Labor Pains

I don’t write about labor issues nearly as much as I should—which is terrible, because workers’ rights are so important. And the truth is, while progressives are getting their asses kicked from here to there in a lot of struggles, the organizing that labor unions are doing is one of the few places where we chalk up some wins.

And more importantly than that, bloggers can make a real difference on labor issues, just by giving some attention to each individual struggle. So here’s a start: Let’s get Donna Shalala to let janitors at the University of Miami organize so they can pull themselves out of poverty and take their kids to a doctor when they get sick.

From an SEIU press release:

Maritza Paz didn't go to work today. Instead, she and her co-workers at the University of Miami are on strike because UNICCO, the company hired by the University to clean the campus, threatened, fired and coercered janitors fighting for the American Dream.

Donna Shalala, the President of the University of Miami, was Clinton's director of the Health and Human Services and, as the Orlando Sentinel said, "spent much of her public career as an advocate for the poor." Since Maritza only makes $268 a week and doesn't have adequate health insurance, and you'd figure Shalala would be supporting her. You'd be wrong.

Maritza needs your help today. Ask your readers to call Donna Shalala, the President of the University of Miami, and ask her to be a responsible community leader by guaranteeing a better future for the UNICCO workers who clean the University’s campus. Call her at (305) 284-5155.

What's at stake here is more than just affordable health insurance and a living wage for janitors at the University. Maritza and her co-workers are fighting for the future of Miami.

Okay, I’m asking. Pick up the phone and make the call. Call Shalala and ask her to be a responsible community leader by guaranteeing a better future for the UNICCO workers who clean the University’s campus. Make a difference in the lives of people who can directly benefit from our willingness to reach out on their behalf—not in an abstract way, but a concrete action that can help right now.

(If you need more motivation, check out this article. And this one. Argh.)

Maritza Paz's budget:
Medical Bills: $125 a month (owes Hospital $33,000 for cancer treatment and surgery)
Monthly rent: $900
Weekly food bill: $200
Weekly Wages: $268

Onward, Shakers!