Getting Organized
Organizing the Immigrant Vote
immigrants are motivated to go out and vote against the racists ” said Farmer John member , Maria Alonzo , “ that is why I am here , to become a citizen and vote for candidates that will stand up for hard working people .”
RIGO VALDEZ Director of Organizing
On Sunday , May 15th , dozens of UFCW Local 770 members participated in UFCW ’ s UCAN ( Union Citizenship Action Network ) program , to become naturalized Unites States citizens . This is a very important time for members who are eligible to take this step because they are still on schedule to be processed in time to register and vote in the November elections .
Yolanda Pivaral Covarrubias , a member at El Super Markets went through an intense training to learn how to help her co-workers become citizens as part of this program , “ I like to help people and this is something I believe in , so I gave up my weekend to make sure that my co-workers who wanted to become citizens had the help they need .” Then she got to work on the citizenship assembly line , assisting members in organizing documents , filling out paperwork , and double-checking it before members put it in the mail .
Many UFCW 770 members who started the naturalization process this Sunday were motivated by the election . “ I see that many Latino
“ I am so happy that the union is helping us with this process because it is not easy filling out these forms . I ’ m also happy to receive help from fellow union members and advise from immigration attorneys , their assistance makes this process so much easier ” added Alonzo .
Reyna Gudino , a worker at El Super Markets is motivated to become a citizen so that she can see her 80 year old mother who hasn ’ t seen her in over 20 years , “ I could go to Mexico to visit her , but she wants to see everyone . As a citizen I could help her get a visa for her to come visit all of her family in the United States .”
Members from all segments of our union took advantage of the free assistance and many vowed to return as citizens to help others .
There are about 800,000 immigrants eligible for citizenship in Los Angeles County alone , and many are UFCW members . At Local 770 we are committed to helping any member who would like assistance through this process .
If you need immigration assistance or have questions about our next training call ( 855 ) 888-7374 or visit us at UFCW770 . org .
9 Issue 2 THE VOICE June 2016