FLOC - Making Cross Border Solidarity Real:

-- FLOC Organizer - Cástulo Benavides Rodríguez - Outside FLOC's Monterrey Office, recently renamed the Santiago Rafael Cruz Justice Center (top) and Santiago Rafael Cruz (bottom) FLOC organizer who was murdered last April.

In this era of increased globalization and growing migrant labor, most unions are talking about organizing internationally. But making cross border organizing something real and concrete is a whole other story. FLOC (Farm Labor Organizing Committee) is putting rhetoric into practice. FLOC has setup an office in Monterrey Mexico, from which they can organize, educate and reach out to farm workers in their hometowns in Mexico. Their efforts to protect guest workers from exploitative labor recruitment agencies, has earned them the respect of many Mexican migrant laborers, and the ire of those that prey on migrants. FLOC organizers believe labor recruiters were behind the brutal murder of FLOC organizer Santiago Rafael Cruz in their Monterrey office last April.

I visited with FLOC organizers in Monterrey this past July. On upcoming epidodes of the Labor Express Radio program, you will be able to hear interviews I conducted while there. I will also be publishing some print stories based on my visit in coming weeks.

For now, feel free to browse through these photos from my trip...

http://s207.photobucket.com/albums/bb5/kronstadt2/Monterrey%20-%20FLOC%20-%202007/

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