We Stand with Venezuelan Immigrants!

Working Families United, a coalition of unions working collectively to protect and empower our immigrant members, stands in solidarity with Venezuelan immigrants who have recently seen their Temporary Protected Status (TPS) precipitously revoked by the Trump administration.

TPS holders play an essential and integral role in our society. They are workers, union members, neighbors, friends, and parents. Despite certain rhetoric, they undergo regular background checks with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), are work-authorized, support critical industries, pay taxes, and pay into Social Security and Medicare despite being unable to access these benefits. Pulling the rug out from under TPS recipients is not merely unjust, it is counter to our nation’s economic interests. Rather than unfairly targeting workers with TPS and throwing their lives into chaos, we call on lawmakers to extend them a long-overdue path to citizenship. 

Uprooting TPS holders from their families, jobs and communities will cause needless pain and trauma, and will force people who are working lawfully in jobs that are essential to our economy and well-being to return to countries where they will face immediate danger or will have no viable path to employment or safety. Venezuela is not ready to receive returning migrants due to civil unrest, risk of violence and unsafe living conditions. Additionally, ending TPS for Venezuelans will have a serious economic impact on critical U.S. industries – approximately 143,000 TPS holders from Venezuela alone work in U.S. industries with labor shortages and contribute an estimated $11.5 billion in economic value to our nation each year. Everyday, TPS holders fuel our economy. 

The act of revoking TPS for Venezuelans is a dangerous precedent that may well destabilize the lives, communities, and workplaces of TPS holders from other countries. At the very least, changes to TPS should require an economic impact analysis before they are considered.  Regardless of what happens, the unions of Working Families United will continue to fight for the rights, dignity, and humanity of our members and of all workers.

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Working Families United is a coalition of labor unions, including the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), UNITE HERE, The International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental, and Reinforcing Iron Workers (IW), the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), The International Brotherhood of Teamsters , Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA), and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) seeking immigrant worker justice. Together, we represent over 6 million U.S. workers.

Working Families United and the 4M Union Members we represent, call on the Senate to pass either H.R. 6 or S. 306 ASAP!

April 12, 2021

Senator Chris Van Hollen

Senator Ben Cardin

Senator Diane Feinstein

Dear Senators Van Hollen, Cardin, and Feinstein:

On behalf of Working Families United (WFU), a labor coalition created to protect workers with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), we thank you for your re-introduction of S. 306, the SECURE Act.  WFU is proud to endorse your bill to help workers and their families who have Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status, as well as TPS.

Working Families United and the four million union members we represent call on the Senate to pass either H.R. 6 or S. 306 as soon as possible.  If we do not move quickly, the last Administration’s decision to strip away the legal status of working people with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will upend the lives of nearly 300,000 TPS holders and their families.

TPS holders are working people who play by the rules and contribute to the economy of every state. Nearly thirty percent of TPS recipients have found employment in the construction industry and another thirty percent work in hospitality.  While not all of them are working for unionized employers, many of them are. The average TPS recipient works 40-45 hours per week. Many of them own homes and support families.  TPS workers in our unions earn good wages for the work they are doing, they pay taxes, are able to send money home (some up to 20% of their weekly take-home pay), helping to build the economies of their home countries, just as the TPS program was established to do. And collectively they have nearly 275,000 U.S. born citizen children. TPS recipients reapply every 18 months, by paying over $900 in application fees and undergo new background checks. Many TPS holders have lived – lawfully- in the U.S. for nearly two decades.

TPS holders are actively contributing to the U.S. economy. Ending TPS will be detrimental to employers, workers and their families; removing TPS workers from the economy would cost the U.S. an estimated $164 billion in GDP. This would especially hurt the construction and home health care sectors.

In 2019 and 2021, H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act, which protects Dreamers, TPS holders and DED holders, passed the U.S. House in a bipartisan vote. In fact, this year’s vote was even more bipartisan than the vote in the last Congress for TPS holders and others. The Senate should pass H.R. 6 or S. 306 as soon as possible and grant Dreamers, TPS holders and DED holders the path to permanency that they and their families have earned and deserve.

