Hundreds of Union Janitors Fired Under Pressure From Feds

[annabanana]

San Francisco, California - Federal immigration authorities have pressured one of San Francisco's major building service companies, ABM, into firing hundreds of its own workers. Some 475 janitors have been told that unless they can show legal immigration status, they will lose their jobs in the near future.
ABM has been a union company for decades, and many of the workers have been there for years. "They've been working in the buildings downtown for 15, 20, some as many as 27 years," said Olga Miranda, president of Service Employees Local 87. "They've built homes. They've provided for their families. They've sent their kids to college. They're not new workers. They didn't just get here a year ago."
Nevertheless, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) division of the Department of Homeland Security has told ABM that they have flagged the personnel records of those workers. Weeks ago, ICE agents sifted through Social Security records and the I-9 immigration forms all workers have to fill out when they apply for jobs. They then told ABM that the company had to fire 475 workers who were accused of lacking legal immigration status.

http://www.truthout.org/hundreds-union-janitors-fired-under-pressure-from-feds59210

ICE is a rogue agency within the DHS. It is full of Bush moles that have burrowed into civil service positions. It now seems to be an agent of the union busting branch of the RW.

[The Straight Story]

1. So basically, if I understand this article, the company is hiring illegal immigrants?

Did they say how many were from Canada?

[jody]

2. How can that be when Obama pledged to "Paint the Nation Purple"! Another broken promise? n/t

[WeDidIt]

3. If they are undocumented, ABM should be punished. n/t

[Donnachaidh]

4. And ABM should have their asses fined to the pits if they have been hiring illegals.

ABM made money off these folks. How many legal residents were bypassed because they could hire an illegal for a cheaper rate?

They need to go after the employers!

[ProgressiveProfessor]

6. As I understand it, there is a very specific process and ABM followed it

As part of it they provided docs to the Feds. For the people at risk, the Feds have responded with no match notifications. The workers have to fix the problem or get fired. Its actually the way it is supposed to work.

My source for this is a friend and college prof up there who is incensed about the burden of proof being placed on the workers and the risk of error.

[kelly1mm]

5. Good! I know lots of US citizen/legal immigrant Californians who

would jump at the chance for a union job now.

[lonestarnot]

7. So you would separate a mother from her kids that has worked for 27 fucking years as a janitor and

send her to Mexico because someone wants her job?

[The Straight Story]

9. Difference between deporting someone and firing them (nt)

[lonestarnot]

10. Well isn't that the logical next step?

[The Straight Story]

13. Whether or not it is, the article was talking about firing them- what do you think should be done?

Companies use people like this, take advantage of them, and hurt other workers in the process.

They pay lower wages, no benefits, etc and get away with it because those people can't complain.

Perhaps at this point the govt can step in and help them through the process that many others go through to become citizens - but then those companies won't want them anymore.

[EFerrari]

16. No. These were union jobs.

/typo

[lonestarnot]

18. Fix immigration now!

Fine the employers bigtime until it hurts. The workers will have to find another job if they are fired. Probably the same situation. Why target the people? Target the employers and fix immigration as soon as possible.

[kelly1mm]

11. No, I would not send her anywhere. However, with no job she would

probably "self-deport". It is about time the government went after employers who hire illegal aliens. What did you think would happen to the workers when the government finally started cracking down on the employers? As for someone wanting her job, yes I would like an american citizen/legal immigrant to have that job over someone who is not supposed to be in this country and does not have the legal right to be here.

[lonestarnot]

12. Self deport where after 27 years?

Unfuckingbelievable!

[The Straight Story]

14. Canada maybe? (nt)

[lonestarnot]

20. Why am I surprised?

:shrug:

[The Straight Story]

28. Hmmm so if I think someone who is here illegally is from Mexico, I am a knee jerk racist

So I try not to be and say Canada and you shrug?

Are you stereotyping those workers?

[lonestarnot]

30. Did I say racist?

No you did. Why not cuba? Why not Columbia? Why not Zimbabwe?

[kelly1mm]

15. Her country of citizenship, naturally. nt

[lonestarnot]

19. Ugh if immigration were fixed she wouldn't have to go anywhere after 27 years as living as an

American who has apparently paid taxes.

[kelly1mm]

23. Immigration will not be fixed for quite a while IMO so the status

quo will remain for at least the short term. ICE "no-match letters" are a fact of life during the status quo.
The reason for there not being a immigration fix right now is that neither side is willing to compromise. The left will not agree to anything that does not allow those already in the US a normalization/path to citizenship that does not make them go back to their countries. The right, feeling burned by the last immigration amnesty during the Reagan years, wants a "Great Wall of America" and everybody to go back to their country of origin and get in line to come back. Pretty far apart right now. Second main reason this will not be fixed, at least this year IMO, is that this issue is red meat for both the far left and far right of the two parties.

[lonestarnot]

31. I have confidence that immigration will be fixed and we will see to it!

[kelly1mm]

37. Great! I like your attitude! Could you describe your plan a bit

and how it would be able to get through both houses of Congress?

[EFerrari]

17. That's disgusting. nt

[kelly1mm]

24. What, that she was willing to be here illegally for 27 years? nt

[EFerrari]

26. My dogs have more humanity than that. Even the old blind deaf one.

[SpartanDem]

8. You're faulting ICE for actually enforcing the law?

Union or not they were here illegally. As for AMB they need the shit fined out of them for their hiring practices

[kelly1mm]

21. Here is an article from Arizona about citizens/legal immigrants

applying for jobs formerly held by illegal aliens in a similar no-match document situation. Kind of puts a stake in that whole "only doing the jobs Americans won't do" argument.

http://www.azfamily.com/news/Hundreds-seek-to-fill-vacant-positions-at-Pros-Ranch-Market-91880224.html

[napi21]

22. Painting this as an action agaist Obama, it should be

ICE demans documentation or deportation. I know there's a lot of sympathy for people who have bee in the US a long time but get caught as an illegal, but there is o statute of limitations on entering the Country illegally. Obama is enorcing the laws!

[WeDidIt]

25. This bullshit is why theLuis Gutierrez solution is the only immigration solution that will work.

Under the Gutierrez solution, all of these workers would be fined and then set on a path to full documentation and citizenship if they want it.

Luis Gutierrez has proposed the ONLY immigration reform prgram that will actually work.

[EFerrari]

27. They're beating up on San Francisco because it's a sanctuary city, the f#cks.

They shouldn't do it this way. They should put in a policy that applies to new hires, not grandpas and family men that have been good employees for years.

Disgusting slime.

[kelly1mm]

29. They are doing this a lot of places, not just San Francisco. I posted a

link to a similar no-match audit in Arizona in post 21.

[proud2BlibKansan]

32. This company is hiring undocumented workers and you want them to keep their jobs?

Sorry, but I don't understand the outrage.

[rucky]

33. This is wonderful anti-union fodder for the right.

I can hear it now.

:puke:

[dems_rightnow]

34. It really has nothing to do with Unions.....

.... though the OP insisted on making it so.

[rucky]

35. Yep. Shows how easy it is to twist this one.

Then after it's repeated this way a few times, we come back with a long-winded explanation that nobody pays attention to.

[EFerrari]

38. This action will weaken the union. If the union is allowed to

organized everybody regardless of status, then there is no using non-union labor because you can find it easily. Now the union won't be able to do that.

[madokie]

36. I have no sympathy for those who came here through channels other than immigration

Simple as that. Nice play on Unions you got going there too anna :spank:

[EFerrari]

39. The union did exactly the right thing for the situation they were in

by organizing everybody. That's probably one reason it's still in business.