allots employment slots by seniority rather than
through favoritism and bribes. It eradicates the blacklist in favor of a “just cause” standard for both firing
and refusal to rehire. And it gives FLOC the right to
oversee recruitment in Mexico.
To increase its ability to defend the rights of Mexican H-2A workers, FLOC opened an office in Monterrey in March 2005. The Monterrey office serves as
the headquarters for the union’s Mexico-based organizing efforts. Each spring, guestworkers bound for
North Carolina’s tobacco fields meet with FLOC representatives outside the U. S. Consulate in Monterrey
before they depart. They review their rights under the
contract and discuss potential problems before they
get on the buses that will take them across the border.
Thirty-six hours later, as the buses roll into North Carolina, FLOC staff is there to greet them. In the winter,
when migrants have returned to their home villages,
FLOC’s staff visits them to discuss their concerns and
pursue claims for injuries and underpayment.
Other parts of the world are also seeing innovation along the lines I propose. Take, for example,
the booming oil industry in Alberta, Canada, which
recently experienced a shortage of skilled welders to
build new plants. Through the International Labor
Management Alliance, founded by a worldwide association of construction contractors and unions and
headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, employers
were able to gain access to union welders from Brazil. The Alliance’s Global Union Hiring Hall brokered
by Carolina Pasquali
n every college town, admin-
istration and local leaders
debate how to make aca-
demic research available to commu-
nities. This need is particularly sharp
in communities with large numbers
of immigrants.
The town of Somerville, Massachusetts, an immigrant gateway
community just two miles north of
Boston and near some of the best
universities in the world, offers an
example of how the two worlds can
be bridged—thanks to an enterprising Brazilian housecleaner and a
professor at Tufts University.
The story begins with Mônica
Chianelli, a housecleaner, who
became concerned about the health
hazards of her job. Over the course
of several years, she realized the toll
the cleaning products were taking
on her health. “They are really harsh
on our skin, lungs and so on,” she
Vida Verde Co-Op members meeting
complained. As a result, she started
experimenting with new, natural
alternatives “for personal use, in
a healthier and environmentally
friendly way.”
Chianelli’s work came to the
attention of David Gute, a Tufts
professor who was conducting
research on occupational hazards
for immigrants. He and Mônica
worked together to train other
cleaners how to use the healthier
materials. The two started hosting
educational meetings for house-
cleaners around the city in 2006,
briefing them about natural products and the risks associated with
their profession. After one year, it
became clear that “we needed to
organize ourselves,” says Chianelli.
The university helped the
Brazilians obtain a $40,000, one-year grant to structure the training,
and with the money they created
the Vida Verde (Green Life) Co-Op,
to promote “environmentally
sound cleaning.” The co-op
members, who have grown from
nine to 21, all use and promote
the benefits of natural products.
Thanks to classes focused on their
professional needs, they have also
improved their English skills.
Today Vida Verde and the Brazilians are preparing to promote their
products on the market—and work
to replicate their model with other
groups of housecleaners.