Sincerely,

Working Families United

Working Families United is a coalition of labor unions, including the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, UNITE HERE, the Ironworkers, the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers,  the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), Teamsters, and Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) seeking immigrant worker justice. Together, we represent 4 million U.S. workers. For more visit information visit https://www.workingfamiliesunited.org

Working Families United and the four million union members we represent, call on the House to pass the American Dream and Promise Act Now!

March 5, 2021

Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard

Representative Nydia Velazquez

Representative Yvette Clarke

Dear Representatives Roybal-Allard, Velazquez, and Clarke:

On behalf of Working Families United (WFU), a labor coalition created to protect workers with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), we thank you for your re-introduction of H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act.  WFU is proud to endorse your bill to help young Americans in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, known as Dreamers, and who have Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status, as well as TPS.

Working Families United and the four million union members we represent call on the House to pass the American Dream and Promise Act as soon as possible.  If we do not move quickly, the last Administration’s decision to strip away the legal status of working people with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will upend the lives of nearly 300,000 TPS holders and their families.

TPS holders are working people who play by the rules and contribute to the economy of every state. Nearly thirty percent of TPS recipients have found employment in the construction industry and another thirty percent work in hospitality.  While not all of them are working for unionized employers, many of them are. The average TPS recipient works 40-45 hours per week. Many of them own homes and support families.  TPS workers in our unions earn good wages for the work they are doing, they pay taxes, are able to send money home (some up to 20% of their weekly take-home pay), helping to build the economies of their home countries, just as the TPS program was established to do. And collectively they have nearly 275,000 U.S. born citizen children. TPS recipients reapply every 18 months, by paying over $900 in application fees and undergo new background checks. Many TPS holders have lived – lawfully- in the U.S. for nearly two decades.

TPS holders are actively contributing to the U.S. economy. Ending TPS will be detrimental to employers, workers and their families; removing TPS workers from the economy would cost the U.S. an estimated $164 billion in GDP. This would especially hurt the construction and home health care sectors.

In 2019, the Dream and Promise Act passed the U.S. House in a bipartisan vote. The House should again pass H.R. 6 and grant Dreamers, TPS holders and DED holders the path to permanency that they and their families have earned and deserve.

Sincerely,

Working Families United

Working Families United is a coalition of labor unions, including the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, UNITE HERE, the Ironworkers, the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers,  the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), Teamsters, and Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) seeking immigrant worker justice. Together, we represent 4 million U.S. workers. For more visit information visit https://www.workingfamiliesunited.org

Working Families United: “Congress Must Protect All Workers Regardless of Immigration Status in the 3rd Coronavirus Package to Safeguard our Health and the Future of Our Economy”

Contact: Rosa Lozano, 443-561-4493, [email protected]

WASHINGTON, DC – As congressional leaders negotiate the third package to provide essential relief amidst the global pandemic, they must protect all workers without exception.  Excluding Dreamers, TPS-holders and undocumented populations from testing, medical treatment, and economic relief is unjust, and elevates the risks for all our communities and industries.

Hardworking people who continue to serve, feed and build our country must not be left behind as Congress negotiates which industries and corporations will get bailouts.  We call on our elected officials to ensure that vital testing, treatment and benefits are made available to all, regardless of immigration status, and that work permits are automatically extended for all those whose labor will be needed to help our nation weather this crisis and recover. 

We applaud the commonsense, inclusive provisions of the House 3.0 Stimulus package released yesterday and urge the Senate to follow suit. The priority now needs to be combating the spread of the coronavirus and stabilizing our economy and our workforce.  Barring anyone from access to medical services and economic stimulus would have a catastrophic impact on our country, as would stripping status from essential workers with TPS and DACA.

“This pandemic has already been devastating for working families. From the food, transportation and culinary workers on the frontlines ensuring our most basic needs are met to the construction workers who support essential infrastructure, our message is clear: Congress needs to put politics aside and pass a stimulus that leaves no one behind. Our economy is only as strong as the most vulnerable worker and we all need and deserve relief now.” –Kenneth Rigmaiden, General President of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades

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Working Families United is a coalition of labor unions, including the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, UNITE HERE, the Ironworkers, the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers,  the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), Teamsters, and Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) seeking immigrant worker justice. Together, we represent 4 million U.S. workers.

