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Triangle Friends of Farmworkers Dinner Oct. 29th to Benefit FLOC (Updated)

Jeremy Sprinkle
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TFF hopes to raise $4000 to support farmworker organizing in North Carolina

Update: National labor leaders Liz Shuler, Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, and FLOC's Baldemar Velasquez will be our featured speakers!

Triangle Friends of Farmworkers (TFF) is sponsoring a benefit dinner on Saturday, October 29 in Durham to raise money for farmworker organizing in North Carolina by the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC), AFL-CIO. A menu of homemade Mexican food and live music by Sue Gilbertson, Charlie Thompson, & Friends will accompany updates from FLOC members, leadership, and youth organizers. TFF is requesting contributions toward their goal of raising $4000.

Who: Triangle Friends of Farmworkers

What: Benefit dinner to raise $4000 for FLOC

When: Saturday, October 29, 2016, from 6 to 8:00 PM

Where: Durham Central Park Cohousing Community, 130 Hunt St, Durham, NC 27701

How: Reserve your seats at the benefit dinner now by emailing Dave Austin at [email protected].

Why: Every FLOC member in North Carolina contributes 2.5% of his/her weekly wages to support their union.  That's 2.5% of very, very small amounts, and the dues are a significant sacrifice for each worker who is thinking about his/her family back in Mexico and how far $10/week would go.

So why do they do it? "Because they know and believe in the power of solidarity," answers TFF co-chair Dave Austin.

"Here is an opportunity for farmworker supporters to prove to FLOC farmworker members that we, too, can help build the solidarity that will end the exploitation of farmworkers in North Carolina fields."

Your support can help keep FLOC strong enough to continue making real change in the fields. Already, membership dues and financial support from the community has enabled FLOC to:

  • encourage and resolve many more worker grievances filed under the contract, bringing fairness to the fields without the threat of retaliation (example);
  • bring lawsuits against growers or crew leaders who have flouted the law by stealing wages, blacklisting workers who complained, and more;
  • press workers’ demands for better policies in recent negotiations with the NC Growers’ Association to renew the FLOC-NCGA contract;
  • increase the democratization of union work, by holding its annual leader training in Monterrey, Mexico and by bringing more workers to Regional NC meetings (with volunteer driver help);
  • continue the 8-year long campaign to motivate RJ Reynolds and now all other major tobacco manufacturing and leaf companies to find a win-win solution for itself, its grower-suppliers and  farmworkers, within a worker freedom of association policy.

With our help, FLOC can intensify its work to empower farmworkers to end their exploitation on North Carolina farms. Please join us! To reserve a seat at the dinner, email DaveAustin ([email protected]).

Can't attend the dinner but want to donate to the cause?

We still need your help! Make a tax-deductible donation by mail with your check made payable to FLOC's 501(c)3 partner, “Center for Migrant Worker Justice”, and mail it to:
DaveAustin
130 Hunt St., Apt 407
Durham, NC  27701

Or donate to CMWJ online at https://secure.donationpay.org/cmwj/.

To donate directly to FLOC (non-tax deductible), make your check payable to "FLOC" and mail it to:
FLOC
1221 Broadway St.
Toledo, OH  43609

For the latest news about farmworker organizing in North Carolina, be sure to "Like" FLOC on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FarmLaborOrganizingCommittee/.