Till recently, unions were largely anti-immigrant, and some of them were *spearheading efforts to deport them* as late as 15 years ago: "Some 15 years ago, roofer James Hadel was videotaping Hispanic immigrants on construction sites in Kansas City, with the aim of getting them deported. 'We were looking at the Hispanic worker as our enemy,' says Mr. Hadel, now vice president of the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers. These days, he's trying to sign them up" (Miriam Jordan/Wall Street Journalm "Carpenters' Union Seeks Immigrants to Spur Clout," 15 December 2005, <http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05349/622924.stm>). Unions have changed for the better on this as far as the official positions are concerned, but pro-immigrant union staffers and activists aren't necessarily able to mobilize their members for immigrant rights: "At a carpenters' union hall here one recent evening, union organizer Ernesto Belo found himself facing resistance from some veteran carpenters, who questioned the wisdom of embracing workers long willing to settle for lower wages. Mr. Belo grew angry with the skeptics. 'These are the guys working,' he shouted. 'Your average white kid isn't coming into construction. We need the immigrant workers. Accept that -- or the union dies'" (Miriam Jordan/Wall Street Journalm "Carpenters' Union Seeks Immigrants to Spur Clout," 15 December 2005, <http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05349/622924.stm>).
Mike advocates sanctions on employers for hiring undocumented workers: "If U.S. citizens had to present their U.S. Passports to an employer and that employer faced a five year stretch in a nasty Federal pen for violating that passport check, well...."; and "Punitive measures would need to be focused on them, not the working class, who only have their skills and time to sell to make a living."
That's not in the interest of undocumented workers, nor is it in the interest of the labor movement: punishing employers for hiring undocumented workers effectively punishes undocumented workers and unions that need them to grow.
Bitch | Lab wrote: "I don't know what else we -- little people -- can do to make 'the left' give a crap about disability issues. Unfortunately, we have limited time and energy. And, like Carl says, 'feeling sad' about one another's behavior amounts to diddly suqat. But, so too, does wagging one's finger and saying, 'You dumb ass, you're doing what "they" (capital) wants.'"
Well, solidarity is a *two-way street.* The position that immigrants "take jobs" from Americans, immigrants cost American taxpayers too much, immigrants bring scary diseases to America, countries that send immigrants to America should pay their medical costs to it, immigrants ought to all speak English as soon as they get here, etc. gets NO support from me. Such a position has NO place in the left, REGARDLESS of the reason why a person comes to such a position. That you are beaten up by bosses isn't a good reason for you to beat up another person of your class.
-- Yoshie <http://montages.blogspot.com/> <http://mrzine.org> <http://monthlyreview.org/>