Familias Trabajadoras Unidas: “El Congreso Debe Proteger a Todos los Trabajadores Independientemente de Status Migratorio en el 3.o Paquete de Estimulo de Coronavirus para Proteger Nuestra Salud y el Futuro de Nuestra Economía”

Contacto: Rosa Lozano, 443-561-4493, [email protected]

WASHINGTON, DC – Mientras los líderes del Congreso negocian el tercer paquete para proporcionar un alivio esencial en medio de esta pandemia mundial, deben proteger a todos los trabajadores sin excepción. Excluir a los Soñadores, TPSeanos y la población indocumentadas de tener acceso a examines del Coronavirus, el seguro médico y el alivio económico es injusto y eleva los riesgos para todas nuestras comunidades e industrias.

Las personas trabajadoras que continúan sirviendo, alimentando y construyendo nuestro país no deben quedar atrás mientras el Congreso negocia qué industrias y corporaciones obtendrán rescates. Hacemos un llamado a nuestros funcionarios electos del Senado que aseguren que las examines vitales, tratamientos médicos y beneficios de desempleo sean disponibles para todos, independientemente del estatus migratorio, y que los permisos de trabajo se extiendan automáticamente para todos aquellos cuyo trabajo será necesario para ayudar a nuestra nación a superar esta crisis y recuperarse.

Aplaudimos las disposiciones de sentido común e inclusivas del paquete 3.0 de estímulo de la Cámara publicado ayer e instamos al Senado a que haga lo mismo. La prioridad ahora debe ser combatir la propagación del coronavirus y estabilizar nuestra economía y nuestra fuerza laboral. Prohibir el acceso a los servicios médicos y el estímulo económico a cualquier persona tendría un impacto catastrófico en nuestro país, al igual que quitarle el estatus a los trabajadores esenciales con TPS y DACA.

“Esta pandemia ya ha sido devastadora para las familias trabajadoras de este país. Desde los trabajadores de la alimentación, el transporte y culinarios que están al pie de la lucha para garantizar que se cumplan nuestras necesidades más básicas hasta los trabajadores de la construcción que apoyan la infraestructura esencial, nuestro mensaje es claro: el Congreso debe dejar a un lado la política y aprobar un estímulo que no deje a nadie atrás. Nuestra economía solo es tan fuerte como el trabajador más vulnerable y todos necesitamos y merecemos alivio ahora ”. –Kenneth Rigmaiden, Presidente General de la Unión Internacional de Pintores y Oficios Aliados

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Familias Trabajadoras Unidas es una coalición de sindicatos, incluye la Unión Internacional de Pintores y Oficios Aliados (IUPAT), UNITE HERE, Ironworkers, la Unión Internacional de Albañiles y Trabajadores de Industrias Aliados, y la Unión de Alimentos y Comercio (UFCW), los Teamsters y el Sindicato International de Obreros de la Construcción de Norteamérica (LIUNA) que busca justicia para trabajadores inmigrantes. Juntos, representamos a 4 millones de trabajadores en estadounidenses.

TPS Holders Urge 9th Circuit to Maintain Injunction Preventing Trump Administration from Terminating the Legal Status of 400,000 People

Hundreds Rally Outside Courthouse to Defend the Rights of TPS-Holders, Keep Families Together and Advocate for Permanent Protections

Press Conference Livestream Available here:

Photos from Rally Available at http://bit.ly/2Kxxmoq

Pasadena, CA – On August 14, at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, TPS holders defended the preliminary injunction which prevents the government from terminating their humanitarian legal status. The Ninth Circuit considered the Trump Administration’s challenge to a district court order which halted the terminations of TPS for El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Sudan. After the filing of a related case, the government extended the same protections to TPS-holders from Honduras and Nepal.

