Profile of an Organizer


Name
Washington D. Barcia

Local
Laborers Local 1030 in North Bergen, New Jersey

Where are you from?
Originally, Montevideo, Uruguay

How long have you been a member of the Laborers International Union of North America LIUNA?
11 years.

How long have you been an organizer?
Since March of 2001

What does being involved in a union mean to you?
Being proud to belong to an institution that fights for our rights and the equal opportunities that all workers deserve.

Why is organizing important?
To make people understand that working together we could fight for our rights.

What is the most challenging part of being an organizer?
I'd have to say it's the different needs that each ethnic group has and being able to understand those needs.

What do you think people should know about organizing that they don't?
We have to make people understand that by working together, we stand strong against corrupt and unscrupulous employers.

What do you feel is the most rewarding about being an organizer?
When I see new members join the union. When I get to see a contractor sign (a contract) with us.

Tell us about your best organizing memory.
We formed a picket line that lasted over 2 days. One day a truck driver approached. He was to deliver a container to the contractor we were picketing. After listening to our grievance, the trucker, a union man himself, refused to cross our line. In this instance I got to see the importance of unity amongst our labor unions, which is a main objective of organizing: creating unity and solidarity.

Washington is one of 30 organizers employed by the Laborers Eastern Regional Organizing Fund LEROF. To contact him or any otgher organizer, call (609) 860-9223 or drop us an email.

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