Unions Differ on Immigration Legislation (AFL-CIO formally came out against the bill )

[seriousstan]

Source: Guardian

WASHINGTON (AP) - The revival of the Senate's immigration legislation also resurrected a rare split inside organized labor.

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 legalize some 12 million unlawful immigrants and create a new temporary guest worker program wanted by employers in virtually all sectors of the economy. That's where the unions' interests diverge.



Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6725138,00.html

[Stargazer99]

1. Its about time unions started using their smarts

Mexico needs to attend to their own problems instead of importing them to the US and making the US an enabler.

[eagler]

2. Strongly agree.

[VP505]

4. Me Too!

I also strongly agree!

[The2ndWheel]

3. Easy way to fix that

One global union.

Has to be simple to do. It better be at least, because there isn't really any other way to combat corporate power on a global scale. Then again, corporations don't have any of our human weaknesses(you know, rest, food, water, kids). So until we either no longer have those weaknesses, or until corporations(kingdoms, whatever you wish to call them) don't exist, corporations will always win. They own more and more of the food and water that actual living beings need, and all we got was the imperfect, squishy human body.

[eagler]

5. it's already being tried

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/uk/news/article_1274641.php/Super-union_is_born

[High Plains]

6. Does history repeat itself?

If I recall correctly, the CIO originally formed because the labor aristocracy in the AFL didn't want to organize immigrant workers at the end of the 19th Century.

It appears Unite and the SEIU are taking up the slack.