Labor & Employment Law

Union Plus Will Match Your Haiti Relief Donation

By James Parks

You can double the power of your contribution to Haiti relief if you have a Union Plus credit card. Click here and Union Plus will automatically double your contribution with your credit card to the Solidarity Center’s AFL-CIO Earthquake Relief for Haitian Workers’ Campaign.

You also can take action now to help the Haitian survivors by clicking on the AFL-CIO Haitian Disaster Relief site here.

Union Plus has committed $100,000 through this dollar-for-dollar donation match to help Haitian earthquake relief efforts. Says Union Plus President Leslie Tolf:

Despite the millions of dollars raised already, the people of Haiti continue to have an ongoing need for our help. That’s why we are committing $100,000 to double the donations made by union members to the Solidarity Center.

The Machinists have contributed more than $100,000 to Doctors Without Borders and worked with some of its employers to send heavy equipment and crews of mechanics to help with the rescue effort.

In other recent actions:

• Crews from unions in the AFL-CIO Maritime Trades Department are helping to build docks in Port-au-Prince and move in barges. They also hope to raise $50,000 for the relief effort.
• Longshoremen (ILA) President Richard Hughes says the ILA is exploring strategies for aiding humanitarian relief in Haiti even though the ports are in shambles from the earthquake. Hughes says ILA members from Maine to Texas are ensuring that relief cargo gets loaded quickly and efficiently and local unions are raising funds to help the survivors.   
• The Communications Workers of America (CWA) is partnering with Save the Children to help provide critical supplies to quake survivors?particularly children, who are most vulnerable. Click here to make a donation. Write “CWA” in the company/organization name field.
• National Nurses United has launched an effort to send registered nurses to Haiti. More than 11,000 nurses already have answered the call. You can help send a nurse to Haiti by clicking here.
• The Ohio AFL-CIO donated $1,000 to the National Nurses United Haitian Relief Fund.  
• The Mahoning/Trumbull Labor Council in Ohio has voted to give $500.
• United Way of Summit County (UWSC) and the Tri County Regional Labor Council in Ohio have teamed up to encourage and accept donations to a variety of Haitian Relief causes. Those who wish to give can send checks to United Way of Summit County, 90 N. Prospect St., Akron, Ohio 44304, Attn: Haitian Relief.  UWSC will forward your contribution to the United Way Worldwide Disaster Fund and the Red Cross International Response Fund in equal shares.
• The Toledo (Ohio) Area AFL-CIO has donated $500 to assist Haiti.
• Members of the Wisconsin Building Trades collected $250 for Haiti relief during their conference last week.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on January 26, 2010 (boomark / email).