WHEREAS:

            Slavery has been abolished in every country of the world but there remain an estimated 27 million people enslaved across the globe today due to the crime of human trafficking. This is more enslaved individuals than were taken out of Africa during the entire 400 years of the trans-Atlantic slave trade; and

WHEREAS:

            Slavery was abolished in the United States in 1865 but the U.S. State Department estimates there are 17,500 new slaves in the United States every year, with the current number of slaves in the United States estimated at 200,000; and

WHEREAS:

            Victims of human trafficking are found in legitimate, as well as illegal, industries, such as construction, hair and nail salons, restaurants, hotels, housecleaning services, child care services, farms, factories, and prostitution, to name a few; and

WHEREAS:

            There were 48 welders brought into the U.S. from Thailand on valid work visas for earthquake retro-fitting work on the state-owned San Francisco Bay Bridge, yet they were used as slaves on the Bay Bridge, working alongside paid American employees, unnoticed and unrecognized as slaves. Additionally, 42 of the welders brought in for the project were trafficked out of the Bay Area and into Southern California, unnoticed, to work as slaves in several restaurants. These slaves were only discovered when they found an opportunity to run away; and

WHEREAS:

            Human trafficking has been reported in all 50 states; and

WHEREAS:

            AFSCME advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public services and prosperity and opportunity for all working families; and

WHEREAS:

            AFSCME's membership includes nurses, social workers, corrections officers, park workers, child care providers, transportation workers, EMTs, sanitation workers, and hundreds of other occupations that provide vital services to our communities, while also gaining a unique insight into the lives of potential human trafficked victims; and

WHEREAS:

            AFSCME has a strong and rich history from its very inception for fighting for those most oppressed and vulnerable to exploitation, and is one of many in a patchwork of labor rights organizations throughout the world currently responding in a distinctive way to the problem of human trafficking, otherwise known as modern-day slavery; and

WHEREAS:

            AFSCME members are public servants, though often unrecognized as such by the public we serve or maligned by others for their own political objectives, thus, we have a distinct opportunity and responsibility to address this undisputed scourge in our society—modern-day slavery. In doing so, we will serve our communities as well as bring more attention to the values and purpose that AFSCME works for—the good of all; and

WHEREAS:

            The Department of Health and Human Services states that human trafficking victims within the United States will not be rescued in any significant numbers until community members and service providers are trained to recognize the signs of trafficking and properly report victims.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

            AFSCME commits to discovering ways the membership and leadership can contribute to the already existing integrated response to the problem of human trafficking where we live and work; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

            In order to accomplish this end, AFSCME will form a Human Trafficking Committee, whose purposes will be both to understand what is already being done by labor organizations, such as the AFL-CIO’s Solidarity Center, and non-profit organizations such as the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, to forge coalitions with these groups, and to explore existing training modules or to create job specific training for the purpose of educating the membership of AFSCME to recognize and report potential victims of human trafficking.