Plan for May 1 boycott by migrants tempered

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepubli ... t0419.html
Daniel González and Carol Sowers
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 19, 2006 12:00 AM

Immigrant rights advocates in the Valley have backed off plans to support a nationwide worker boycott slated for May 1 to call attention to the economic importance of undocumented immigrants.

Organizers fear too many participants could lose their jobs and are concerned an economic boycott could alienate employers and fuel a backlash undermining any gains made after the massive April 10 march and rally in Phoenix that drew more than 100,000 supporters, many of them undocumented immigrant workers.

"We know that immigrants work very hard to support their families, and some have been warned not to take more time off of work," said Joel Foster of Somos America, the coalition of Valley groups that organized the April 10 demonstration. advertisement




Instead, organizers plan to promote alternative actions, including a candlelight vigil, a prayer vigil and possibly a human chain. The actions are all aimed at "celebrating the contributions of immigrant workers" and maintaining the demonstration's momentum, said organizer Lydia Hernandez.

Organizers met Monday, and "99 percent" agreed a May 1 boycott would be premature considering the U.S. Senate hasn't settled on an immigration bill.

"They want to keep the boycott as a last resort," Hernandez said.

Calls for workers and students to stay home and not spend money on May 1, International Workers Day, as part of a nationwide economic boycott intensified over the past week after a series of massive protests staged in cities across the country drew hundreds of thousands of people demanding federal legislation allowing undocumented immigrants to earn legal status.

The boycott threatened to cripple industries that depend heavily on immigrant workers, including the construction, restaurant and hospitality industries. Some billed the boycott "a day without an immigrant" to protest a tough bill passed by the House in December that would turn undocumented immigrants into felons. Support for the boycott, however, now appears to have fizzled.

Former state senator and organizer Alfredo Gutierrez said he agrees with Somos America's stance on the worker boycott but added that not spending money could help keep attention focused on immigration reform.

Although some leaders in Los Angeles have vowed to go forward, Cardinal Roger Mahoney, leader of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, this week urged workers not to participate. Today in Washington, D.C., immigrant rights advocates who coordinated the April 10 demonstrations nationwide also plan to announce they support more actions on May 1 but not a boycott.

"There is some concern there might be a backlash," said Germonique Jonesof the Center for Community Change, an immigrant rights group in Washington, D.C.

Geoff Jacobs, a Paradise Valley resident who develops commercial property, said he sympathizes with undocumented workers but agreed a boycott could cause a backlash.



"The rallies made us think about immigration reform," he said. "But the boycott could erode any goodwill that they have gained."

Many workers who took part in the April 10 demonstration also missed work to march in a smaller March 24 protest.

Juan Salto, a 32-year-old factory worker who is undocumented, said he marched in the April 10 demonstration but disagreed with the May 1 boycott.

"If you don't show up for work, you can get in trouble with your boss," Salto said.