Thread: Unions want to bring illegal immigrants into fold

Think SEIU, AFL-CIO.... In a 180-degree shift from the past, they call for legalizing guest workers. But some unions disagree.


By DEVONA WALKER


Published: Wednesday, July 19, 2006 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, July 19, 2006 at 12:49 p.m.
( page all of 5 )

If you can't beat them, organize them.


BIG PLAYERSAmerican Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, AFL-CIO, a coalition of 53 unions.

Web site: www.aflcio.org.

Membership: 9 million.

Formed: 1955.

Stand on immigration: Favors legalization of undocumented workers and moderate use of guest workers.
_____

Change to Win Coalition, formed by a group of dissatisfied AFL-CIO unions. Change to Win is viewed as the more radical of the two, though their stands on immigration are similar.

Web site: www.changetowin.org.

Membership: 6 million.

Formed: 2005.

Stand on immigration: Favors legalization of undocumented workers and moderate use of guest workers.
_____

Internatio nal Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, IBEW

Web site: www.ibew.org.

Membership: 750,000.

Formed: 1891.

Stand on immigration: Undecided, but not in favor of legalization of undocumented workers at this point.
_____

Laborers International Union of North America, LIUNA

Web site: www.liuna.org.

Membership: 700,000.

Formed: 1903.

Stand on immigration: Favors legalization of undocumented workers.
_____

Service Employees International Union, SEIU

Web site: www.seiu.org

Membership: 1.8 million

Formed: 1921

Stand on immigration: Favors legalization of undocumented workers and guest worker programs.
_____

United Farm Workers of America, UFW

Web site: www.ufw.org.

Membership: Unclear.

Formed: 1962.

Stand on immigration: Favors legalization of undocumented workers and guest worker programs.

Source: Union Web sites

For decades, the nation's unions have regarded illegal immigrants -- willing to work for wages that union members won't -- as the paramount nail in the coffin for the labor movement. Guest worker programs have been characterized as the ultimate example of the plantation complex.

But now, with shrinking ranks, a magnified disconnect between leadership and rank-and-file members, globalization and a rapidly growing Latino work force, many unions are changing their tune, and hastily.

Some of the nation's largest labor organizations are calling for legalization of all the nation's undocumented workers and have conceded the guest worker issue.

"There is no good reason why any immigrant who comes to this country prepared to work, to pay taxes, and to abide by our laws and rules should be denied what has been offered to immigrants throughout our country's history -- a path to legal citizenship," said Ana Avendano, assistant general counsel for the AFL-CIO, which represents 53 unions nationally.

The AFL-CIO and the Change to Win coalition, collectively representing about 15 million workers, or about 12.7 percent of the U.S. labor force, say undocumented workers need to be brought into the fold.

That 180-degree shift in strategy provides a wealth of recruitment potential in bellwether states like Florida. Only about 6 percent of the Sunshine State's total work force is unionized. Only 2 percent of its all-important construction industry is organized compared with 13 percent nationwide.

But the unions' changing views have angered many of its members, especially workers on the front lines: manufacturing, transportation and the automotive industry.

Anti-immigration pundits say the phenomenon is indicative of unions' diminishing importance in 21st-century America and the groups' struggle to remain relevant.

A "cynical and desperate plea to get new customers" is how John Keeley describes it.

"Unions have diminished since the 1970s. I mean 'Look for the Union Label' doesn't have the same meaning anymore," said Keeley, a spokesman for the anti-immigration think tank the Center for Immigration Studies. "There's a real and growing splinter over the immigration issue. It's the ultimate reversal of policy."

"They've willingly surrendered on the driving issue of their formation."

Keeley maintains that it is philosophically and logistically impossible to simultaneously promote workers' rights and immigration.

Avendano acknowledges that there has been resistance to the AFL-CIO's stance.
"It is true that at the ground level there has been resistance, because the main tactic for corporations is to pit workers against each other," Avendano said. "At the end of the day, the fact that we are all workers here, we hope we will be able to overcome the division."

