For Immediate Release
04 May 2011
Reference: Jonna Baldres, NAFCON-US North East Coordinator
Email: nafcon.ne@gmail.com, (718) 5658862
Filipino Workers and Immigrants in NY Show Strength and Resistance on May Day
New York, NY – National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON), and its member and allied migrants’ and workers’ organizations in the northeast of the United States, including Philippine Forum, Anakbayan New York/New Jersey, New York Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FiRE), BAYAN USA, GABRIELA USA, Movimiento Independiente de Trabajadores and Frente Unido de Inmigrantes Ecuatorianos, made their voices heard on the May 1st rally that began at Union Square at 12PM. Holding giant hammers with “Immigrants’ power” and “Workers’ power” written on them, Filipino workers and students in red, struck at people wearing boxes with signs such as Union-Busting, Labor Export Policy, Human Trafficking, and Raids and Deportations to represent the resistance of migrants and workers, undocumented or documented, against these repressive, oppressive and anti-human policies and practices.
NAFCON, and its member organizations across the U.S. have been an active force in the May 1st Coalition since the coalition began in 2006 to fight for the rights of immigrants and workers. This year, NAFCON and their immigrant allies, have focused their fight for all workers, as attacks have increased over the past year. From racist legislative bills such as the Arizona SB1070, to bills attacking union rights, to increased labor trafficking of Filipino migrant workers, the Filipino migrant community sees the need to intensify its campaigns to protect workers’ rights and to continue the fight for legalization for all.
“NAFCON recognizes and demands that the governments, both US and countries of origin, should take up the responsibility to protect its workers and do their best to provide and assure workers, migrants or not, documented or undocumented, of the benefits and best working conditions possible. Without the workers, the countries will not have anything. It’s not the workers’ faults if they need to migrate and take up jobs in other countries as they are forced to take these measures because their governments cannot provide. And when they come here to the US, it’s the same thing, workers’ rights get attacked. We, in the Filipino community, will not let this continue,” said Julia Camagong, Co-Executive Director of Philippine Forum and Vice President for NAFCON.
With the May 1st Coalition, NAFCON contingent marched along Broadway all the way to Foley Square to merge with the unions who were also having a program. At Foley Square, group discussions were conducted for the workers to share their plight with the youth and other members and allies.
Felipe Asuncion, an organizer for AnakBayan – New York, an organization of immigrant youth, relates that, “While we were at the rally, we walked and talked with the Filipino workers who have been trafficked. They could have been our mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers. More than that, they could have been us. In the future, we will be workers ourselves. It’s important that we fight for their rights because those are our rights, whether it’s the right to work or the right to feed our families.”
NAFCON calls on its communities and their allies, to continue the struggle and join the campaigns of NAFCON in protecting immigrants and workers. For more information on NAFCON campaigns, please visit nafconusa.org.
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may12011pix14.jpg Photo by Robert Roy
may12011pix11.jpg Photo by Robert Roy
For more photos, please visit: http://s382.photobucket.com/albums/oo261/jonnabaldres/Mayo_Uno_2011_NY/
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