Thread: Exec Officer of NCOSH says INS Was Unfair/No Apology Ltr

For almost 30 years the Durham based non-profit group the North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Project (NCOSH) has worked to educate North Carolina workers on their rights to safe and healthy workplaces. We have dedicated substantial resources to conducting outreach to immigrant workers over the past 10 years.

It looks like you have about 50 fewer people to worry about. Concern yourself with CITIZENS, not criminals.

What a smacked butt!

AMEN! Non-profit my foot! It is just one of those bleeding heart groups that PITY those poor souls who have nothing so they break the law to come and take our jobs and this NON-PROFIT organization protects THEM. Wonder if they do anything to help protect CITIZENS?????? Sounds like a branch of the ACLU.

as i posted before the AFL-CIO was anti amnesty and anti Nafta 10 years ago.....while it is still anti CAFTA it supports a FULL AMNESTY! I am a union member and I want no amnesty and full DEPORTATIONS....the AFL says it changed its mind since if amnesty is given it can organize these illegals........I think the AFL-CIO changed its mind because one off the biggest unions within the AFL is the SEIU which is big in California and some of the leaders of the SEIU JANITOR section are HISPANIC CHICANO radicals....they have gotten the leadership of the AFL to do a flip flop....

ask the rank and file of the UAW and IAM and other unions and we would say NO AMNESTY! The unions are run by socialists remember? They are not Democratic!

It just boggles the mind to know that the UNIONS are actually aiding and abetting illegal immigration by trying to ORGANIZE these criminals. Now, THAT would cause huge problems! Can you imagine a UNIONIZED bunch of lawbreakers?? That just takes the cake! As you said--unions are socialist, not democratic. Forty years ago, my father who was in the textile business, said that unions would be the downfall of this country and, more and more, I am beginning to believe he had a whole lot of foresight. As long as unions keep demanding higher wages for their members, the more illegals will find the jobs that the companies can't afford to pay to the union members.

On the other hand---maybe we should WANT the unions to organize these illegals and start demanding more pay for them ergo freeing up some of those jobs for Americans!

LETTER FROM MS. Kaufman!!!

Thank you for your email. Firstly, in regard to referring to the agency as the INS, I was simply using the same term used in the AP wire story. I am aware that the agency name has changed and actually wondered myself why they used the old agency acronym. Secondly, as to your other point of my agency employing undocumented workers, We do not, and I am not clear as to what gave you that idea. We are a a non-profit organization dedicated to the goal of EDUCATING all workers of their rights under the OSH Act. We believe that it jeopardizes all workers in all workplaces (which now do contain both documented and undocumented workers) when people are unaware of hazardous conditions that exist and what they can do about it. Neither myself, nor my organization endorse any activity which is unlawful, but we can not escape the reality that undocumented workers are employed in North Carolina. Not only employed, but often employed in extremely dangerous jobs. Our state OSH plan applies to most private sector employment in the State and to all agencies of state and local government whether the employed were hired with legal documents or with out. Another point, which I did not write about in my letter to the editor, is the unscrupulous action of employers who hire undocumented workers. They are the ones who are breaking the law, and they usually do so on purpose. These employers use fear and intimidation to keep these workers employed at wages below minimum wage and offer no safety and health trainings. They are consistently able to get away with it because undocumented workers are too afraid to speak out. Again, I do not endorse unlawful activity, but again, I can not escape the reality that if you perform work in North Carolina you are covered under certain labor laws.
Please know that I understand the frustration you feel and the fear that comes with our countries porous border. I will be out of the office next week, but feel free to contact me I will check email and voice mail from the road.
Amy Kaufman
Executive Director

MY REPLY TO MS. KAUFMAN:

I don't think I implied that your AGENCY employed illegals. I only said that you were guilty of aiding and abetting lawbreakers if you knew that they were illegals and were keeping that from the proper authorities.

I do agree with one thing you stated and that was the EMPLOYERS are at fault as much as anyone but, that being the case, why are you not reporting the employers to ICE rather than slamming ICE for doing its job? It was your venom about ICE and how they arrested these lawbreakers that was WRONG. How did you think they could effectively do their job? Do you think the illegals would have shown up if ICE had told them why they were coming???

In order for this problem to be resolved we, as citizens of this state, MUST be vigilant and report any violations to the proper authorities. We certainly should not criticize ICE for actually trying to do something to stop this travesty.

Sincerely,

Ms. Kaufman corrects her error about INS as opposed to ICE!

I do have to apologize, i re-read the AP story that i referred to and
indeed they used the correct name of the ICE. I had been also reading a
memorandum of understanding between the INS and the National Labor
Relations Board, which i was considering using in my letter, and i must
have cut the wrong one in the final draft. Thanks for pointing it out.
Amy Kaufman

NCOSH
PO Box 2514
Durham, NC 27715
ph: 919-479-0514

THANK YOU BOOTSIE, FOR THE UPDATE! I'M GLAD YOU CARED ENOUGH TO KEEP ON TOP, AND KEEP US INFORMED.

You are very welcome, Butterbean. We need to get our little avatars together for play school!!!

Letter to the Editor Appearts Today:

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Article published Jul 18, 2005
State hires illegals


Editor: I have heard and read it all. Now, our state government is aiding and abetting the hiring of illegal immigrants. I refer to the arrest of 49 illegal immigrants carrying counterfeit identification several days ago working at, of all places, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.
These arrests were made by ICE and I actually observed the pictures of the arrests on television. What made me the sickest was that every single one of these illegals was laughing.
But the scenario gets worse. Articles have appeared in several state newspapers in which Allen McNeely, head of the Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Division, made the statement that "ICE has abused the trust that the department has tried to build with workers." He blasted ICE for enforcing the laws of our land. He accused ICE of setting these illegals up for arrest by calling a meeting for OSHA and offering them free donuts and coffee!
This, my friends, is what our taxes are going for. We are paying to employ people in our state government who defy the law in order to get cheap labor.
There are several reasons why this is such a travesty. First, these illegals are taking the jobs of legal North Carolina citizens at a time when we can ill-afford to lose any more jobs in this state. Even worse is that they were actually working at a secure government facility in our state. If 49 of these illegals could get jobs on our military bases, how difficult would it be for one terrorist to do the same?
I have contacted Cherie Berry, head of the North Carolina Department of Labor, and demanded answers. I also demanded that Mr. McNeely be fired for knowingly breaking the law. I would urge any of you who were concerned about this issue to contact Ms. Berry at cherie.berry@nclabor.com and make it known to her that you are no longer willing to sit back and watch our own state government steal jobs from North Carolinians. We are certainly not willing to observe the breaking of our laws by people that we are paying.