Republican Senators Can Block, but Not Kill, the DREAM
Ava Avendaño, assistant to AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, writes that immigrant workers, unions and advocates for justice will not stop fighting just because Republican senators blocked the DREAM Act yesterday.
In another revealing display of their party’s true colors, Senate Republicans yesterday blocked passage of the DREAM Act. Every Republican senator—even some who had co-sponsored the legislation in the past—voted to stop progress on a bill that is vital to our national security and would have provided a path to citizenship to some of our nation’s most promising youth.
By stopping the bill, the Party of “No” made clear their willingness to exploit fear for political gain at the expense of our nation’s children, even as members of the Pentagon and many former top Defense officials say they support the DREAM Act because it would help the military build and keep a stronger all-volunteer force.
If enacted, the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act would allow undocumented students who have lived in the United States for at least five years and have graduated from high school or received a graduate equivalency diploma (GED) to legalize their immigration status by pursuing a college education or serving in the U.S. military.
Sanchez to Lead LCLAA
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The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) announced that Hector Sanchez has been named as the AFL-CIO constituency group’s executive director.
Prior to this appointment, Sanchez served as LCLAA’s director of policy and research. In that role, he has highlighted systematic injustices against Latinos in the workplace and community. He also has led the call for Latino participation in the 2010 Census and in the electoral process beyond presidential elections.
LCLAA President Milton Rosado said:
Hector is a young and passionate leader who believes in LCLAA’s mission and wants to contribute to its growth. At 35, Hector is the youngest executive director in LCLAA’s history and his appointment highlights our commitment to developing and promoting the leadership of young, professional Latinos dedicated to social and economic justice for our nation’s working families.
Union Movement Rallies in Solidarity with Puerto Rican Workers
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| Thousands of workers rallied in Puerto Rico against the governor’s drastic layoffs. The sign says “Give me back my job.” | |
In states across the country, working people marched and rallied in solidarity today with their Puerto Rican brothers and sisters against draconian budget cuts and cancellation of their collective bargaining rights.
As 200,000 people march in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to protest Gov. Luis Fortuño’s plan to slash the budget deficit on the backs of workers, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka sent a letter of support and solidarity and rallies were held in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and other cities.
In his letter of support, which was read at the San Juan rally, Trumka said:
We are fully aware of the attacks being afflicted on the workers and their families on your island and we will do whatever we can to stop them. We are completely committed to bringing the full force of the AFL-CIO to fighting for the rights and well being of our affiliated unions, their members, and the people of Puerto Rico.
Mass Work Stoppage Set to Protest Puerto Rico’s Layoffs, Union-Busting
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More than 200,000 people are expected to march in a mass rally tomorrow in San Juan, Puerto Rico, as part of a one-day work stoppage to protest Gov. Luis Fortuño’s plan to trim the budget deficit on the backs of workers.
Using recently passed legislation known as Public Law 7, the governor plans to lay off as many as 30,000 public employees and deny collective bargaining to the remainder of the island’s public employees. The U.S. Commonwealth, where unemployment is already at 15 percent, is set to receive $6 billion in federal economic recovery funds, more than enough to cover a projected $3.2 billion budget deficit.
Fortuño, a former Republican delegate to the U.S. Congress, is using the island’s deep budget deficit as a pretext to busting the union and privatizing public services, the Puerto Rican union movement says.
Report: Latinos in Unions Fare Better Than Nonunion Peers
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The current economic crisis is hitting Latinos hard and they need the same help that all workers do—better wages, safe working conditions and a union. A new report marks National Hispanic Heritage Month with the news that the union difference benefits Latino workers, just as it does all other union workers.
In the report, the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) documents a large wage and benefit advantage for Latino workers who join unions compared with their nonunion counterparts. The report, Unions and Upward Mobility for Latino Workers, found that unionized Latino workers earned, on average, 17.6 percentage points more than nonunion Latinos. Latino union members also were much more likely to have health insurance benefits and a pension plan.
