 Camp Justice 2006:
Photo gallery for week 3
|  Maureen McArdelle, 38, Absecon, NJ, member, Unite HERE, Local 54. "There's not going to be a time from this point on that I pick up a bag of grapes and not think about these people in the fields. Everybody wants good wages, a good job. We had a strike to fight for that and these people don’t have that power behind them. They need it badly."
 Eriberto Fernandez, a 19 yr-old Bakersfield College sophomore said, "My parents immigrated to the US in 1986, and have been working in the grape industry ever since, always working for minimum wage. Their experience made me look at the world differently: I've seen firsthand how exploitive companies can be, how much they harm a family economically. (During our organizing here), I've been surprised how quickly the growers reacted to our presence on their land. Change the world, that's my plan! That's why I'm here!"
 Juanita Polendo Ontiveros, in her "wisdom years,""Sacramento, chair of the UFW Support Committee for Northern California, Royal Chicano Air Force. "We've been supporters of UFW for 40 years. I like sharing our life experience in organizing with the younger organizers and the new farmworker members. That pairing is very valuable; we are very interested in bringing in the next generation. With Campo de Justicia, UFW has taken the lead."
 Javier Soto, 48, Atlantic City, Field Representative, Unite HERE, Local 54. "My father worked in the farms in Puerto Rico. When I was 4 years old, my father took me to the fields. I used to sleep in the sugar cane fields. I have a picture of Cesar Chavez in my office and I am where it all happened --in Cesar Chavez's camp! It's exciting meeting the pioneers. They give me inspiration. It's a privilege and honor to be here."
 Elvia Montero, 41, Atlantic City, shop steward, Unite HERE, Local 54. This is her first time in California. "I came for once reason--to help people in the fields. I've never seen people working with no shade, no insurance, bad salaries. I like the animo here... I'm fighting for the rights, I never stop, never get down!"
 Julio Cortazar , 33 , Watsonville, sells pots and pans door-to-door. "I've never organized for a union before. I have a friend I play cards with, he told me to come. (Then, he didn't!) I tell the workers I'm from Salinas, that I heard about their situation, and they sign up. I don't understand how people can live on $7.00/hour. Maybe I'll start to work with the union!"
 Andrea and Marcos Muñoz, 62 and 65, Chicago. Retired. Marcos: "I'm a farmworker--I stopped picking Sept. 16, 1965. In the original strike, we were limited in the things we could do; we could not contact workers directly in the fields. You could be arrested if you were caught on private property, so we used to hide in the fields to talk to workers. This year, I spoke with a man who signed a card. Then, he said, 'Come on, let's get my wife and my daughter, they're in the fields.' (At first, I was a little afraid to go into the field --I thought it was a set-up. But then I realized it was OK. I felt so proud to be right there in the field organizing directly to the workers. And thanks to God and the union that fought and fought and fought to get those (access) laws passed."
Andrea: "You see the changes the union has brought: You see the toilets, you see the drinking water…that all came about through the union. A lot more progress is needed, that's why we came."
Click to read more volunteer stories |
2006 VideoClip #1:
