Thread: Labor agreement could backfire on immigration reform

Labor agreement could backfire on immigration reform

By Jared Allen
Posted: 04/18/09 11:01 AM [ET]

Organized labor’s new unified front in support of comprehensive immigration reform could disrupt what’s left of the delicate bipartisan balance on one of the most politically charged issues in Congress.

Earlier this week, labor celebrated the coming together behind a single set of immigration reform principles after years of being at odds with itself over various parts of a planned immigration overhaul.

But that unity could have the unintended consequence of driving a wedge between Democrats and those few Republicans whose support will be critical to getting a major immigration reform bill through the Senate – and could even prevent such a bill from having bipartisan support in the House.

“The current plan being developed by the administration and organized labor calls for immigration reform that does not adequately address either securing the border or a legal temporary worker program and is a plan I cannot support,â€

Well, as the daughter of a union boilermaker, let me say, this sucks hind tit. How dare a union use the influence of American Workers to sell out this country to illegal aliens?!! How dare you, you low-life pond-scum nut-sucking traitors!! How dare you!!

I've supported unions all my life. No more! Either you fight for American labor and civil rights law to further the interests of American Workers, or you stay home and keep your filthy treasonous incestuous mouths shut.

How dare you spit on the American Worker, the American People, American Jobs for American Workers and stand against all we hold dear?!

You people make me want to puke. Wake Up Union Members, you're being sold out by your own freakin' union! Call a meeting and tell these pond-scum traitors, YOU'RE FIRED, and get some union leadership in there that gives at least 2 damns about you and at least 1 hoot about your country.

Holy Smokes! What are you knuckle-heads thinking??!!

Swear to God, my dad is rolling over in his grave and if he could he'd rise up from it and march into a union hall and kick your dumb asses to hell and back. And my Dad was not a violent man.

All these well-funded special interests conspiring to sell out Americans workers and our sovereignty. Well I have news for them, WE will do whatever it takes to make OUR voice heard -- the voices of the vast majority of Americans who reject "comprehensive" "pathway" amnesty.

In my generation, I have never seen unions in a good light, they have always been simply political institutions jockeying for power, nothing more.

This certainly locks that into my mind now.

We have each other people, but we simply cannot count on much else. But what they forget is that there are millions of us and we are sick of the rhetoric and lies and are taking matters into our won hands and will vote out and call down any politician who thinks they are going to give our country away to anyone they think will be the new block of easily led voters.

NO, not happening!

Originally Posted by Populist

All these well-funded special interests conspiring to sell out Americans workers and our sovereignty. Well I have news for them, WE will do whatever it takes to make OUR voice heard -- the voices of the vast majority of Americans who reject "comprehensive" "pathway" amnesty.

...... don't forget the dream amnesty!

My father was a union member as well. There was a time when it did good things for American workers....but not anymore. Seems they'd do better to head off to Mexico, China and everywhere else and start fighting for them and their jobs, instead of making it impossible for us to compete in a global market and handing over our jobs to every newbi comming in.

They have outlived their usefullness here, and are doing more damage than good. What a better way for us to get on an even scale if they'd go elsewhere and start fighting for fair wages, human rights, and such in other countries, instead of stripping us to nothing.

Right On, Everyone! If unions here aren't protecting our jobs for Americans, then they need to move on over there!

I know the older generations of men in my family have always been adamant supporters of unions, but the younger men and many of the women are not. They just simply do not, just as with our elected officials, represent us anymore.

why is it assumed so frequently that "legalization" also means citizenship ?

Even if we really "need" more cheap labor immigrants, keep them away from citizenship, especially since most of them are also citizens of another country... dual citizenship in my view means not-loyal ... the only people who insist of citizenship are the Latino politicians who obviously are convinced they can't get elected without millions more Latino-American citizens....

in the case of the Mexican-American dual citizens, they are exhorted by their government to vote Mexican interests in US elections.... Let's deny Mexico that leverage in our government.... extended by denying children of illegals citizenship as well... for at least one generation. Then you'll see a big drop in birth rates among immigrants...

then of course since most of the illegals are Mexican or Latino, the current immigration chaos amounts to DE FACTO DISCRIMINATION against all other potential immigrants; the current policies in fact favor Mexicans. Why should we allow that?

And of course Unions, especially service unions, need more members who will toe the line, so they are for bringing all those involuntary dues-paying members...

I come from the airline industry, so my impression of unions are negative. The pilots were the worst. They make 6 figures MINIMUM at the airline I was at, and they thought they needed more money without a care in the world about my job or the jobs of thousands of employees that don't make 6 figures, and live in giant homes with Beamers and Benz' in the driveway.

Also, the guys that work on the ramp are union. Later in my career, I worked for another airline in operations and my gate was right next to my former airline. As someone that did tons of travel, I always wondered why if the flight arrived 30 minutes early, why did we have to wait at the gate for 30 minutes until the ramp guys brought the plane up to the jetway? Well, come to find out, the union contract stated that they don't have to park the plane early, but they are welcomed to do so. So I would sit there and watch these guys play poker in the ops office while a plane was just sitting there waiting on them, and when they decided to they parked it. I don't know about other unions, but I can say that I hate airline unions.