Day 23 – Hunger strike strongman hospitalized

After an extraordinary 23 days without food, hunger strike strongman Paul Konar awoke Thursday with a weak pulse and extreme abdominal pain that worsened towards noon.

“Today, after 23 days without food, I am in a very weak physical condition, and my friends and supporters are very concerned about my health. The others who started the hunger strike with me on May 14 were forced to leave after 8 or 9 days due to health problems. I thank God that he preserved me for the last 23 days,” Paul said shortly before fellow workers called the ambulance that took him to George Washington University Medical Center.

Somebody needed to do something for others, so we, the Indian Worker Congress started this fight for justice. I took this risk of holding a hunger strike to achieve justice in this country for all people,” Paul said.

“Day by day my confidence is growing because I have been doing good for others. What I did is nothing compared to the sacrifice of Mahatma Gandhi, but I did what I can. If it should bring some happiness to others in the world, that is enough for me.”

Tributes from US civil rights and labor leaders poured in upon news of Paul’s hospitalization.

“Against steep odds, Paul Konar and his fellow hunger strikers have taken up the fight against human trafficking, worker exploitation, and the systemic problems with the H2B guest worker program,” said John Sweeney, President of the AFL-CIO, which represents 10 million American workers. “All workers owe a debt to these courageous workers, and particularly to Paul Konar.”

“Mr. Konar’s remarkable strength and courage have taught us the true meaning of fighting for social justice,” said Marielena Hincapie, director of programs with the National Immigration Law Center. “This historic hunger strike has inspired many of us in the U.S. to make even greater sacrifices in order to achieve social change.”

Paul’s fellow workers and hunger strikers vowed to continue his fight for justice until they are granted legal protections to participate in a federal investigation into the traffickers.

“Here in the most powerful country in the world, a 54-year-old man named Paul Konar went 23 days without food, following in the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi in the 21^st century,” said Rajan Pazhambalakode, a former Signal Worker and organizer with the Indian Workers’ Congress. “We are carrying on this mission and continuing the hunger strike until we achieve justice in this country. ‘We shall overcome.’”

Rep. Jim McDermott vows his support!

NEW ORLEANS WORKERS’ CENTER FOR RACIAL JUSTICE
www.neworleansworkerjustice.org

*** JUNE 4, 2008 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ***

Top US Congressman for Indian affairs vows to help Indian hunger strikers on Day 23 of fast
Workers tell of Indian government inaction in meeting with Representative Jim McDermott

WASHINGTON, DC – The top US Congressman for US-Indian relations, Rep. Jim McDermott, vowed to support a group of Indian labor trafficking survivors on Day 23 of their hunger strike for justice after hearing during a meeting with them Wednesday how the Indian government had neglected them.

“Representative McDermott asked in great detail about our struggle against the labor traffickers and the response of the Indian government and the Indian Embassy,” said Sabulal Vijayan, an organizer with the Indian Workers’ Congress and Alliance of Guestworkers for Dignity. “We told him that if this were a problem of the rich, the Indian government would act, but since it is a problem of the poor, they do nothing.”

As Co-Chairman of the India Caucus in the US House of Representatives, Rep. McDermott is an important voice in shaping US policy toward India.

The Indian government has refused to support the workers since their hunger strike for justice began on May 14 in view of the White House. A delegation of workers was driven from the Indian Embassy that day (see photos at www.flickr.com/photos/nolaworkerscenter), and embassy officials made no contact with the workers until the first hunger striker was hospitalized on May 21. Indian Ambassador Ronen Sen finally bowed to pressure and met with the workers on May 28, but refused to visit the hunger strike site and claimed never to have seen the statement of the hunger strike’s goals that the workers delivered two weeks earlier.

“Rep. McDermott told us he had signed a Congressional letter in support of the workers to the Department of Justice, and said he would press his colleagues to do the same,” said Rajan Pazhambalakode, also an organizer with the Indian Workers’ Congress and the Alliance of Guestworkers for Dignity. “We also asked him to write to Ambassador Sen protesting the Indian government’s egregious failure to support its NRIs.”

The meeting followed nearly 18 months of organizing by the workers, who paid US and Indian recruiters up to $20,000 apiece for false promises of permanent residency and green cards. Instead they received 10-month temporary H2B guest worker visas and worked at Signal’s Gulf Coast shipyards under deplorable conditions.

