Unions differ on Senate immigration legislation
Friday, 22 June 2007
WASHINGTON, June 21 (AP): The revival of the Senate's immigration legislation also resurrected a rare split inside organised labour.
The AFL-CIO formally came out against the bill Wednesday, reflecting the distaste among manufacturing unions and others whose members have been displaced by overseas competition and would have to compete with an influx of cheaper workers who don't have labor rights.
Embracing the bill are a couple of unions that cater to workers in the fast-growing service sector of the economy and also split from the AFL-CIO in 2005. They've seen their membership rosters swell with immigrants taking jobs in hotels and restaurants and as janitors.
The Senate legislation would legalise some 12 million unlawful immigrants and create a new temporary guest worker programme wanted by employers in virtually all sectors of the economy. That's where the unions' interests diverge.
Earlier this month, the AFL-CIO and its allies succeeded in getting the Senate to limit the temporary worker programme to only five years. The bill's proponents vowed to try and make it permanent again in later negotiations with the House if the bill makes it that far.
That victory, however, didn't placate labour leaders still opposed to the bill.
"This bill is far from the kind of comprehensive immigration reform that would improve the status quo for either US-born or immigrant workers or their families and, in fact, it is likely to make matters much worse," said AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard L Trumka.
Several unions see a real threat to American workers under the Senate bill because temporary foreign workers would for the first time be able to hold non-seasonal jobs.
Ana Avendano, an AFL-CIO attorney and director of its immigrant worker programme, said that would give employers like Wal-Mart and owners of meatpacking and poultry plants a lower-wage source of year-round workers that could be exploited.
On the other side are unions like the Service Employees International Union and UNITE HERE, an amalgamation of formerly separate unions representing hotel, restaurant, laundry and textile workers.
SEIU is now the fastest growing union in the country with more than 1.8 million members and says it represents more immigrants than any other union. UNITE HERE also has a large number of immigrants in its membership. Both see a recruiting target in those 12 million now-illegal immigrants.
They also are in favour of keeping temporary foreign worker programmes, which are popular with immigrants, as long as the government ensures the workers aren't abused. A House plan that would allow temporary foreign workers to apply for a three-year visa which can be renewed for another three years is their preferred method.
The AFL-CIO formally came out against the bill Wednesday, reflecting the distaste among manufacturing unions and others whose members have been displaced by overseas competition and would have to compete with an influx of cheaper workers who don't have labor rights.
Embracing the bill are a couple of unions that cater to workers in the fast-growing service sector of the economy and also split from the AFL-CIO in 2005. They've seen their membership rosters swell with immigrants taking jobs in hotels and restaurants and as janitors.
The Senate legislation would legalise some 12 million unlawful immigrants and create a new temporary guest worker programme wanted by employers in virtually all sectors of the economy. That's where the unions' interests diverge.
Earlier this month, the AFL-CIO and its allies succeeded in getting the Senate to limit the temporary worker programme to only five years. The bill's proponents vowed to try and make it permanent again in later negotiations with the House if the bill makes it that far.
That victory, however, didn't placate labour leaders still opposed to the bill.
"This bill is far from the kind of comprehensive immigration reform that would improve the status quo for either US-born or immigrant workers or their families and, in fact, it is likely to make matters much worse," said AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard L Trumka.
Several unions see a real threat to American workers under the Senate bill because temporary foreign workers would for the first time be able to hold non-seasonal jobs.
Ana Avendano, an AFL-CIO attorney and director of its immigrant worker programme, said that would give employers like Wal-Mart and owners of meatpacking and poultry plants a lower-wage source of year-round workers that could be exploited.
On the other side are unions like the Service Employees International Union and UNITE HERE, an amalgamation of formerly separate unions representing hotel, restaurant, laundry and textile workers.
SEIU is now the fastest growing union in the country with more than 1.8 million members and says it represents more immigrants than any other union. UNITE HERE also has a large number of immigrants in its membership. Both see a recruiting target in those 12 million now-illegal immigrants.
They also are in favour of keeping temporary foreign worker programmes, which are popular with immigrants, as long as the government ensures the workers aren't abused. A House plan that would allow temporary foreign workers to apply for a three-year visa which can be renewed for another three years is their preferred method.