Migrant Legal Aid Grand Rapids
Student duties: As a summer intern, you will go to migrant shelters at least 2 days a week. These are 8-hour days. They will also answer the phone and talk to potential and current customers. Other work includes preparing for bi-weekly outreach trips – research on harvest times, worker arrival times, etc. Migrant and seasonal workers are vital to Michigan`s community and economy. However, these important workers are often abused and exploited. Our mission is to protect their legal rights. Our experienced lawyers represent eligible migrant and seasonal workers in agriculture free of charge. We handle a wide range of legal issues and guide our clients through these complex issues, helping them understand their rights and remedy injustices. Migrant Legal Aid is a non-profit organization that has been campaigning for migrant workers` rights since 1973. We recognize the importance of migrant and seasonal workers and fight for their human dignity. This includes defending their right to adequate housing, safe working conditions and a fair wage. Wages are directly linked to the basic human needs of migrants, so it is crucial to maintain decent and fair wages.
Legal aid for migrants is a powerful resource for ensuring equal treatment under federal and state law. Michigan Migrant Legal Assistance Project, Inc. (Migrant Legal Aid) helps ensure equal rights for low-income Michigan farm workers and their families. Migrant Legal Aid offers programs and services to ensure that migrants are not discriminated against. These programmes include legal training for migrants and community leaders; outreach services in camps where migrants are housed; and legal advice for migrants on employment, minimum wage, the right to adequate housing, education, health and public services, civil rights and labour protection. Our team promotes litigation and policies to help migrant and seasonal workers. We also provide education and awareness in shelters for migrant workers, empowering workers and helping them fight injustice and inequality. In addition to managing the individual and collective actions of migrant workers, Migrant Legal Aid manages several programs focused on worker health and safety. Site Description: Migrant Legal Aid`s mission is to “strengthen justice to protect the dignity, health and livelihoods of migrant workers”. Our goals are to address the needs of migrant workers in agriculture through awareness raising and education, advocacy and direct representation that protects their wages and civil rights and enhances health and safety in their working and living conditions. MLA has been advocating for migrant workers in Michigan since 1973.
Throughout our history, we have advocated for and guided changes in policies and laws that favor agricultural workers, represented workers in courts and administrative proceedings, set precedents for legal decisions, trained community lawyers, and worked with migrant service providers throughout Michigan. Student duties: As a summer intern, you will go to migrant shelters at least 2 days a week. These are 8-hour days. They will also answer the phone and talk to potential and current customers. Other work includes preparing for bi-weekly outreach trips – research on harvest times, worker arrival times, etc. This will likely require research for many of our active cases, and you can help our lawyers prepare for court/mediation proceedings, depending on the timing of the case. There are hundreds of working apartments in Michigan. Legal aid for migrants is committed to providing safe living and working conditions. Address: 1104 Fuller Avenue Northeast Grand Rapids, MI 49503 Michigan Social issues: legal advice and advocacy Immigration / Migration Transport: Each student must provide their own transportation Location data: Every 8 consecutive weeks between May 16 and August 12, 23/05/22 – 15/07/22, 30/05/22 – 22/07/22, 22/06/22 – 29/07/22, 13/06/22 – 05/08/22 As a signatory to our pledge, we give you the right to use the Fair Food seal on your products to show the public that you are actively defending the rights of these workers and that you are interested in social justice. Your financial support goes directly to programs and projects that support vulnerable workers. Driver`s license required: Yes – we have a minivan that we use for public relations and students may sometimes be asked to drive We are always looking for volunteers who can help us advance our mission. The Michigan Fair Food Project is a partnership between Migrant Legal Aid, food producers, retailers and employers for fair and ethical treatment of agricultural workers.
Partnership allows for the active resolution of disputes between all parties involved and the rapid resolution of emerging issues. On-site accommodation: Students live with local family or with an alumni host family – public transport is available depending on where the student lives. Our team helps uncover violations of state and federal safety laws regarding access to restrooms and drinking water and combat inappropriate pesticide use. After escaping human trafficking in Michigan, a man is reunited with his daughter. Learn more about what Migrant Legal Aid is doing to prevent human and labor trafficking in Michigan. This will likely require research for many of our active cases, and you can help our lawyers prepare for court/mediation proceedings, depending on the timing of the case.