During the past few months, there has been continued squabbling between the Laborer's International Union of North America and the Service Employees International Union over guest worker visas.

Both are Change to Win coalition members.

In April, Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican and likely presidential candidate, was nearly booed off stage addressing several hundred AFL-CIO members when he suggested that immigrants were simply doing work that none of them wanted to do.

But not all unions that form the AFL-CIO agree with its position.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, among the largest of the AFL-CIO unions, is one. The IBEW represents about 750,000 members in utilities, construction, telecommunications, broadcasting, manufacturing, railroads, government and other job sectors.

"We are really struggling with immigration," spokesman Jim Spellane said.

"It's all beginning to be this one, seamless, endless factor. And there's a lot of economic insecurity, a lot of fear, and that's fueling the immigration debate right now."

Perhaps the deepest immigration rift surrounds the guest worker issue, with many unions conceding the point only as a last resort.

"Our mission was to mitigate damage at that point," Avendano said. "Our ultimate goal is to convert guest workers into citizens."

As strong as its weakest link

Southern states have never been fertile union ground.

That is particularly true in Florida, a place where many businesses have moved because of the lack of organized labor and low wages.

The only states with less union representation are the Carolinas, Utah, Idaho and Mississippi, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports.

Union workers on average earn about 16 percent more than non-union workers. Wages in Florida, though recently rising at a faster rate, still lag significantly behind the national average.

Unions could capitalize on those historical opportunities, making Florida a prime organizing target.

In addition to being virtually untapped territory, Florida also possesses rapidly growing immigrant numbers and growth in general, said Eliseo Medina, vice president of the SEIU, the service employees union.

Florida is the nation's fourth-largest state with nearly 18 million people.

"There's no question we are going to have to organize and bring immigrants into our ranks," Medina said. "If we don't, we are going to become irrelevant because we are not going to be representing the work force."

Medina thinks Florida's anti-union reputation is often overstated.

"I think the anti-union sentiment gets overblown, but the need -- and there is real need -- is not emphasized."

In June, about 100 University of Miami janitors won the right to join SEIU after a nine-week walkout at which students, clergy and community leaders joined striking janitors.

In Tampa, also last month, the IBEW won the right to represent workers at the Tampa operations of MasTec Inc., shoring up its ranks by 1,000 new members.

"In terms of demographics, growth and politics, Florida is the face of America's future," Spellane said.

"If you concede a state like that, you really put yourself at a disadvantage."

Ripe for Latino recruiting

Spellane points a number of factors that make Florida unique among Southern states and ripe for unionization, especially among Latinos:

Companies in the Sunshine State are experiencing ongoing labor shortages in skilled job sectors, providing workers with considerably more bargaining leverage.

Florida is home to a very large number of well-organized Hispanics. They are ethnically diverse, relatively skilled and working in many core job sectors where unions traditionally organize.

There are 3.25 million Hispanics in Florida. About 73 percent have at least a high school diploma; nationally that figure is only about 60 percent.

Nearly 90 percent of Florida's Hispanic population works in the private sector.

But regardless of the potential, making the union pitch will be no easy sell in Florida.

The most significant obstacle is the fact that Florida is a "right to work" state, meaning unions cannot compel anyone to pay dues.

Unions also have a somewhat checkered history with Latino immigrants, especially illegal immigrants. It is part of what makes the organizations' recent changing immigration views so surprising: Immigrant workers have been both ignored and denigrated by some unions for decades.

That issue is not going to be an easy hurdle to leap, said Enrique Gallardo, staff counsel for the Latino Issues Forum, a California-based public policy organization.

"There may be resistance because of the failure on the part of the unions to reach out to these communities," Gallardo said. "They've been exclusionary and have tried to reserve benefits only for their members."

Immigrants also might associate unions in the United States with those in Mexico, which were typically corrupt and run by the government, Gallardo said.

"I can see immigrants being afraid of organizing -- even those who have documents. There is a psychology of fear, of losing their status or being deported, or just losing their job. Many come from an environment where they are afraid to stick their necks out," Gallardo said. "And the unions in Mexico are so corrupt that it's not even correct to call them unions."