The workers escaped Signal’s labor camps in March 2008, made a 10-day satyagraha from New Orleans to Washington, DC, and on May 14, began a hunger strike for justice. They are demanding continued presence in the US to participate in an official investigation into their case, US Congressional hearings into abuses of guest workers, and Indian government pressure on the US to protect future guest workers.

Earlier this week, the workers won the prestigious 2008 Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award for their “courageous stand against … modern-day slavery in the world’s richest nation.”

On June 11, 2008, the hunger strike will culminate in a major rally at the Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, DC. The workers will call for a response to their demands for continued presence in the US to help bring the traffickers to justice, and for protections for future workers.

“It is upsetting to say the least that while US Congressmen are coming out in support of Indian workers, their own government officials continue to wash their hands of them,” said Saket Soni, an advocate for the workers and director of the New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice.

The Indian Workers’ Congress is an affiliate of the New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice.

Follow the hunger strike on our text and photo blog: www.neworleansworkerjustice.org.

India contact: Anannya Bhattacharjee

+91-9810970627 (India mobile phone); email: anannya48@gmail.com

US Contact: Stephen Boykewich – Media Director, NOWCRJ

+1-504-655-0876 (US mobile phone); email: spboykewich@gmail.com

Day 22 – Workers’ message of thanks on receiving major human rights award

Statement by the Indian Workers Congress

Upon receipt of the Institute for Policy Studies’ 2008 Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award

June 4, 2008

We are very grateful for this award, which is a great victory for our cause. We would like to thank the members of the committee who granted us this award, and with them, all the allies in the US who have supported us with donations of their time, energy, money, food, housing, and many other things.

Above all, we thank God for the chance to let the people of the world know about our struggle for justice.

We suffered under a system that abuses guest workers—not only in America, but in many countries. This suffering gave us the chance to form the Indian Workers’ Congress, and this award lets us show the power of its unity to the world. It gives us power from our suffering.

We told the world from the beginning that we’re not fighting for ourselves, and we’re not fighting for Indians. We’re fighting for all who come to the United States believing in liberty and justice, and we are proud of that fight. When we started our struggle, our hands were empty. We had lost everything, but we kept fighting, and we learned an important lesson: United, we have power; divide, we do not.

This award shows that the world recognizes our struggle is doing good for others. We are grateful to have received this recognition because it will inspire others to fight for justice in the future.

We took a courageous step in coming forward to fight for justice, and it should be a lesson for all the companies that exploit workers the way Signal International exploited us: Don’t try to trap anyone else. The world is watching. We will fight for justice, and we will win.

CONTACT: Stephen Boykewich, Media Director, New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice

US Mob. +1-504-655-0876, spboykewich@gmail.com, www.neworleansworkerjustice.org

Day 21 – In the shadow of Mahatma Gandhi

Today was a landmark day for the hunger strike: Day 21, the longest Mahatma Gandhi ever fasted.

Five new hunger strikers joined today — replacing all but hunger strike strongman Paul Konar, who continued to stand strong at the end of his third week without food.

“The doctor came this morning, and he said my pulse was fine, heart rate was fine,” Paul said. “It’s a little miracle. There are priests and nuns praying for me — I will continue as long as God allows.”

Day 20 – Workers win major human rights award!

Today we received the following letter from the Institute for Policy Studies, a progressive think tank in Washington, DC:

Dear members of the Indian Workers Congress:

It is my great pleasure to inform you that the Indian Workers Congress has been chosen as the recipient of the 2008 Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award.

This awards program was started in 1977 to honor outstanding human rights work in memory of two former Institute for Policy Studies colleagues, Orlando Letelier and Ronni Karpen Moffitt (see attached for more background). Each year, a committee made up of distinguished leaders of the human rights community selects awardees in the following categories:

• International Award: recognizes an outstanding organization or individual (or both) from the Western Hemisphere that has championed human rights.

• Domestic Award: recognizes an outstanding organization or individual (or both) in the United States that has championed human rights in the U.S.

