Organizer in Action: Maribel Ariza
Organizing Focus: Packing |
When asked about how it helped to join a union at her workplace, Maribel said "It means a lot, since belonging to a union makes us stronger. We feel supported. We don’t feel intimidated or like if they are treating us in a racist way. They treat us as their equals, because we have a union and we have support." When confronted with workers who don’t think they want to join a union, Maribel simply asks them to explain why. Usually they don’t know about the benefits they can get by joining and so Maribel takes the time to explain how joining a union can help them and their co-workers. "I tell them how we can help them to solve a problem, for example by helping another co-worker to recover her job or how to receive a pay raise," she says. Maribel strongly believes in the importance of organizing non-union plants. "It is very important to get them to join the union so they are not alone, and they have support, and that they know the union is there to help them and that the union is a force for everyone. . . . For me to have a bigger group means the power of the numbers. To have more people is to have more strength to fight against the injustices committed by the employers. I think having more people with us makes us stronger." Many of the local unions are working hard to organize several of meatpacking plants in Maribel’s area (Nebraska and nearby Iowa). Maribel knows that it is important to organize the plants so that everyone is united and so that everyone can have better benefits and wages. She believes that it would help with unemployment problems, since people would stay at their jobs longer if they were treated well by their employers. "The point is that it’s important to invest in forming local unions, because if we invest that money we are not losing it, we’re going to get it back when we receive benefits, better wages and more respect with the union’s support."
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