Mario is a senior at the University of Maine. He’s majoring in International Affairs with a concentration in cultural anthropology. He’s a founding member and the Co-Chairman of Student Labor Action Project, an affiliate of Jobs with Justice. Presently he’s also an intern at Food AND Medicine, where he organized the July 4th Solidarity Celebration. In sum, Mario is a dedicated labor activist.
As their first campaign SLAP chose to take on the fight for the Employee Free Choice Act. They had an uphill battle after the election season advertisements. To counter the lies spread about the Act, they tabled, flyered, petitioned and talked to their peers for days on end. Mario and other SLAP members also wrote editorials, letters and held actions. Among the actions they took were teach-in, and petition drives. With the help of Food AND Medicine, Mario and the rest of SLAP even organized a lecture by Barbara Ehrenreich.
When asked why he got involved with the labor movement. Mario cited his own experience as a worker, his father’s union membership and his study of social justice. He concluded the interview saying "It’s really important for students to get involved with labor and it’s vital for union’s to engage students."
To see more updates on the fight for worker's rights in Maine visit the Maine AFL-CIO Blog