Agreement reached in Washington – After two weeks of political and fiscal crisis, the federal government reopened its doors and the national debt ceiling was raised. Many Republicans admitted they failed at annulling or postponing the Affordable Care Act. But it is a temporary truce, since Democrats and Republicans immediately began a new battle, not only over the deficit and public spending, but about President Barack Obama’s pending agenda, including immigration reform. José López Zamorano has more details from the nation’s capital.
Florida tomato worker organizers receive award – The Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a group of farm workers, has been distinguished with one of the prestigious Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Awards, for its 20 year struggle to improve the living conditions of the workers in the tomato fields of southern Florida. Past recipients of the award include such great figures as Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King, Jr. The day before the award ceremony, the Coalition took advantage of its trip to New York to hold a protest in downtown Manhattan in front of the offices of the burger chain Wendy’s, the only one of the top five fast food chains in the nation that has not signed on to the Coalition’s Fair Food Agreement. Our correspondent Marco Vinicio González was at the protest and the award ceremony.
Day Laborers Face Danger on the Job – Many immigrants in the state of Washington do not have permanent work and find jobs as day laborers. The majority work in hard and dangerous activities such as construction, gardening and moving. According to one study, day laborers have more accidents and hurt themselves more on the job than fellow workers in the same industries. Our correspondent in the state of Washington, José Luis Buen Abad, delved deeper into this issue and brings us this first part of a two-part series. This feature was produced as a project of The California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships, a program of the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism. You can find more articles at ReportingOnHealth.org.
