Selling out the American worker!!!! Unions look to sign up illegal aliens By: Herald Wire Services CHICAGO — Unions across the U.S. are reaching out to illegal aliens protected by President Obama’s recent executive action, hoping to expand their dwindling ranks by recruiting millions of previously undocumented workers. Labor leaders say the president’s action, which curbs deportation and will give work permits to some 4 million immigrants, will give new protection to workers who have been reluctant to join for fear of retaliation. “I think we’ll see very positive changes” because of the action, said Tom Balanoff, president of Service Employees International Union Local 1. “One of them, I hope, is that more workers will come forward and want to organize.” SEIU, whose more than 2 million members include janitors and maintenance workers, recently announced a website where illegals can learn about the action. The AFL-CIO says it’s training organizers to recruit eligible workers. And the United Food and Commercial Workers and other unions are planning workshops and partnering with community groups and churches to reach out to immigrants. The efforts come as Republicans and other opponents of Obama’s action work to undo it, saying it will hurt American workers. Labor unions have struggled over the past decade to maintain their membership and political muscle. The ranks fell by more than 1.2 million between 2003 and 2013, when there were about 14.5 million members nationwide. The percentage of workers that were union members fell from 12.9 percent to 11.3 percent during that same period. Business-friendly GOP governors have approved measures in recent years aimed at weakening labor, even in places such as Michigan that were once considered union strongholds. In Obama’s home state of Illinois, a GOP businessman unseated the Democratic governor last month in part by promising to constrain labor’s influence in government. Republicans say the executive actions, which would affect people who have children and have been in the U.S. more than five years, will make it tougher for Americans already struggling to find good-paying jobs. They’ve pushed legislation to void the new protections.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 20:24:42 +0000
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