NEWS

Undocumented residents of Plainfield can now receive ID cards that are honored by the city’s police department as well as schools, libraries and pools.  In addition, local hospitals and health clinics will accept the cards, as well as PNC and Bank of America branches in the city.

The initiative is the brain child of  the organization Angels for Action.  Its co-founder, Carmen Salavarrieta, says the program has distributed some ID cards to Plainfield residents, and there are another 2000 on the waiting list.  Angels for Action estimates that Hispanics make up more than 50 percent of Plainfield’s population.

Outgoing Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs said that she hopes the program continues after her term ends.  “As mayor, I am in favor of any program that’s positive for the people of Plainfield.  This appears to be totally positive.”

Adapted from “Plainfield program offering ID cards to undocumented residents is off to fast start,” by Tom Wright-Piersanti/The Star-Ledger, January 5, 2014

The city council of New Brunswick voted recently to enact the state’s first municipal ordinance aimed at preventing wage theft. The ordinance seeks to stop the practice by denying municipal business licenses to employers that have carried out wage theft. The ordinance was prompted by sustained community advocacy. A report prepared by the organizations Unity Square and New Labor outlined how wage theft cost New Brunswick residents hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

CoFiA is also struggling to help workers who are victimized by dishonest, exploitative employers all over Bergen County and beyond. Congratulations to New Brunswick for taking this unique action to try to stem the tide of exploitation.

Hot news flash! The wage theft committee reports on the successful–or at least partially successful–outcome of one of the wage theft complaints. A worker and committee member met with the owner of a business in Ridgefield Park who owed the worker quite a lot of money. He came to the meeting prepared to pay part of the money owed, and return all the worker’s tools, some of them quite expensive. Although we always hope to have the debts settled in full, in many cases like this the worker is willing to settle for less, especially when there are disputes about dates worked and amount owed.

As the weather turns brutally cold, the CoFiA lunch program has more and more guests. On January 6 the room was full and we ALMOST ran out of food. Anyone who wants to donate a pot of beans or rice or whatever is encouraged to let us know! We are fortunate that our dedicated volunteers cheerfully cook and serve delicious food every week. Everybody lends a hand at clean up, which is a big job with so many people present.

Staff member Elias is preparing a schedule of programs for the upcoming weeks, including information on OSHA training, Know Your Rights, wage theft, banking, alcoholism, and more. We are also looking for entertaining films in Spanish, as well as some educational videos. Contact us at info@communityoffriendsinaction.org if you have suggestions.

“The attached research paper is by Kevin M. Andreola Sanchez, son of Mario and Sonia Sanchez Andreola. Mario, an internationally known composer and classical guitarist, and Sonia are long-time friends of CoFiA. We are so proud of Kevin!

Kevin is 17 years old, was born in Argentina and came to the US in 1996. He and his family live in Leonia and he is a 12th grader at Leonia High School. In May of 2013 he and 38 other students from NJ were accepted to the New Jersey Scholar Program, where he did research on the topic “Immigration: Demographic Disaster or Cultural Re-Creator.” His project made a case for YouTube’s importance among individuals with immigrant backgrounds.”

A small raffle added to the fun

The special Fiesta lunch provided an opportunity to relax and chat

Guatemalan tortas provided by Vice-Chair Roni Colona were delicious!

The CoFiA lunch program New Year’s Fiesta welcomed almost 70 guests and a dozen volunteers. Guatemalan-style tamales from our favorite local restaurant, La Esquina Chapina, requested by guests the week before, were delicious! A small (free) raffle allowed people to draw for simple gifts and made the event even more festive. Warm coats from the current coat drive were available and much appreciated as the winter gets ever colder and work gets harder to find. Also much appreciated were phone cards. At the holiday season it is especially sad to be separated from friends and family back home–and the opportunity to have even a brief chat lifts the spirit.

Volunteers had a good time too! Everyone welcomes the opportunity to make a lonely time a little brighter for our friends.

The monthly general meeting of the Community of Friends in Action, Inc., will be on Thursday, January 2, 2014, at 7:30 at the Presbyterian Church in Leonia, 181 Fort Lee Road, Leonia. All are welcome as we review the year just ending and plan for 2014. Call or send us an email if you need a ride or have questions.

Members and friends of CoFiA gave generously to help our work throughout 2013, at the fiesta in October, the annual meeting in December, and on an ongoing basis.

We are very fortunate to have the support of many local institutions including the Community Chest of Leonia, The Presbyterian Church in Leonia, St. John’s Roman Catholic Church, the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood, the Ridgewood Clergy Council and others. Several individual donors have been especially generous this year, enabling us to continue our much-needed Monday Lunch Program, the wage theft effort, ESL, and more.

We welcome your contributions, large and small. Checks payable to CoFiA may be sent to us at P.O. Box 4188, 181 Fort Lee Road, Leonia, NJ 07605. And thank you!

p.s. As you know, CoFiA is a 501(c)3 organization, meaning you can take your gift off your taxes. There are still a few hours to make a donation that will be tax deductible in 2014!