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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Rose Bookbinder <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><b>This Wednesday the 11th of June
is Jobs <span style='color:#1F497D'>w</span>ith Justice<span style='color:#1F497D'>’s</span>
national day to support the Indian Guestworkers who worked in New Orleans. Many
of you were privileged to see their powerful speech at the J<span
style='color:#1F497D'>w</span>J national conference and like myself you
probably asked yourself what could you do to help. Well here<span
style='color:#1F497D'>’</span>s your chance! This Wednesday you could
support the workers through a donation or call your congressmen and urge
them to support a criminal trafficking trial against Signal. Read More Below!<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><br>
<br>
<span class=apple-style-span><b><i>URGENT:</i></b></span><i> <span
class=apple-style-span><b>Support Indian Guestworkers in their historic hunger
strike</b></span><b><br>
<span class=apple-style-span>HUNGER STRIKE IN THIRD WEEK AS PRESSURE MOUNTS IN
DC, INDIA FOR WORKERS' DEMANDS</span></b><br>
</i><span style='color:#1F497D'><br>
</span>Dear friends: We are the Indian guestworkers who were trafficked
to the post-Katrina Gulf Coast in December 2006. We are now in
Washington, DC fighting labor trafficking and modern-day slavery. We need
your donation to sustain our historic campaign. <br>
<br>
After Hurricane Katrina, a US company <span style='color:#1F497D'>–</span>
Signal<span style='color:#1F497D'> </span>International, LLC – recruited
us by force, fraud, and coercion. Signal's recruiters sold us false
promises. They told us there were jobs in the Gulf Coast, and that we
could bring our families and build lives in the United States. We paid
recruiters $20,000 for these American dreams. We sold our homes, plunged
our families into debt and mortgaged our futures to raise the money. But
we arrived into a nightmare. <br>
<br>
Signal held us in forced labor. We lived like animals, 24 men to a small
room. We faced constant threats and humiliation. When we started to
organize in March 2007, Signal sent armed guards to the labor camps dawn.
They pulled our terrified organizers out of bed, imprisoned them on
company grounds, and attempted to deport them. 300 of us went on strike
that day to free our captive organizers. <br>
<br>
One year later, our struggle for dignity continues. In March this year we
escaped from the labor camps into freedom in the United States. In April
we walked from New Orleans to Washington in the footsteps of US freedom
fighters, to expose the realities of the guestworker program. And on May
14 we launched a hunger strike, in the tradition of Gandhi, to bring Signal
International to justice. <br>
<br>
What do we want now? The Department of Justice must allow us to
participate safely in a criminal <span style='color:#1F497D'>t</span>rafficking
investigation of Signal. Congress must hold hearings on guestworker
exploitation. And no future worker should face the humiliation that
we have faced: modern-day slavery in the world's richest nation. <br>
<br>
We are now on Day 22 of our hunger strike. Success is at hand. We have the
support of key members of Congress. Grassroots supporters have written
nearly 9,000 letters to Congress on our behalf. And the Indian government,
because of our pressure, has launched criminal proceedings against the
recruiters in India. <br>
<br>
But the costs of our campaign are staggering. Our resolve is
unlimited – but our collective savings are not. We can't work
in the US, and we still face massive debt at home. This fight is all we
have. Help us win!<br>
<br>
Please make a secure contribution today at: <a
href="http://www.neworleansworkerjustice.org/contribute.htm">www.neworleansworkerjustice.org/contribute.htm</a>.
You can also write a check payable to our fiscal sponsor, the National
Immigration Law Center. Be sure to write Indian Workers<span style='color:#1F497D'>’</span>
Congress on the subject line, and mail it to: National Immigration Law Center,
3435 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 2850, Los Angeles, CA 90010. With your
help, we can win!<br>
<br>
In solidarity,<br>
Indian Workers' Congress/Alliance of Guestworkers for Dignity<br>
<br>
New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice <a
href="http://www.neworleansworkerjustice.org">www.neworleansworkerjustice.org</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>TO UNSUBSCRIBE, send an email
to <a href="mailto:wmjwj@wmjwj.org">wmjwj@wmjwj.org</a> with a Subject of
"Unsub Workers' Rights".<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>[Workers' Rights] posts
opportunities for you to learn about and show solidarity with workplace and
working class struggles. And these events are opportunities for JwJ members to
fulfill their pledge: <a href="http://www.jwj.org/pledge.html">"I'll be
there for workers' rights at least five times a year!"</a> This is the
core mission of Jobs with Justice (<a href="http://www.jwj.org">www.jwj.org</a>),
affirming that workers' rights are human rights. To subscribe, send an email to
<a href="mailto:wmjwj@wmjwj.org">wmjwj@wmjwj.org</a> with a Subject of
"Subscribe Worker's Rights".<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Western Mass Jobs with Justice<br>
640 Page Blvd #101<br>
Springfield MA 01104<br>
(413) 827-0301 <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
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