Thread: Saturday conference hopes to spark May Day march

BY FERNANDO DIAZ / Staff Writer

March 06, 2009 | 5:20 PM
Chicago labor and immigrants' right activists will gather tomorrow on the South Side to begin preparing for a possible May 1 march in support of workers.

"May 1 is celebrated all over the world, except here," says Martin Unzueta, an organizer for the Chicago Workers Collaborative.

Previously, Chicago was home to large-scale immigration marches on March 10. The collaborative is working with organizers of those events to hold a combined march on May Day.

The groups are particularly concerned about the plight of workers because of the recession. The economy shed 651,000 jobs in February, bringing the total number of unemployed workers to 12.5 million.

Tomorrow's event will take place at Azteca Mall, 3200 S. Kedzie Ave. It will include panels on health, education and housing issues. Workers from United Electrical Workers Local 1110 are also expected to attend and discuss their successful efforts to secure benefits and wages from now-defunct Republic Windows and Doors.

Orlando Sepulveda, an activist who helped coordinate the forum, says it's critical for workers to connect immigration, the economy and health care, in order to revive the movement toward comprehensive immigration reform.

But it is unclear how the May 1 plan will play out. Sepulveda says plans are still underway, but the March 10 organizers have not committed to particpating yet.

"We hope to come away with a plan," says Sepulveda.

Mark Meinster, international organizer with United Electrical Workers, is among the panelists and will discuss the impact of the economic recession on local workers.

"We are living in a time where all workers are feeling economic insecurities," says Meinster, "whether at home through foreclosure or at work through layoffs."

Staff Writer Fernando Diaz covers labor and unions for the Daily News. He can be reached at 773.362.5002, ext. 14.

This is from chi-town daily news dot org. I didn't want to post the link here because I thought I read that that promotes their crummy, racist website. If the link is needed, let me know and I'll post it.

Orlando Sepulveda, an activist who helped coordinate the forum, says it's critical for workers to connect immigration, the economy and health care, in order to revive the movement toward comprehensive immigration reform.

If this "activist" would stop and think . . . illegal immigration severely impacts the economy and healthcare in a negative manner. Linking immigration with these issues would stop CIR in its tracks.

Sure hope they march on May 1. American voters would be even more ticked off. "Demand, demand, demand" doesn't go over well when legal immigrants and citizens are suffering.

Immigrants rights? Or illegals so-called rights?

Legal immigrants already have the same rights as you or I have. You see there is a reason as to why illegals do not have the same rights as a legal immigrant. It's because they have broken our laws and are not entitled to any of those so called rights they are always demanding.

Illegal invader advocates know this and is why they choose to use the all encompassing term immigrants when they hold their pep rallys! Not only are illegal invaders dishonest, but so are those who advocate on their behalf!

PatrioticMe wrote:

This is from chi-town daily news dot org. I didn't want to post the link here because I thought I read that that promotes their crummy, racist website. If the link is needed, let me know and I'll post it.

I would like to see the link. It is standard procedure to provide links when available. Some of us utilize information gathered from ALIPAC in our other writings and a legitimate link provides us with credibility.

Originally Posted by MW

PatrioticMe wrote:

This is from chi-town daily news dot org. I didn't want to post the link here because I thought I read that that promotes their crummy, racist website. If the link is needed, let me know and I'll post it.

I would like to see the link. It is standard procedure to provide links when available. Some of us utilize information gathered from ALIPAC in our other writings and a legitimate link provides us with credibility.

I disagree. Don't give this site or our opposition any further exposure. They don't need their search rankings raised. You can always google the words from the article to find it easily if you don't know how to put the words together to make the link work.

Originally Posted by MW

PatrioticMe wrote:

This is from chi-town daily news dot org. I didn't want to post the link here because I thought I read that that promotes their crummy, racist website. If the link is needed, let me know and I'll post it.

I would like to see the link. It is standard procedure to provide links when available. Some of us utilize information gathered from ALIPAC in our other writings and a legitimate link provides us with credibility.

I would be happy to PM you the link or I can post it here....someone let me know what's best, please.

PatrioticMe wrote:

I would be happy to PM you the link or I can post it here....someone let me know what's best, please.

Why would you fear posting the link? The link needs to be made available to everyone, not just me. Thanks.

Mayday wrote:

I disagree. Don't give this site or our opposition any further exposure.

I understand where you're coming from, Mayday. However, to my knowledge, links are required on ALIPAC when available. Moreover, what you're advocating for is hiding the truth. Folks need to be aware of where this kind of stuff is coming from. Transparency is the best policy, regardless of what our government thinks.

Please post link to article.

Hi. I'm new and joined up after reading a lot of stuff from here and also because I'm specifically looking to see if anyone is organizing any type of march on DC to protest the jobs being filled by illegal aliens as American workers go unemployed? I'm really stunned that a march hasn't happened yet with things going the way they are right now in this country.