And yet, many of the immigrant workers -- including undocumented workers -- who participated in recent demonstrations *in effect went on political strikes,* as the demonstrations fell on their work days. Some of them got fired as a result, and then communities pressured bosses to hire many of them back. That's more than you can say for American-born workers. I look forward to May Day this year!
Today -- as well as in the early twentieth century, the time of an upsurge in labor organizing -- the backbone of the labor movement in the United States is first-generation immigrant workers. That's because they have not been "Americanized" -- i.e., have yet to internalize the anti-worker American ideology -- yet. :->
>then
> perhaps replacing illegal immigration (cat and mouse games at border fences
> with cops) with legal immigration is the key. How to do this, if the current
> system of cops and fences isn't working?
Washington can and should legalize all undocumented workers already here and offer more visas and Green Cards to those who have yet to come. In addition, Washington can and should make it easier for workers to come _and go_ freely. A lot of people would want to come here, work some, go home, come again, go home again, etc. -- if entry and reentry weren't so difficult.
"Although border militarization had little effect on the probability of Mexicans migrating illegally, it did reduce the likelihood that they would return to their homeland. America's tougher line roughly tripled the average cost of getting across the border illegally; thus Mexicans who had run the gantlet at the border were more likely to hunker down and stay in the United States. My study has shown that in the early 1980's, about half of all undocumented Mexicans returned home within 12 months of entry, but by 2000 the rate of return migration stood at just 25 percent" (Douglas S. Massey, "The Wall That Keeps Illegal Workers In," <http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA081EF938540C778CDDAD0894DE404482>).
-- Yoshie <http://montages.blogspot.com/> <http://mrzine.org> <http://monthlyreview.org/>