Filipino fishermen allegedly abandoned on Washington Coast
The “United Six.” Image: justiceforunited6/Instagram
The basic rights of workers, regardless of immigration status, must be respected and upheld. Sadly, this was not the case for two dozen Filipino fishermen working at the Westport Marina on the Washington Coast, whose labor rights have allegedly been violated.
The plight of Norberto Cabrela and 23 other Filipino fishermen has demonstrated the isolation and vulnerability that foreign fishing workers face when working offshore, according to labor experts.
US officials are currently investigating their employer, California-based McAdam’s Fish, of abandonment and wage theft.
What started as a hopeful odyssey for the overseas Filipino workers, seeking to provide a better life for their families back home, turned into months of abandonment.
The fishing vessel felt more like a prison cell than a workplace, according to the workers, who were allegedly left stranded for several months aboard Svetlana M at Westport Marina on the Washington Coast.
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Left without pay or US visa, the workers said they could not leave the ship without fear of fines and detention by US Customs and Border Enforcement.
Cabrela’s plea to return home, sparked by his wife’s emergency childbirth, was denied. Their employer holds the key to their return back home, but remains unyielding, citing logistical issues with customs’ regulations.
“It is very difficult to send people home at this time,” Rob McAdam said in his reply to Cabrera’s request to return home, citing customs regulations.
Labor experts have underscored the vulnerability of foreign fishermen working offshore, particularly the undocumented.
Svetlana M and other vessels operated by McAdam’s Fish have been categorized on the list of international labor rights watchdogs as abandoned.
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Fighting for their rights
Migrante Seattle, a community of Filipino Americans in Western Washington, brought the workers’ condition to light, leading to an investigation by the US Department of Homeland Security.
While most of the workers returned home, Cabrera and five of his colleagues, calling themselves the “United Six,” opted to stay and seek justice.
Cyrus Donato, inspector for the International Transport Workers’ Federation, noted, “These fishermen (could not) physically step off onto the pier because they’re violating their visa or their lack of a visa, their lack of a status.”
The 2021 US Department of Justice report paints a grim picture of rampant labor abuses in the international fishing industry.
On Feb. 8, 2024, half of the unpaid wages (still short of $3,000 and $5,600) finally came through — over a month following US Homeland Security’s boat raids.
One of the six fishermen, Albert Docuyan, spoke during a recent community forum. “We want to expose these companies so we can get justice and prevent the separation of other Filipino families like what happened (to us),” he said.
Now settled near Seattle Park, the “United Six” awaits the outcome of their fight for justice, hoping to end human trafficking and the exploitation of Filipino labor.
Those who want to support the “United Six” campaign are encouraged to follow the campaign’s social media and to sign the community petition linked here.
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