Labor Day 2010: “I am committed to bringing workers out of the shadows, into the mainstream and helping to ensure that all workers – native and foreign born, alike – have a voice on the job”
by Administrator
I would like to think I am living the American Dream.
I immigrated to the United States almost two decades ago and later earned my United States citizenship. Today, I am proud to say that my son Jesus recently finished medical school and is starting residency, my daughter Claudia graduated from college this year and is pursuing graduate school, and my youngest daughter, Carolina, is still in middle school and working hard to follow in her older siblings footsteps.
I was born in a small town outside of Lima, Peru. It was here that I first developed a passion for social justice as a university student organizing protests and workers’ unions. Two decades later, as a janitor in a Connecticut factory and a member of SEIU, I am still working for justice.
For me, social justice is a family affair. During the 2008 campaign, both Jesus and Claudia joined me on the campaign trail. Jesus knocked on doors in Pennsylvania, Claudia campaigned in New York and I attended rallies in Virginia.
When President Obama won, I not only felt part of the electoral victory, but I also felt a part of the change in this country. I believed, for the first time, that we might finally be able to fix our broken immigration system.
As a leader of my local union, fixing our broken immigration system is really about making sure workers are treated fairly on the job. I became a shop steward because I saw the employer treating employees unfairly – a practice that is kept alive by a broken system and that erodes working conditions for all workers.
This Labor Day, I am committed to bringing workers out of the shadows, into the mainstream and helping to ensure that all workers – native and foreign born, alike – have a voice on the job.
Labor Day 2010: “I am committed to bringing workers out of the shadows, into the mainstream and helping to ensure that all workers – native and foreign born, alike – have a voice on the job”
originally appeared on
SEIU.org
on Thursday, Sep 2, 2010.
Posted:
September 2nd, 2010 |
Print This Post
|
Email This Post
|
Comments
