04/09/2007 Monterrey, Mexico

 It is with pain and sadness that we report the tragic murder of one of our Monterrey, Mexico office staff-members, Santiago Rafael Cruz. We struggle to keep tragedies from occurring in the fields, but it is equally painful to have them occur in
our work environment.

While we have no official police reports, friends who found the body this morning in the FLOC Monterrey office said that he had been tied-up and beaten to death.

FLOC has asked the National AFL-CIO and Congressman Marcy Kaptur’s office to request that our State Department press the Mexican Government to conduct a thorough and speedy investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Since our breakthrough agreement in North Carolina in 2004, FLOC has had to battle against anti-union hostility in the South’s “right-to-work” environment. We have put up with constant attacks in both the U.S. and Mexico—including having our office burglarized and broken into several times and a number of other attempted break-ins. Now the attacks have come to this.

FLOC will respond to this attack in a disciplined but forceful manner at the appropriate time. For now, we will focus on Santiago and his family to make sure his body is returned home, and minister to those who loved him.

Santiago spent years defending his countrymen’s rights in the U.S. and Mexico. His life and service will be missed but not forgotten.

For further information please contact:

Baldemar Velasquez 419-297-7526
Leticia Zavala 919-394-7797

People wishing to donate money to help with transporting Santiago’s body home, his funeral, and other expenses can make a check payable to:

FLOC
C/O Santiago Tragedy Fund
1221 Broadway St
Toledo, OH 43609

La Floc è un organismo sindacale di lavoratori salariati dell'agricoltura attivo negli Stati Uniti e in Messico, composto in larga misura (se non solo) da immigrati, per lo più latino-americani, che è stato capace di strappare un contratto collettivo ai proprietari terrieri e alle società agro-alimentari nel nord-Carolina.

Organizzazione Comunista Internazionalista