Community and Labor Organizations Vow to Continue the Fight to Defend and Protect All TPS Recipients, Immigrant Workers and their Families

To all immigrant workers and their families, including union members, DACA recipients, TPS beneficiaries, refugees, and our undocumented brothers and sisters:

We want to assure you that we are not giving up.  We will defend and protect each other and resist the anti-immigrant, racist and xenophobic agenda that is directly targeting working families and communities.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr said, “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”  While a permanent legislative solution to provide a pathway to citizenship to all DACA and TPS recipients was not secured this round, we want to remind you that we are building power in our worksites and our communities every day.

Pressuring Congress to take action is only one lever we have to advance a pro-immigrant and pro-worker agenda. In the coming months, we will redouble our efforts using all available options, including, but not limited to, organizing, legal services, litigation, electoral work, collective bargaining and direct action to the create bottom up pressure necessary to win the changes that working people expect and deserve. The rest of this year will give us the opportunity to flex our collective power, on the streets, at job sites, in courthouses and state houses, in the halls of Congress and at the ballot box.

We know that we are stronger together and we refuse to be divided. We will continue to educate and train our co-workers, families, and neighbors, and we will create rapid response networks to prepare for community or workplace raids. The best protection we have is each other and we will demonstrate our solidarity through our actions.

Onward! ¡La Lucha Sigue! Kenbe fem, pa lage!

Adhikar, AFL CIO, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees CARECEN-Los Angeles, International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craft workers, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, Ironworkers, Service Employees International Union, Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, UndocuBlack Network, UNITE HERE, African Communities Together, and Working Families United.

Millions of American Workers Vow to Fight on for Hardworking Immigrants and Their Families

WASHINGTON (Feb 15) — The following statement was released by Working Families United, a coalition that represents more than two million union workers, on today’s immigration vote in the U.S. Senate:

“The Senate had an opportunity today to help hardworking immigrant families gain stability and security. Instead, hardline Republicans voted against bipartisan proposals and doubled down on the racist Miller-Trump agenda. The American people reject this hateful agenda. Eighty-one percent want a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers. The American people want their tax dollars to go to veterans, our schools, addressing the opioid crisis, and critical safety net programs. Voters reject paying for Trump’s wall by a two-to-one margin, according to the most recent national polling.

“This afternoon, a strong majority of the U.S. Senate made clear that cuts to legal immigration are a non-starter. Today showed the limitations of a partisan approach. Any bill that resembles the White House’s “four pillars” has no chance of passing; the Grassley amendment couldn’t even secure the support of all Republican Senators. We applaud the Senators and staff on both sides of the isle that worked to find a bipartisan solution.”

“Trump broke DACA and TPS. Instead of fixing them, he sabotages bipartisan efforts. Instead of leadership, it’s more chaos and cruelty from this White House. To every “moderate” Republican who bowed to pressure from the extremists, we will not forget.

“Our immigration policy must reflect the very best of America and our shared values–not pit one group of immigrants against another. We must protect 1.8 million immigrant youth — it’s the first battle we must win in the fight for dignity and respect for all immigrants.

“We must also protect 400,000 working men and women, who were invited to the United States under TPS and DED after major disasters in their home countries. They have worked hard, paid taxes, and built lives and families here legally. This is their home. They too deserve the stability and security that comes with a pathway to permanent legal status.

“Dreamers, and TPS and DED recipients, know this: we stand with you. We understand the urgency. We will not back down. You belong here. Your families deserve stability and security. As Dr. King said 50 years ago in his final speech, there is no stopping point short of victory. We will not be divided. We will continue to organize and we will win for all working families.”

Contact: Anna Oman, Working Families United, [email protected], 301-979-5899

CNBC: Trump’s immigration policies are ‘economic poison’ that will cost taxpayers billions

As two American citizens – one an immigrant, the other a child of immigrants – who have dedicated our careers to fighting for American workers, we believe President Trump’s immigration policies aren’t just morally wrong, they’re economic poison.

Take, for example, the story of Marvin Flores. Marvin is a bricklayer who has lived and worked in the United States legally for nearly 20 years. He has three children, all U.S. citizens by birth who don’t speak Spanish, the language of his native country, El Salvador. He has a mortgage here and pays taxes, including Social Security taxes, even though he is ineligible to collect those benefits. And he’s a union organizer, fighting for better wages and benefits for his brothers and sisters in labor.

Marvin is also one of over 300,000 migrants from ten countries living in the United States under Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

Read the article>>

Working Families United, Largest Labor Lead Immigration Campaign, Slams Termination of Salvadoran TPS, Pledges Continued Congressional Efforts

Washington, DC – Today top union leadership of the most prominent labor coalition advocating for Temporary Protective Status renewals, Working Families United, slammed the termination of TPS for 200,000 Salvadorans currently working and living in America. The five unions who form the Working Families United immigration campaign, UNITE HERE, IUPAT, UFCW, Iron Workers, and Bricklayers, represent tens of thousands of TPS union workers in hospitality, construction, meat processing and trades.

