Immigrant rights, labor try to forge tighter bond

[pampango]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-troublemakers-side-20110707,0,4162277.story

This year's Troublemakers School workshop in Chicago was aimed at connecting union leaders and labor activists with immigrant rights groups. "Immigrant rights are labor issues," said Adam Kader, Worker Center director at Arise Chicago. "The real value is to bring the two together."

Kader was among 225 people who attended the workshop organized by Labor Notes, a Detroit-based pro-labor nonprofit. Similar workshops have taken place in six cities nationwide so far this year. The group's main conference is expected to be held in Chicago early next year.

Labor Notes Director Mark Brenner said unions once viewed immigrants as competition for jobs. But in the past 10 years unions, which have lost members and clout, have started to reach out to immigrants to become their voice. In Chicago, immigrants are going to labor groups for help when they are having labor issues. In the past, labor groups would send the workers to a lawyer, but now they also support them by calling their managers or staging protests, he said.

Brenner said he sees his workshops bringing about change in the labor movement, including tackling immigration reform and pressing for union members to have more of a voice. "People are willing to fight. The question is how to organize (them) around a fight that they are going to win," Brenner said.

[dkf]

1. Unions have given up on organizing Legal workers.

Their numbers are so small that their only avenue is to take on another issue. How depressing.