First weeks

Hello,

My name is Nicole and I am one of the new interns working with South Florida Interfaith Worker Justice this summer. I am currently an undergraduate studying Political Science at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. I'm very excited to be involved with worker justice in the South Florida community.

During the past two weeks, I have been drafting questions to use for interviewing domestic workers on health and safety in the workplace. IWJ has chosen to focus on domestic workers in part because they are a group hard to organize and one that is often poorly represented. These workers will routinely use cleaning chemicals that are dangerous for the body, with no prior knowledge or training about the harmful effects. In addition, domestic workers often have to pick-up heavy things, like furniture, children, and boxes, which leads to serious back pain. By collecting information and stories on the nature of domestic work, I hope that I can help IWJ educate the community on the hardships that these workers face daily.

On Wednesday, June 9th, I was present at a demonstration held outside the office of Senator George LeMieux in hopes to continue letting him know that the South Florida community is in favor of Dream Act and AgJobs. The Dream Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) would make possible for many undocumented students, who have lived in the United States most of their lives, the opportunity to gain temporary residency while they either obtain a Bachelor's degree or serve in the U.S. military for two years. According to the National Immigration Law Center, 65,000 students graduate from high school each year who would be qualified for the act's benefits. AgJobs (Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits and Security Act) would allow undocumented agricultural workers to the opportunity to obtain a temporary blue card, while they continue work in hopes of receiving permanent residency after three years. It was exciting to see so many people participating at the demonstration, showing support towards both the worker and youth community.

Next week, I will be attending the second U.S. Social Forum in Detroit, Michigan. The purpose of the forum is for groups and organizations from all around the country to come together and share ideas and resources about the how to address the current social and economic issues. In short, the forum will focus on movement building. I will be going to workshops on wage theft and domestic worker rights, among other things. I am very much looking forward to it and will update here on what I've learned.