The AFL-CIO blog reported on the efforts of some 100 migrant Indian workers who, in a nod to Gandhi, embarked on a “satyagrhah”, or truth action, marching from New Orleans to Washington D.C. on Tuesday, March 18. Their intent was to educate the public and authorities on how guest worker program is can be abused to enslave immigrants and disenfranchise Americans.
In the case of the Indian workers, the grief is against Signal International, a marine construction company, and two of its recruiters. Nearly all of the workers tell the same story: for a $20,000 fee, they were promised a green card for themselves and their families and good work at a company’s shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi. However, instead of a piece of the American dream, workers received a 10-month work visa. They were housed in unsanitary, cramped housing and held captive, unable to complain without facing brutal repercussions.
Read the whole article article by James Parks at the AFL-CIO blog.
2 responses so far ↓
Tearing Up The H2Bs « // April 3, 2008 at 12:05 am |
[...] Despite difficult weather, the nearly 65 Indian workers reached Washingon D.C. after their peace action march. During an hour-long demonstration outside the White House, the workers ripped up large photocopies [...]
Fasting For Resolution « // May 28, 2008 at 8:34 am |
[...] workers who, just a couple of months ago, embarked in a truth action or “satyagrhah” march from New Orleans to Washington D.C. and then tore up copies of their H2B visas on the White House [...]