Thank you for those who came through last night to hear the word outta the New Orleans Worker Center and some of the story of how the Indian Welders rose up and escaped the 'man camp' in Mississippi. Keep up at LaborBeat.org for the video recorded account of what really happened.
Some thoughts that I heard expressed last night were
More literacy of US Guestworker programs and policies, starting with a closer reading of "close to slavery" and H2B visas.
A critique of guestworker debate, reform versus revolt. better oversight and regulation of guestworker programs as the end goal or eliminating the barriers to free migration.
More discussion and understanding of how the Post-Katrina solidarity energy and organizing shaped the organizing in the Gulf Coast, particularly in New Orleans. And how Bay Area influences impact the struggle there today.
A tangent of that was how was 'volunteer' labor factored in to the labor economy? Specifically by grassroots organizations or by Union organized efforts. How was volunteer work classed?
Those involved with Union Labor organizing expressed an interest in meeting again to figure out how to push labor.
Ideas for the pushing the Labor Movement revolved around how to recognize guestworker issues, unseen labor, or work that the Labor movement leaves behind and out of the picture
how can we debunk the false dichotomy between immigration/migration and labor?
would a strategy incorporate resolutions on a local and labor council level?
How can education and action on guestworker programs and immigration policy draw attention to free-trade/migrant stream patterns, neoliberalism/privatization, and a global unionism movement that does not reproduce US and western hegemony.
I will post updates from the network that came out of Detroit, beginning with something that just came down the wire.
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