The Institute for Policy Studies nominated the Indian Workers Congress for the Domestic Award because of the workers’ courageous stand against what is essentially modern-day slavery in the world’s richest nation. We have also been inspired by your creative use of collective action and the powerful legacies of the human rights struggles both here and in India to seek justice — not only for the affected Signal workers, but for all victims of human trafficking and exploitative guestworker programs. We are proud to honor your activities and we look forward to working with you to take utmost advantage of the awards program to support your ongoing work.

The awards ceremony will take place Wednesday, October 15^th, at the National Press Club in Washington. The international award recipient will be Francisco Soberon, director of the Peruvian group APRODEH (Asociacion Pro-Derechos Humanos), who is responsible for putting former President Alberto Fujimori on trial for human rights violations. We will be in touch with you to discuss more details about the event.

On behalf of the entire Selection Committee, I congratulate you.

Sincerely,

John Cavanagh

Director

JwJ members send 8,766 letters to Congress!

The support of our allies at Jobs With Justice has been invaluable from long before the hunger strike began. They’ve spread the word nationwide, spoke at rallies in DC, brought supporters out by the dozens, held solidarity actions around the country, arranged viewings of a film about the workers, and much more.

But today we had a report on their effort to win Congressional support for the workers’ cause that was amazing even by their standards. As of Thursday night, JwJ members in more than 40 cities had sent 8,766 letters to US Congressmen urging them to sign on to Congressman Dennis Kucinich’s letter to the Department of Justice. The letter asks for what the hunger strikers have been asking for: continued presence in the US for the workers so they can participate in an investigation to bring the traffickers to justice.

Let’s say that one more time.

8,766 letters.

There’s no better coda to that then JwJ’s own action alert:

—–

The workers are asking Jobs with Justice and other national allies for two specific actions to help them win the strike.

1) Visit, call, and pressure your Representatives and Senators until they agree to sign onto the Kucinich letter.

2) Hold visible, public protest actions at the Federal Building in your city demanding that the Department of Justice respond to the workers, grant them continued presence, and investigate their case. These actions around the country will happen in conjunction with a massive public action at the Department of Justice in Washington DC on June 11.

Day 17 – Paul stuns the doctors

For all the amazement and inspiration that Paul Konar has brought his fellow workers, hunger strikers and supporters, his more than two weeks on a fast for justice have also brought concern. As of Wednesday — his 54th birthday — he had gone 15 days without food. Many workers urged him to go to the hospital for a blood test and full checkup.

“No, no, I know what happens if I get a blood test,” Paul said. “You’ll all start talking about potassium and kidneys and you’ll tell me I have no choice but to stop.”

Then yesterday, Day 16, Paul hurt his back badly enough to be convinced to go the hospital. There was a great relief all around: The doctors would do a full checkup and tell him his health was in jeopardy and he had no choice but to end his hunger strike immediately.

Here, courtesy of Slate.com, is what’s supposed to happen to hunger strikers:

Fasting becomes dangerous after just three to five days, at which point the body begins breaking down fat in order to produce energy. When the liver is reduced to breaking down fat (in lieu of the usual glucose), it produces ketone bodies, a toxic byproduct. These can be excreted through the urine, and a particular variety known as acetone can be expelled through the lungs. (Acetone makes a person’s breath smell like pears.) Ketone bodies can also be oxidized by the brain in order to make the fuel it needs. But when ketone bodies become too numerous in the bloodstream, they can cause ketoacidosis, a potentially lethal condition that afflicts some diabetics.

That’s not the way it turned out.

The doctors at George Washington University Hospital were astonished that Paul hadn’t eaten for 16 days. His blood tests were normal. He was in excellent health.

The doctors can’t explain it, but Paul can.

“It’s God’s gift,” he said.

Day 16 – Free the slaves!

Back on Day Eight of the hunger strike, May 21, we were proud to have the support of Kevin Bales, leading expert on modern-day slavery and co-founder of Free the Slaves. Kevin called the workers “heroes for stepping up and standing against an injustice that this most powerful country in the world seems unable to confront.”

We just received the full text of his powerful statement that day, which is below:

Thank you for the opportunity to say a few words.

Let me draw you a picture of a perfect world – of an America where those who come to shoulder our most dirty, demeaning and dangerous jobs have some protection.

