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Immigrant Union Membership Grew 30 Percent in Last Decade
Much of the growth in the union movement over the past decade has been due to an influx of immigrant workers. The number of immigrant workers who are union members grew by 30 percent from 1996 to 2006. At the same time, the number of native-born union members decreased by some 9 percent.
A new analysis of census data by the Migration Information Source shows in 2006, foreign-born immigrants made up 15 percent of the U.S. workforce and 12.3 percent (1.9 million) of union members. Nearly one in 10 foreign-born workers was a union member in 2006.
The analysis found that the percentages of foreign-born workers in all sectors of the economy have increased since 2003. In that three year-period, for example, the percentage of immigrant workers in construction jumped from 21.5 percent to 26.9 percent and in agriculture-related industries from 32.7 percent to 34.5 percent.
The growing number of immigrant union members is testimony to the key role that unions can play in securing a better life for immigrant workers, AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Linda Chavez-Thompson says:
Among all workers in America, union workers earn 30 percent more than nonunion workers, but among Latino workers, the advantage of being in the union is even greater than that—46 percent. And, of course, that doesn’t even count the fact that when you’re in the union, you’re much more likely to have the health insurance you need and a pension you can count on.
Nonunion workers don’t have any way of fighting back and asserting their rights, but union members do.
So do immigrants need unions as much as other workers? No—they need them more. For other workers, the union may be their best recourse. For many immigrants, it may be their only recourse.
As part of its policy for comprehensive immigration reform, the AFL-CIO has called for full workplace rights for immigrant workers, including the freedom to organize and protections for whistle-blowers.
Click here to read the full report by the Migration Information Source.
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8 Comments
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I’m all for union representation for American workers. That is, as long as the workers are LEGAL! Illegals need NOT apply.
Being a Business rep for a construction union I find a large percent of the non union stealing my American union members jobs are recent immigrants. Most likely illegals that over stayed their visas. The AFL-CIO is not representing their members by encouraging amnesty for these criminal aliens. American first, union second, our future depends on it!
Hmmm… I’m not sure if that statement really says what’s going on, because it just repeats the results.
There’s a report out by the California Budget Project that says there’s a wage gap that’s growing, and at the lower end, you’ve pretty much got your low-wage service jobs that are often done by immigrants or people of color. At the upper end, you have the managerial and technical jobs. There’s less and less in between.
It could be that the native born are pushing growth in the upper incomes, or becoming middle-income managers (of immigrants). The immigrants are getting organized by service unions, who have focused on organizing the immigrant and service workforce. (And the traditionally unionized industries haven’t been organizing immigrants as hard.)
That’s just one possible explanation. It could also be that the immigrant workforce is, as always, growing and aging, and advancing into jobs in organized workplaces, which tend to be larger and more corporate.
It could be that the H1B and other visa programs for engineers has been going on for a while, and more and more people are becoming residents, allowing them to switch jobs, and take unionized positions.
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There are no anti immigrant laws that I am aware of, in fact the US welcomes more immigrants per year than any other country. Immigrants have always been an important part of America and the labor movement. The laws that are being enacted are in most part designed to limit government services to ‘illegal immigrants’ that have no right to be here in the first place.
Can anyone name an anti ‘legal’ immigrant law? I don’t think so.
As I see it the problem is that many people refuse to acknowledge the vast difference between immigrants and illegals. I will NEVER refer to anyone who is in this country illegally as an immigrant. To me an illegal is no more an immigrant than a home invader is an uninvited houseguest! The USA is MY home and anyone who is in MY home illegally is neither an immigrant nor a houseguest!
IBEW Proud, your comment seems a little strange given the fact that this article is about the growing number of immigrant union members. What do you mean by a “large percent”, and what should be done about it? Seems to me, we should be organizing workers against the bosses, not workers against workers. By your use of the term “criminal aliens” I can see your a fan of right-wing radio. Be careful! That stuff is poison for the brain if taken too seriously.
P.S, What a shock! All this time I thought I was living in the land of the free. Turns out I’ve been living in No Amnesty’s home. What a joke! Hey N.A, You want to know why “many people refuse to acknowledge the vast difference between immigrants and illegals”? Because we acknowledge the vast difference between freedom, and authoritarianism! Who do you think will be the next target after the facsist pigs get done with immigrants? Union members Perhaps?
ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL!
I feel that the AFL/CIO is a true anti-american Union as it works aggressively here in California to undermine the jobs of American Workers. It is an organization so much in alignment with Corporations and will to organize illegal Mexican and South Americans who have violated our law, so that they can get their Union dues.
Recently it worked to undermine all legal American workers by working with a Clinton Judge, Charles R Breyer, the ACLU, and LaRaza to ensure that the matching of social security numbers wuold be held off until Hillary Clinton could be elected. It is discussing to me what the Labor Union has become. But then, it is the Democrat Party, isn’t it. It has taken 38million dollars in union dues to fund the Clintons again.
This action is the last straw for me and all hard working U.S. construction workers who have seen our jobs underbidded by the illegal Mexicans that the AFL/CIO brings on job sites.
Let it be known,the AFL/CIO is a pure socialist, anti-American organization that is corrupt and needing of all US workers to withdraw from.
Let us stand up for American Workers not the Illegal Mexicans that this Union has supported over us!!!