Service + Solidarity Spotlight: What We Can Do to Help Union Members Recover from Hurricane Fiona

Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Hurricane Fiona made landfall last week along the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico, causing extensive and devastating damage. The storm’s heavy rain caused life-threatening flooding and an island-wide power outage, impacting water and telephone services as well.

The people of Puerto Rico have asked for our help. The labor movement is working closely with President Nelly Ayala León (UAW) of the Puerto Rico Federation of Labor to ensure full coordination of our immediate relief efforts.

The Seafarers (SIU) have set up four sites where donations can be delivered and shipped to Puerto Rico, and we are coordinating with the Machinists (IAM) who have donated their hall in Puerto Rico to be the distribution center for all donated items. Click here for a full list of urgently needed items and where to send them.

Monetary donations can be sent in the form of a check to the Union Community Fund, 815 Black Lives Matter Plaza NW, Washington, DC 20006 (please note “Puerto Rico relief efforts” in the memo line), or electronically at go.aflcio.org/relief. We encourage you to share this information with your union members, but please do not post this information on public websites as it is not intended to be a solicitation to the general public.

Our union brothers, sisters and siblings in Puerto Rico will greatly appreciate any help we can give them in their time of need. The AFL-CIO will provide further opportunities to offer assistance to the island, as our staff travel to the island to assess the needs of union members and communities there.

Help Puerto Rico’s union family.