The AFL-CIO and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network have joined together to fight for workers rights regardless of immigration status.
The San Francisco Chronicle said that AFL-CIO president John Sweeney said:
"Worker centers make good on the core American belief that even the shunned and excluded should and can fight back. It is a moral imperative that we do everything in our power to support the work of worker centers."
Sweeney sidestepped questions about aligning with workers who are not legally employable.
According to Janice Fine, professor of labor studies and employment relations at
An immediate benefit of the largely symbolic agreement for the union could be reducing the chance that day laborers would be inclined to cross picket lines.
But its long-term impact on federal immigration policy and the faltering national labor movement could be significant.
According to attorney and organizer of the San Francisco program, Rene Saucedo:
the pact gives day laborers a greater voice in
Steven Camarota, an opponent of immigration reform that would allow illegals to stay in the country said:
The AFL-CIO's decision to align itself with day laborers runs contrary to the tradition of the union movement, which has been to restrict the supply of workers and improve the plight of those working.
"Their position now seems to be they want to make life as easy as possible for those in the country illegally. Doesn't that make the problem worse by attracting more illegals and increasing the supply of labor still further?"
Will wonders never cease. This is what we are up against. We live in a world economy that refuses to recognize national borders and laws.
**This was a production of The Coalition Against Illegal Immigration (CAII). If you would like to participate, please go to the above link to learn more. Afterwards, email the coalition and let me know at what level you would like to participate.**