 “We are hopeful the court will respect the rights of the more than 400,000 TPS holders and their American children, many of whom are still in school. They too are entitled to the Constitution’s protections.” said Ahilan Arulanantham, senior counsel at the ACLU of Southern California, who argued the case.

“I have two kids who are U.S. citizens. It’s me who helps them be successful or not, if they do their homework or not. My daughter wants to be an OB-GYN. It’s my job to help her and tell her she can do anything. What is my option? Right now I see I can either help them or be separated from them,” said Wilna Destin, a TPS holder from Haiti and UNITE HERE union organizer, who is a plaintiff in the case.

Over 400,000 TPS holders are protected by the preliminary injunction. Most have lived in the United States for more than 20 years and many have U.S. citizen children and family here.

Crista Ramos, a 15-year-old high school student and the lead plaintiff in the case said, “I only learned about TPS when the president tried to end it for my mom. But as the child of a TPS holder, I didn’t think twice about standing up to the president to defend my mom and our family.”  

“This lawsuit challenges the unlawful and discriminatory terminations of legal status for over 400,000 people,” said Emi MacLean, legal director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. “It also confronts the Trump Administration’s attempt to dismantle a decades-old congressionally mandated program providing humanitarian protection.”

“I know that this has been a long, hard fight to get to this place, and I am feeling motivated to keep going – for myself and the thousands of other Nepalis with TPS like me,” said Keshav Bhattarai, lead plaintiff in a related case, Bhattarai v. Nielsen, which challenges the TPS terminations for Nepal and Honduras. 

“We’re fighting to stay together so that I can continue to provide for my children and see them achieve their dreams. As a union member, we know that we’re all equal and we fight for everyone to have the same rights. That includes the right of my family to stay together,” said Donaldo Posadas, a TPS holder from Honduras and member of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades who is also a plaintiff in the Bhattarai case.

Hundreds of TPS holders, their families, union members, and supporters marched to the courthouse to defend the rights of those with TPS and urge congressional action to grant permanent protections to TPS holders. 

The plaintiffs in Ramos v. Nielsen are represented by the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, NDLON, and the law firm of Sidley Austin LLP; Asian Americans Advancing Justice also represents plaintiffs in the related case of Bhattarai v. DHS. The plaintiffs in Ramos and Bhattarai are members of diverse organizations fighting to defend TPS, including the National TPS Alliance, CARECEN-Los Angeles, African Communities Together, Working Families United, UNITE-HERE, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, Adhikaar and Haitian Bridge Alliance.

LAWSUIT INFORMATION: https://www.nationaltpsalliance.org/tps-lawsuit/.

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Working Families United Members Condemn Acts of Terror in El Paso and Mississippi.

Solidarity, not division, is always what moves workers forward.

As working people in El Paso and Mississippi mourn, recover, and organize in the wake of the white supremacist attack and the ICE raid of 680 workers in poultry plants, including two represented by United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, (UFCW), the members listed below of Working Families United issued this statement of support and commitment:

Read more

Working Families United Cheers Passage of Dream and Promise Act in the House, Calls for Swift Passage in the Senate


In response to the passage of the Dream and Promise Act (HR6) in the House of Representatives, Working Families United issued the following statement:

“The Dream and Promise Act keeps our members safe, keeps our industries working, and keeps our nation’s values intact.  The bill has wide support from labor and business, the immigrant rights movement and the American public as a whole. There’s every reason for it to have broad support in Congress as well.

Union workers are fighting hard to prevent the crisis that would occur if the government were to cut the status of our members and coworkers. Now that the House has taken this incredible step forward, the Senate must do its part to avoid both the human devastation and economic disruption that would come from cancelling TPS.

Providing a stable future for TPS, DED holders, and Dreamers is right for the economy, right for the country, and the right thing to do.”

