The Immigrant Rights Movement in Los Angeles

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The Immigrant Rights Movement in Los Angeles
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Damon Winter, LAT, 5/1/06
Brian Chang, LAT, 5/1/06
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Immigration History

• America is a land of immigrants.
• More than 100 years ago, immigrants from Europe,
  including Ireland, Italy, Poland, and Russia,
  built some of the first unions.
• Today, most immigrants come from Latin America
  and Asia, and are following the tradition of
  working hard for low wages.

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• The 1990s witnessed the largest influx of
  immigrants during any period in American history.
  
• From 2000-2006, immigration accounted for
  approximately 45 of the change in the U.S.s
  population. Immigrants represent over 12 of all
  U.S. residents.
• Immigrants compose an increasingly large share of
  the U.S. labor force and a growing share of
  low-wage workers.
• In 2005, immigrants made up about 15 of the
  U.S. civilian labor force and 20 of low-wage
  workers.
• About 22 million, or 67.7 percent, of the
  foreign-born were in the U.S. labor force in
  2005.
• Between 2000 and 2004 immigrant workers
  constituted nearly half of the net increase in
  the U.S. labor force.

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Robert Gauthier, LA Times 5/1/2006
Region of Birth of Employed Foreign-Born Workers
in 2005 Mexico and Central America- 37 Asia-
26 Europe- 12 Caribbean- 9 South America-
7 Other Areas- 8 U.S Census Bureau,
2005
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• 89.7 new immigrants work in the private sector
  for wages and salaries.
• 28 of new immigrants work in the construction
  and manufacturing industries.
• Another 25 are employed in the
  leisure/hospitality and other services
  industries.

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• Of the 17.7 million foreign-born wage and salary
  workers in the United States, 1 in 10 are members
  of unions.
• The number of foreign-born union members has
  increased since 1996, while the number of
  native-born union members has declined since
  1996.

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Robert Gauthier, LA Times 5/1/2006
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AFL-CIOs Historic Decision to Support the Rights
of Immigrant Workers

• On February 16, 2000, the AFL-CIO's executive
  council unanimously called for
• (1) the repeal of employer sanctions
• (2) legalization for the millions undocumented
  immigrants in the US and
• (3) increased workplace protections for
  immigrants.

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• Linda Chavez-Thompson (2000) "Employers often
  knowingly hire workers who are undocumented, and
  then when workers seek to improve working
  conditions, employers manipulate the law to fire
  or intimidate workers. This subverts the intent
  of the law and lowers working standards for all
  workers. The law should criminalize employer
  behavior, not punish workers."

Rick Loomis, LA Times 5/1/06
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AFL-CIO Town Hall

• In June 2000 the Los Angeles labor movement
  organized a Town Hall on Immigrant Workers
  Rights at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.
• The Town Hall event drew national attention,
  filling the Sports Arena with 16,000 immigrants,
  while thousands more waited outside. This
  historic gathering helped to build a strong
  coalition between labor and immigrant rights
  groups.

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Immigrant Worker OrganizingTime Line

• 1986- Immigration Reform and Control Act Passed,
  the last major national immigration reform.
• 1988-1992- The Los Angeles labor movement
  launches the California Immigrant Workers
  Association (CIWA) to build an associate
  membership organization of immigrant workers
  linked to the labor movement.
• June 15, 1990- Justice for Janitors Campaign
  Janitors and supporters beaten in Century City
  during an organizing campaign. SEIU organizing
  campaign ended in a huge victory.
• July 1991- Following a wild cat strike at
  American Racing Equipment, 1200 immigrant workers
  join the International Association of Machinists
  (IAM), and win a contract.

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• 1992- Drywall Strike- Thousands of mostly
  immigrant workers from Mexico launch a massive
  strike among residential construction workers.
  2400 immigrant drywallers join the Carpenters
  Union- one of the largest organizing victories in
  the building trades in recent decades.
• 1994- March Against Prop 187- Over 100,000 people
  march in Downtown Los Angeles against
  anti-immigrant initiative, the largest immigrant
  rights rally in the country.
• 1999- 74,000 home care workers join SEIU 434B,
  the largest union victory in decades. Most are
  women, people of color, and immigrants.
• 2000- SEIU Justice for Janitors strike citywide.
  Their victory supports other contract campaigns.

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• February 2000- AFL-CIO changes immigration
  policy. Supports a new general amnesty, an end
  to employer sanctions and increased labor
  protections for immigrant workers.
• June 6, 2000- AFL-CIO Town Hall Meeting on
  Immigrant Workers Rights at Sports Arena
• Oct. 2003- Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride
• 2005- UNITE HERE organized hotel workers,
  demanding unified national contract expiration.
• 2006- Historic Immigrant Rights Marches
  throughout the country.

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Immigrants and Politics

• The large infusion of immigrants into the
  electoral arena has changed the political
  landscape.
• Especially since the Republican-sponsored
  anti-immigrant Proposition 187, immigrants have
  become citizens and registered to vote in record
  numbers.
• The immigrant vote has resulted in more victories
  for pro-labor, progressive candidates, and helped
  to transform California politics.

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Immigration Legislation

• In December 2005 the House of Representatives
  approved HR Bill 4437 which would have
  criminalized the status of millions of non-U.S.
  citizens, and imposed criminal sanctions on those
  who support undocumented immigrants.
• There are current debates on guest worker
  provisions, which would provide for limited
  rights for those with guest worker visas.
• Labor and immigrant rights groups are demanding
  legalization and a path to citizenship for all
  undocumented immigrants.

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We Are America Coalition

• A coalition made up of long-standing Los Angeles
  leaders and organizations in the immigrant
  rights, labor, faith-based, and advocacy
  communities.
• Basic Principles of the Coalition include
• Legalization with path to citizenship for hard
  working immigrants.
• An effective and workable visa program for future
  immigrants.
• Keep families together
• Protection of Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
  and no criminalization of immigrants, their
  families, or their allies.
• No to a border wall and increased militarization
  of the borders.

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