Organizer’s Murder Won’t Stop FLOC from Fighting for Workers’ Rights

http://blog.aflcio.org/2007/04/12/organizers-murder-wont-stop-floc-from-fighting-for-workers-rights/

Organizer’s Murder Won’t Stop FLOC from Fighting for Workers’ Rights

by James Parks, Apr 12, 2007

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) President Baldemar Velásquez called for a complete investigation into the murder of Santiago Rafael Cruz and pledged to keep fighting for the rights of workers in the United States and Mexico. Cruz, 29, a FLOC organizer, was found beaten to death on April 9 in the union’s office in Monterrey, Mexico.

Sweeney called on the Mexican and U.S. governments to ensure that there is a “thorough and professional investigation” of the murder.

The AFL-CIO will vigorously defend the rights of Mexican migrant workers to organize with FLOC, and we will not rest until justice is done in the case of Santiago Rafael Cruz.

Velásquez says FLOC investigations have uncovered widespread corruption among Mexican labor recruiters who hire for U.S. agribusiness.

We think Santiago’s murder was a message to the union to back down. But we have no intention of going away. We are going to stay and fight for our rights.

FLOC opened an office in Monterrey next to the U.S. Consulate in 2005 to help members coming to North Carolina as guest workers in processing their visas, to fight corruption in the recruitment process and to develop leaders and train members.

The office also helps workers who live part of the year in Mexico enforce their rights under a collective agreement that FLOC signed with North Carolina growers in 2005. The workers won the unique agreement after a 10-year campaign for recognition. The office has been the target of break-ins with files and equipment destroyed.

Cruz, who worked for FLOC for more than four years in the United States, headed up the Monterrey office for less than a month before he was killed.

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