It is an American where our temporary workers have an official guarantee of good working conditions. Where hours, wages, living conditions, medical benefits, and payment for lost time and injury are required and regulated. It is an America where workers are entitled to legal services; where a worker is guaranteed three-quarters of the hours in his or her contract.

Is this a dream? Is this some crazy utopia? Is this some bleeding heart fantasy? No. This is the law.

This is the law, in spite of which, these workers here today, and thousands more like them are abused every day in America.

Maybe this is a new law and we need to learn how to enforce it? No. This guestworker law and its H-2 visa is 65 years old this year. And it seems to be doddering and collapsing in its old age – more abuses, more trafficking, more slavery riding on its back than ever before.

In 2005, 32,000 workers had H-2A visas – and abuse and enslavement crept into our fields of oranges and apples to feed on these workers; into our fields of apples in Maine and fields of pineapples in Hawaii; into the cattle herds on Rocky Mountain hillsides, and into the low, devastated bayous and streets of New Orleans and the Mississippi coastline.

Imagine! A federal program that opens the door to slavery.

The list of abuses is long, we’ve all heard them: beatings, hunger, fraud, terror, crippling debt on the families back home, and even enslavement.

How can our laws be so easily broken, with such great damage to human beings?

The answer is simple and the answer is clear – our government chooses not to enforce its own law. The criminals know this and have a field day, laughing in our faces.

Recently, in the Arriaga Case, a judge riled to support the workers, yet the Department of Labor stated they would continue a policy of non-enforcement.

This is a law against deceit, fraud, and coercion – and our policy is “non-enforcement”?

This is a law against abuse, brutality, and violence – and our policy is “non-enforcement”?

This is a law against debt-bondage, peonage, and slavery – and our policy is “non-enforcement”?

This is not the America I love and believe in. This is not the country my ancestors came to, destitute, desperate, and hungry for work. This is not the policy of a country that believes in the dignity of every person – no matter what their color; no matter what their language; no matter where they come from.

The workers here today are heroes. They are heroes for stepping up and standing against an injustice that this most powerful country in the world seems unable to confront. These men may be poor, but each one of them today is very rich in moral power.

I say to them – be strong and clear with the people on Congress as you visit them today. You are not asking for special treatment; you are not asking for special favors; you are asking only for simple justice under a standing law. It is your right, under the law.

Today, the confrontation between justice and injustice is compressed to this spot – our Capitol.

Sixty-five years is a long time to wait for justice. But today you workers are here, and together we are on the move. The road ahead is not a smooth one, but together we are on the move.

How long will it take? Not long, because a law ignored can be lifted up. How long? Not long, because as Martin Luther King says “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice” And the truth, your truth, the truth of your lives, will lead us there.

Day 15 Pt. 2 – Happy Birthday Paul Konar!

The hunger strike strongman celebrated his birthday in All Souls Unitarian Church tonight with an amazing show of support and solidarity for him and all the workers fighting for justice against Signal International and its recruiters.

Friends and allies from Jobs with justice, SAALT and other groups were there as Paul said what he wanted most of all:

“If I have a birthday wish, it is this: That the US government allow us to remain in this country until the end of the investigation against Signal International and all the people named in the lawsuit against those who exploited us. This is my prayer. All of you who are with me now, stay with me, and I will continue till the end.“

A great friend and supporter of the hunger striker, Vijay Anand, asked Paul for his response to a “so-called community leader in DC who says Gandhi’s way doesn’t work any more — one Gandhi is not enough.”

“In my view,” Paul said, “Gandhi was an exceptional man, a man who could rise up and organize all of India. We’re not going to see someone like that again. Even if the whole world sat down to pray for his soul and thank him, it wouldn’t be enough.”

“As for what Vijay Anaand is talking about, those who say, ‘Stop your fast,’ the prayers of our families are with us on this hunger strike, of our churches. In the Convent of St. Alfonse, 140 nuns are praying for us. Their prayers are our food.

“If you ask me to stop this hunger strike, I’ll receive your advice with respect, but it’s our decision, and I’m not about to leave this strike.

“There’s a saying: People who have courage die only once. People without courage live a long time but die every day.”

Day 15 – Happy Birthday Paul Konar!

Thank you all for the extraordinary outpouring of support for Paul and all the hunger strikers! Your messages will be read out at the party — stay tuned for photos and more!