New York Times on Saturday. “The Indian workers say they were deceived by Signal International and labor recruiters when they paid as much as $20,000 for visas they believed would allow them to work and live permanently with their families in the United States.” The New York Times article followed the hospitalization of Paul Konar – the only remaining hunger striker from the group that began the strike on May 14 – Thursday that forced him to end his 23-day hunger strike. “Somebody needed to do something for others, so we, the Indian Worker Congress started this fight for justice,” said Konar Thursday. “I took this risk of holding a hunger strike to achieve justice in this country for all people.” 11 workers remain on hunger strike. Click here to sign a petition to support the workers. ’08 Letter Carrier Food Drive Sets New Record: Soaring gas and food prices could not stop millions of postal customers from donating a record 73.1 million pounds of food for the 16th annual National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) food drive. “It is heartwarming that in these difficult times, when all families are feeling the effects of high food and gasoline prices, that so many Americans put aside their own financial concerns to help others facing hard times,” said NALC President William H. Young. "They should be applauded for their generosity.” This year’s drive broke the previous record set in 2005 and pushed the total for the drive’s 16 years to over 900 million pounds.