“Hundreds of thousands of hard-working families who pay taxes and contribute to our communities will now be forced to upend their lives and settle into a dangerous country they no longer know,” said UFCW International President Marc Perrone.. “From working in meatpacking and food processing plants to retail shops to other sectors, people with TPS hold key roles in our economy that make America stronger and safer.”

Maria Elena Durazo, General Vice President of UNITE HERE, echoed that sentiment: “Today Trump’s DHS is taking nearly 200,000 law-abiding American immigrants and turning them from legal workers into targets for deportation.”

Looking forward, Working Families United member unions are pledging to keep the fight to save TPS up at the congressional level, including with a nearly one million dollar advocacy budget. “We urge Congress to do what is right and immediately pass a long-term legislative solution that gives every TPS family the stability and security they’ve earned and deserve,” says Kenneth E. Rigmaiden, General President of IUPAT. “As a union family, we are committed to helping people who work hard build better lives – especially when they’ve been forced to flee their home countries due to unimaginable violence. We will amplify those voices and stand steadfast, shoulder to shoulder until a just solution is reached.”

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Working Families United is a major immigration campaign organization founded in November 2017 between partners UNITE HERE, IUPAT, UFCW, Iron Workers, and Bricklayers with backing of the AFL-CIO. The member unions of Working Families United represent tens of thousands of immigrant workers on TPS across America, working in hospitality, construction, and trades.

Labor Unions, TPS Workers to Deliver 40,000 TPS Extension Petitions to Democratic and Republican Congressional Leadership

Brief Press Conference, Petition Delivery Part of Campaign to Demand Immediate, Long-Term Action to #SaveTPS

What: TPS Press Conference and TPS Extension Petition Delivery to Congressional Leaders: Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, and Marco Rubio

When: Tuesday, December 5th at 12:30pm

Where: SD 562, Dirksen Senate Office Building, United States Capitol Complex

Who: Working Families United, a major labor partnership of UNITE HERE, UFCW, IUPAT, Iron Workers, Bricklayers; major labor leaders including UFCW International’s Secretary-Treasurer Esther L ópez; dozens of union members on TPS

NOTE: Congressional sponsors of TPS extension bill invited with attendance confirmations pending. TV Crews and print/television reporters are strongly encouraged to join union worker delegation to members of congress immediately following press conference

Why: There are over 320,000 TPS holders in America, working legally, paying taxes, and contributing to the economy. TPS designations to countries with humanitarian or environmental crises have been renewed annually, but are now threatened under the Trump administration. That’s why Working Families United, which represents tens of thousands of TPS union workers in hospitality, construction, meat processing and trades, will take TPS union members directly to the offices of Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, and Marco Rubio on Tuesday to deliver 40,000 TPS extension petitions.

Following the Thanksgiving termination of Haitian TPS for nearly 60,000 immigrants, labor leaders will take no chances and no prisoners in demanding congressional action immediately to save TPS.

Media contact: Rachel Gumpert, (202) 285-0464

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Working Families United is a major immigration campaign organization founded in November 2017 between partners UNITE HERE, IUPAT, UFCW, Iron Workers, and Bricklayers with backing of the AFL-CIO. The member unions of Working Families United represent tens of thousands of immigrant workers on TPS across America, working in hospitality, construction, and trades.

 

Labor Unions Launch Nearly One Million Dollar Campaign to Save TPS

UNITE HERE, IUPAT, Bricklayers, UFCW and Iron Workers, Unveil Creation of Joint Campaign to Extend Temporary Protected Status for All Countries Facing Expiration

Washington, DC – Today five leading American labor unions, backed by the AFL-CIO, unveiled the creation of a joint campaign initiative focused on saving Temporary ProtectedStatus, revealing nearly one million dollars already raised and throwing its weight behind the TPS bill introduced today by Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).

UNITE HERE, IUPAT, Bricklayers, UFCW, and the Iron Workers publicly launched Working Families United today, an immigrant worker advocacy coalition that will be running a nearly million-dollar campaign to extend Temporary Protective Status in the coming weeks. The partner unions represent tens of thousands of TPS union workers in hospitality, construction, and trades who would lose their legal worker status if TPS is not renewed.

Working Families United is the only major TPS advocacy organization funded exclusively by labor, and has the formidable backing of nearly one million dollars for advocacy in the final weeks of the 2017 congress. The TPS campaign budget will include a variety of ad buys and will center around key congressional targets crucial in bipartisan passage of HR 4253 and the Van Hollen bill.

There are over 320,000 TPS holders in America, working legally, paying taxes, and contributing to the economy. Many have been in America for decades and have raised families that include American born children. In addition to wreaking significant economic damage on the hospitality and construction industries if not extended, termination of TPS would also eliminate a major source of tax revenue, as TPS holders pay hundreds of dollars of fees to have their immigration status renewed regularly. TPS designations to countries with humanitarian or environmental crises have been renewed annually, but are now threatened under the Trump administration. Labor unions are making a strong statement that people who have lived here for decades and played by the rules should be offered a path to legalization and citizenship.