Despite those concerns, some unions already have convinced larger numbers of Hispanics to join the fold: the SEIU counts Hispanic immigrants as 25 percent of its membership.
In the final analysis, the numbers might be too big for unions to ignore: There are about 42 million Hispanics in the United States. Collectively they represent more than 40 percent of the growth in the U.S. labor market, the Pew Hispanic Center reports.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20 ... l&tc=pgall

I don't think the United Farmworkers actually has recognized collective bargaining rights. Their tactic has been that of media and consumer campaigns.

The more technical and highly skilled unions have a much dimmer view on illegal immigration, Groups like the Machinists and Aerospace workers usually oppose it.

Originally Posted by Captainron

I don't think the United Farmworkers actually has recognized collective bargaining rights. Their tactic has been that of media and consumer campaigns.

The more technical and highly skilled unions have a much dimmer view on illegal immigration, Groups like the Machinists and Aerospace workers usually oppose it.

I have been a union plumber for almost 30 years. The AFL-CIO has become my enemy. They have turned traitor to their own AMERICAN BROTHERS. They are disgusting...

American workers should dump the unions and let them have their illegals. When unions no longer protect their members (American workers), then they are moot. Boot the moot!

Originally Posted by IndianaJones

American workers should dump the unions and let them have their illegals. When unions no longer protect their members (American workers), then they are moot. Boot the moot!

Union local 525 Plumbers In Nevada were bringing In Illegals with fake papers when the strip was booming. Many unqualified and had major language barriers. One of the failed buildings on the City Center project was a result of unqualified workers that could not read blueprints or even understand ENGLISH ! There was more spanish spoken on the job than ENGLISH !!

It is all about Union dues to keep the organizers paid.

The problem is that illegals have gained management positions within some of the unions. That is why they want to bring illegals "into the fold." Illegals are not in the best interest of the unions or union workers. It takes away their power to negotiate good wages. Bosses know that illegals wont complain because they are afraid. So the unions get weaker and weaker when they have illegals in their ranks.

Originally Posted by IndianaJones

American workers should dump the unions and let them have their illegals. When unions no longer protect their members (American workers), then they are moot. Boot the moot!

Or Americans could join the IBEW, it seems they oppose amnesty.

DEPORT ALL ILLEGAL ALIENS. THEY ENTER THIS COUNTRY WITHOUT VISAS OR OVERSTAY. THEREFORE, THEY HAVE TO BE DEPORTED NOW. NO AMNESTY NEVER. WE SUPPORT SB 1070 ACROSS THIS NATION.

Originally Posted by redpony353

The problem is that illegals have gained management positions within some of the unions. That is why they want to bring illegals "into the fold." Illegals are not in the best interest of the unions or union workers. It takes away their power to negotiate good wages. Bosses know that illegals wont complain because they are afraid. So the unions get weaker and weaker when they have illegals in their ranks.

Some unions went through a big decision making process about illegals, and clearly made the wrong decision back in the '80s. When Reagan pushed amnesty, it was to break unions, and unions thought amnesty for illegals would counter that by swelling their ranks. Big mistake that seemed right then, and same mistake now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigratio ... ct_of_1986

"Effect upon the labor market
According to one study, the IRCA caused some employers to discriminate against workers who appeared foreign, resulting in a small reduction in overall Hispanic employment. There is zero statistical evidence that a reduction in employment correlated to unemployment in the economy as a whole or was separate from the general unemployment population statistics.[2] Another study stated that if hired, wages were being lowered to compensate employers for the perceived risk of hiring foreigners.[3]

The hiring process also changed as employers turned to indirect hiring through subcontractors. "Under a subcontracting agreement, a U.S. citizen or resident alien contractually agrees with an employer to provide a specific number of workers for a certain period of time to undertake a defined task at a fixed rate of pay per worker".[3] "By using a subcontractor the firm is not held liable since the workers are not employees. The use of a subcontractor decreases a worker's wages since a portion is kept by the subcontractor. This indirect hiring is imposed on everyone regardless of legality".[3]