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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (June 21, 2013)
AFL-CIO’s Trumka, SEIU’s Henry touch off big immigration push WASHINGTON, D.C. (PAI) — Backed by strong statements from AFL- CIO President Richard Trumka and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President Mary Kay Henry, dozens of local union leaders from around the nation descended on Capitol Hill starting June 11 for a big push for comprehensive immigration reform. They lobbied lawmakers to create a 13-year path to admission and eventual citizenship of undocumented people in the U.S., plus stronger enforcement along the U.S.-Mexico border and a strong employment verification system. Their campaign came as senators be- gan work on legislation along those lines, which President Barack Obama backs. Senate leaders want to approve an immigration reform bill by July 4. The federation also sent activists to offices of 27 senators nationwide. Trumka and Henry helped launch the latest drive at a White House press conference on June 11, after Obama made the point that employers who ex- ploit undocumented workers hurt all workers. “Right now, our immigration system has no credible way of dealing with the 11 million men and women who are in this country illegally,” Obama said. “And, yes, they broke the rules; they did- n’t wait their turn. They shouldn’t be let off easy. They shouldn’t be allowed to game the system. But at the same time, the vast majority of these individuals aren’t looking for any trouble. They’re just looking to provide for their families, contribute to their communities. “Too often, they’re forced to do what they do in a shadow economy where shady employers can exploit them by paying less than the minimum wage, Make your union-made sundae using these products from members of United Food & Commercial Workers; the Machinists Union; Teamsters; the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco and Grain MIllers Union; and the United Auto Workers. JUNE 21, 2013 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS making them work without overtime, not giving them any benefits. That pushes down standards for all workers,” Obama continued. “It’s bad for every- body. Because all the businesses that do play by the rules, that hire people legally, that pay them fairly, they’re at a competitive disadvantage. American workers end up being at a competitive disadvantage. It’s not fair. But that’s the broken system that we have today.” That’s one big reason that organized labor strongly backs immigration re- form. Analysis of the proposed legisla- tion shows it would immediately bring undocumented workers, the majority of the 11 million undocumented overall, under U.S. labor laws, including the Na- tional Labor Relations Act and its right to organize, even before they seek per- manent citizenship. “What you see here is probably the broadest coalition of American society that’s been assembled,” Trumka said. “You have business, you have labor, you have law enforcement, you have entre- preneurs — we have groups from all over the place, and we all agree on sev- eral things. We all agree, one, that the system is broken; two, that we need comprehensive immigration reform and we need it now. “It will be good for not only new- comers or immigrants, but it will be good for every worker,” Trumka contin- ued. “It will be good for business. It will be good for the economy. And that’s why all of us have come together to try to push and get this thing done this year. Because every day that we wait is a day wasted and a day that we’ve lost, a day that the economy won’t grow.” “We want to be able to restore eco- nomic fairness across this economy,” said SEIU’s Henry, whose union in- cludes tens of thousands of immigrant workers. “We stand proudly with the rest of the sectors from all across the walks of life represented here to insist that the Senate needs to move this now.” SEIU also took to the media to push senators to approve immigration re- form. Starting June 11, it spent more than $1 million to buy advertising on national cable television networks, urg- ing constituents to call their senators and advocate for the bill. The ads fea- ture law enforcement officials, small business owners, veterans, youngsters called Dreamers, who were brought to the U.S. as children, and Republican voters who call on the Senate to act. However, presidents of two sectors of the American Federation of Govern- ment Employees (AFGE) oppose such legislation. Kenneth Palinkas, who rep- resents federal law enforcement offi- cers, and Chris Crane, who represents Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, say enforcement isn’t strong enough. “There has been much public concern over the fact that the legaliza- tion occurs prior to any border enforce- ment,” Palinkas said. “History tells us future promises will not be kept and that our border agents will be left high and dry by the executive branch as they have so many times before, regardless of who writes the plan.” PAGE 7