Working Families United is a coalition of seven labor unions, including the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, UNITE HERE, the Ironworkers, the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers,  the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), Teamsters, and Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA). Together we represent four million members fighting for immigrant justice.WFU formed in 2017 in response to the pending crisis caused by President Trump’s termination of Temporary Protected Status for 400,000 immigrant workers and their 275,000 US citizen children.  Our members like Wilna Destin of UNITE HERE and Donaldo Posadas of the Painters Union are plaintiffs in separate class action lawsuits for El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Sudan as well as Honduras and Nepal.  Meanwhile the coalition urges Congress to pass legislation to provide permanent protections and a path to citizenship for Dreamers and TPS holders from all affected nations. See more about the union families whose futures are in limbo at tpschildren.org

Working Families United To Congress: Pass the Dream Act and Promise Act As-Written and ASAP.

For immediate release


Ahead of markup this week, the Working Families United coalition representing four million union workers sent a letter to members of the House Judiciary Committee in full support of the Dream and Promise Act (HR 2821 and HR 2820).

Labor unions formed the Working Families United coalition in the Fall of 2017 to protect union members with TPS and prevent the devastating economic disruption threatened by the termination of their status.

As the House Judiciary Committee prepares to hear the Dream Act of 2019 and the Promise Act of 2019, Working Families United issued the following statement:

“Working Families United is proud to endorse H.R. 2821 and H.R. 2820 to provide a path to citizenship for our members with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and DED as well as young Americans known as Dreamers.

It should be common sense to ensure that the people who have contributed so much to our nation have a stable future. Passing these bills is urgent and necessary. It’s right for the country, right for the economy, and right for our unions’ families.

We urge the committee to vote for these bills, to treat our members’ lives with the seriousness and respect they deserve throughout the markup process, and to stand firmly opposed to any poison pills that would cause hurt instead of the much needed help these bills are intended to provide.”

Working Families United is a coalition of seven labor unions, including the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, UNITE HERE, the Ironworkers, the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers,  the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), Teamsters, and Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA). Together we represent four million members fighting for immigrant justice.WFU formed in 2017 in response to the pending crisis caused by President Trump’s termination of Temporary Protected Status for 400,000 immigrant workers and their 275,000 US citizen children.  Our members like Wilna Destin of UNITE HERE and Donaldo Posadas of the Painters Union are plaintiffs in separate class action lawsuits for El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Sudan as well as Honduras and Nepal.  Meanwhile the coalition urges Congress to pass legislation to provide permanent protections and a path to citizenship for Dreamers and TPS holders from all affected nations. See more about the union families whose futures are in limbo at tpschildren.org

Labor Unions: Senate DREAM Act Should Be Common Sense

Permanent Protections for Dreamers, DED, and TPS Holders is a Top Issue for Labor.
It’s Right for the Country, Right for the Economy, and the Right Thing to Do.

 

In response to Senators Durbin and Graham introduction of the DREAM Act ensuring permanent protections for qualifying immigrant youth, the Working Families United coalition issued the following:

Passing the DREAM Act is long overdue.  Our unions applaud the proposal today and will push for its passage alongside its counterpart, the Dream and Promise Act, in the House.

It’s in no one’s interest to see immigrant youth or any worker forced back into the shadows or sent into exile. It is in all of our interests that they have uninterrupted rights, on-going opportunities, and stable futures to continue contributing to our workplaces, our communities and our unions.

With the introduction of the DREAM Act, momentum for permanent protections is visibly growing in Congress. The bill’s counterpart in the House, the Dream and Promise Act, now has 221 co-sponsors and is expected to come to a vote next month. The tax contributions and spending power of beneficiaries of the House bill are now available by congressional on an interactive map.

Working Families United is a coalition of seven labor unions, including the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, UNITE HERE, the Ironworkers, the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers,  the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), Teamsters, and Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA). Together we represent four million members fighting for immigrant justice.

WFU formed in 2017 in response to the pending crisis caused by President Trump’s termination of Temporary Protected Status for 400,000 immigrant workers and their 275,000 US citizen children.  Our members like Wilna Destin of UNITE HERE and Donaldo Posadas of the Painters Union are plaintiffs in separate class action lawsuits for El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Sudan as well as Honduras and Nepal.  Meanwhile the coalition urges Congress to pass the Dream and Promise Act in the House and its counterparts in the Senate, the DREAM Act and the Secure Act, to provide permanent protections and a path to citizenship for Dreamers and TPS holders from all affected nations.