BY CHRIS HOEPPNER
TOLEDO, Ohio - A coalition of unionists, immigrant rights
organizations, students, and political groups met July 31 at
the headquarters of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC)
here to plan participation in an October 9 march for immigrant
rights in Washington, D.C.
The march demands are:
Amnesty for the undocumented
Stop deportations and racist immigration raids
Work permits for all
Living wages for farmworkers and city workers
Among the participants were representatives from FLOC, One Stop Immigration from California, District 2 of the United Steelworkers of America (USWA), the Chicano Development Center, Michigan State University MEChA, Freedom House, Labor Notes, Socialist Workers Party, Latinos United in Labor, and students from Bowling Green, Ohio. A similar planning meeting took place in Boston at the same time for organizations on the East Coast.
After welcoming remarks by Baldemar Velásquez, president of FLOC, participants formed committees to work on the program, security, national press, and mobilization for the march. So far participants reported that FLOC has reserved a bus from the Toledo area and the USWA is reserving three from the Detroit area. The October 9 action is scheduled to start at Washington's Malcolm X Park at 10:00 a.m.
A rally and press conference to build the march will take place September 11 at the FLOC headquarters in Toledo.
For more information contact Beatriz Maya, FLOC, 1221 Broadway, Toledo, OH 43609 (419) 243-3456; e-mail: bmaya @floc.com
Chris Hoeppner is a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers in Detroit.