Taylor Farms workers demand respect and a living wage

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYUkcoGRkkymlBRsUq6CUM12wQR05TarJzK4x1nV0wmTvnYOum-EcPpRFvb8vIwBbuOEndg9DAQCg-fMpAdw7zllJuzua9Eu6dPzJ9YArtawy8NvF6dAduL6kVxzhZTL-SuxeTN-_IjASw/s1600/Teamsters+601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYUkcoGRkkymlBRsUq6CUM12wQR05TarJzK4x1nV0wmTvnYOum-EcPpRFvb8vIwBbuOEndg9DAQCg-fMpAdw7zllJuzua9Eu6dPzJ9YArtawy8NvF6dAduL6kVxzhZTL-SuxeTN-_IjASw/s320/Teamsters+601.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Joaquin County Supervisor Carlos Villapudua, Teamsters Local 601Secretary-Treasurer Ashley Alvarado, Teamsters Local 439 Secretary-Treasurer Sam Rosas</td></tr></tbody></table>Workers who want to join <a href="http://www.teamstersjc7.org/locals/roster/local-601.html" rel="nofollow">Teamsters Local 601</a> rallied outside of a Taylor Farms facility today in Tracy, Calif., to demand respect, living wages and affordable benefits for immigrant workers.<br /><br />They were joined by <a href="http://www.sjgov.org/board/district1.aspx?id=6750" rel="nofollow">San Joaquin Supervisor Carlos Villapudua</a> and other community allies, including faith leaders and immigrant rights activists.<br /><br />Said Villapudua:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">All workers deserve respect and a decent life for them and their families – that includes immigrant workers here in Tracy. We need to support these workers and tell Taylor Farms to provide a living wage and respect workers’ rights.</blockquote>Robert Carillo, a Taylor Farms worker who spoke at the rally, said:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Taylor Farms needs to stop its unfair treatment and intimidation against us. Our working conditions are horrible – that’s why we are organizing. We need union representation to get respect from the company.</blockquote>Workers spoke of ongoing safety issues at the plant, including fumes from strong chemicals used to clean machinery which causes gagging among some workers. Other long-term health and workplace concerns include being forced to work up to 18 hours a day and being afraid to report workplace injuries for fear of being fired. <br /><br />The company is running a bitter campaign to fight workers’ organizing efforts, including firing workers, threatening them with termination, and intimidating immigrant workers for speaking out against favoritism, wage theft and unsafe conditions. Taylor Farms worker Eddie Rodriguez was fired a day after talking to a <a href="http://teamster.org/" rel="nofollow">Teamsters</a> representative.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The company’s rosy talk about its reputation doesn’t matter – what matters is how they act. I was fired the next day after merely talking to the union representative. They treat us like toilet paper.</blockquote>According to workers at the rally, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfair_labor_practice" rel="nofollow">Unfair Labor Practice</a> charges have been filed with the <a href="http://nlrb.gov/" rel="nofollow">National Labor Relations Board</a> and the union has reached out to Taylor Farms CEO Bruce Taylor in an effort to start a constructive dialogue.<br /><br />Workers and supporters at the rally said they were putting the company on notice and vowed to keep up the pressure until Taylor Farms stops its attacks on immigrant workers.<br /><br />Lucia Gonzalez from <a href="http://www.wpusa.org/" rel="nofollow">Working Partnerships USA</a>, said:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Taylor Farms needs to know that the community will not stand for the abuse, intimidation and harassment of its workers.</blockquote>Teamsters Local 601 represents thousands of workers in the food processing industry. Taylor Farms workers in Salinas, Calif., are represented by Teamsters Local 890. <br /><div><br /></div>

immigration living wage organizing Taylor farms Taylor Farms workers demand respect and a living wage

San Joaquin County Supervisor Carlos Villapudua, Teamsters Local 601Secretary-Treasurer Ashley Alvarado, Teamsters Local 439 Secretary-Treas...

