Immigration
The immigration system in the United States is broken. The pathways for lawful immigration are choked with long backlogs. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of people continue to enter our nation illegally each year. Many of these immigrants are mistreated by unscrupulous smugglers known as "coyotes." Some perish in the course of this dangerous method of entry.
Millions of undocumented individuals continue to work in the United States. These immigrant workers are often forced to work long hours in miserable working conditions for low pay and no benefits. Employers hide behind immigration laws to prevent these workers from exercising the same rights as other workers, including the right to organize a union. The end result is a race to the bottom in which the wages, benefits and working conditions of all workers are depressed.
Regrettably, in a decision called Hoffman Plastics v. NLRB, the Supreme Court held that undocumented workers are not entitled to the same workplace rights as employees who are citizens. Moreover, undocumented workers are denied unemployment insurance and other government benefits that are available to others. The denial of these rights and benefits to undocumented workers is particularly unjust since they pay taxes to support these government programs, just like other workers.
International academic workers, who contribute enormously to the intellectual and cultural environment of educational institutions around the country, are routinely exploited in the workplace. They receive low pay and few benefits. In addition, since Sept. 11, 2001, they have been the target of misguided, discriminatory policies that impose severe burdens. The recent wave of organizing in higher education, led in part by international academic workers, has led to great improvements. But more needs to be done.
As a matter of decency and fair play, immigrant and guest workers who have been contributing their labor and have paid taxes for many years in this country should be allowed to become stakeholders in our society. This is essential to prevent the creation of an underclass of indentured workers who will be used to undermine the standard of living of all workers.
The UAW believes we need immigration reform that puts an end to these abuses. In our judgment, any immigration reform must:
• Ensure full, equal and enforceable workplace rights for all employees, including immigrant workers, both documented and undocumented. This is fair and equitable. It is the only way to ensure that unscrupulous employers do not exploit immigrant workers, using them to undermine workplace rights, pay and benefits for all employees.
• Reject proposals that would vastly expand abusive guest worker programs. Instead, work to reform guest worker programs to provide these workers with full, equal and enforceable workplace rights, and to prevent employers from using these programs to undermine workplace rights, pay and benefits for all workers.
• Establish a well-defined path, similar to that called for by President Obama, to allow immigrant and guest workers to adjust their status and eventually become permanent residents and citizens.
• Improve the ability of all international academic workers to be employed by U.S. universities by increasing the flexibility and length of work opportunities for them and their families, streamlining visa processing, and expediting the transition to permanent residency and citizenship. This will enhance the intellectual and cultural environment at our universities, while helping to ensure that international academic workers have equitable compensation and equal workplace rights.
• Speed up the process for individuals to enter our country lawfully, as President Obama has advocated.
• Crack down on the dangerous and exploitive trafficking in undocumented immigrants by coyotes.
During 2009, the UAW will continue to work for fundamental reforms to our broken immigration system. The UAW believes our nation should embrace immigrants for the diversity and values they bring, rather than fear them as threats to values or jobs. We must not fall victim to employers who attempt to divide workers by race, ethnicity and immigration status, playing one group against the other to undermine solidarity and preclude workers from achieving progress together.
Action:
• Urge Congress to pass legislation that will provide full, equal and enforceable workplace rights for all immigrant workers, documented and undocumented. Such legislation must reverse the Hoffman Plastics v. NLRB decision, ensure that all immigrant workers have the right to organize and protect whistle-blowers.
• Tell Congress to reject proposals that would vastly expand abusive guest worker programs. Instead, urge Congress to reform guest worker programs to provide these workers with full, equal and enforceable workplace rights, so employers cannot use guest workers to undermine workplace rights, pay and benefits for all workers.
• Urge Congress to establish a well-defined pathway whereby immigrant workers have the opportunity eventually to become permanent residents and citizens. This is the only way to avoid a permanent underclass that employers can use to undermine the standard of living of all workers.
• Tell Congress to provide increased protections for the rights of international academic workers, including their civil rights and liberties. Congress should oppose any measures that would discriminate against or impose burdens on them. International academic workers should receive adequate and equal compensation, and have the opportunity to become permanent residents and citizens.
• Urge Congress to make sure unemployment insurance and other government safety net programs are available to all workers who pay taxes to support them, including immigrant workers.