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Shenandoah Valley Tea Party Patriots call Marco Rubio 'Benedict Arnold' of the GOP

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXNsEL67DwWFNjzM5sTqUgHAQmA3J8-S4W5600CAiY7ohaPcU7ledEscAI5_zTQ1DOYpqbQIvVi0tvUyTV5GkvK4UNAWhHsGCR99dsXPAh4FUZ0jjZNppN0A-6l_VcHgQ4j1pw-Q5ogNg/s1600/Don't+Tread+On+Me+flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXNsEL67DwWFNjzM5sTqUgHAQmA3J8-S4W5600CAiY7ohaPcU7ledEscAI5_zTQ1DOYpqbQIvVi0tvUyTV5GkvK4UNAWhHsGCR99dsXPAh4FUZ0jjZNppN0A-6l_VcHgQ4j1pw-Q5ogNg/s1600/Don't+Tread+On+Me+flag.jpg" /></a></div><br />What a difference between 2010 and 2013. Remember when Florida Senator <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/03/AR2010110308200.html">Marco Rubio was the tea party darling</a>?<br /><br />On Monday, the Shenandoah Valley Tea Party Patriots sent an email urging members to contact senators to vote against the immigration bill but something startling was in the email: they considered Marco Rubio a "Benedict Arnold." <br /><br />Now that Senator Rubio is working to find a pragmatic, bipartisan compromise to the extremely complicated issue of immigration, the tea partiers who loved him have turned on him.<br /><br />Here is the email from this group that declares itself, "Guardians of the Republic, Keepers of Liberty." At the bottom is their revelation about Senator Rubio: <br /><blockquote>To the Men and Women of Virginia<br />From The Shenandoah Valley Tea Party<br /><br />A decisive debate will soon begin -- a debate which will determine the fate of this great nation. The opening words of the debate will be spoken in the United States Senate.<br /><br />And, the name of the debate is Amnesty -- Amnesty for 20 million illegal aliens and amnesty for 40 million of their relatives. Should the forces supporting Amnesty win the debate, 25% of the population of United States will be citizens from third world countries with little or no understanding of the Constitution or the Bill of Rights. America will be ruled by a one-party government which will be socialist and authoritarian.<br /><br />The Shenandoah Valley Tea Party urges you to fight the forces supporting Amnesty with the most powerful tool available to you – your telephone, wielded with passion and purpose.<br /><br />Raise your telephone and raise you voice to the Senators in Washington.<br /><br />In 2006, when Amnesty legislation was debated, the Bill was defeated because Americans across the country besieged Washington with telephone calls. Amnesty was defeated with the telephone then. Amnesty can be defeated with the telephone now.<br /><br />Men and women of Virginia: This is your country. Will you defend it?<br /><br />Notes for calling: 1) Emails have little influence as many Congressman have their staffs delete emails without reading them. 2) Some Senators will turn off their incoming calls, sending callers to a voicemail box, which is then emptied without listening to the messages. 3) Call the Washington offices first. If the telephones are turned off, then call the regional offices. The telephone numbers are found on the Senators’ websites. Google by name and look under “Contact Us”. 4) Fax’s usually go through with no delay. 5) Be tenacious. 6) Contact your own Senators, and other Senators who should be encouraged to vote against Schumer’s Immigration Bill.<br /><br />Listed below are some, but not all, of the Senators who you should call. Forward this email to everyone you know.<br /><br />Republicans who are up for re-election next year<br /><br />Lamar Alexander (Tennessee) (202) 224-4944<br />Saxby Chambliss (Georgia) (202) 224-3521<br />Thad Cochran (Mississippi) (202) 224-5054<br />Susan Collins (Maine) (202) 224-2523<br />John Cornyn (Texas) (202) 224-2934<br />Mike Enzi (Wyoming) (202) 224-3424<br />Lindsey Graham (South Carolina) (202) 224-5972<br />James Inhofe (Oklahoma) (202) 224-4721<br />Mike Johanns (Nebraska) (202) 224-4224<br />Mitch McConnell (Kentucky) (202) 224-2541<br />Jim Risch (Idaho) (202) 224-2752<br />Pat Roberts (Kansas) (202) 224-4774<br />Jeff Sessions (Alabama) (202) 224-4124<br /><br />Virginia’s Senators<br />Tim Kaine (Virginia) (202) 224-4024<br />Mark Warner (Virginia) (202) 224-2023<br /><br />The Benedict Arnold of the Republican Party<br />Marco Rubio (Florida) (202) 224-3041</blockquote>The tea party, the group that started four years ago as individual, independent thinkers following their own consciences, now walks lock-step with the people who make the decisions for them. Those people have now decided Senator Rubio is a traitor.

amnesty Don't Tread On Me flag group think immigration lock-step Marco Rubio Shenandoah Valley Tea Party Patriots Shenandoah Valley Tea Party Patriots call Marco Rubio 'Benedict Arnold' of the GOP

What a difference between 2010 and 2013. Remember when Florida Senator Marco Rubio was the tea party darling ? On Monday, the Shenandoah Val...

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