The New York Times reported today that two of the most important Labor unions in the country, the AFL-CIO and Change to Win, are endorsing President Obama’s push for comprehensive immigration reform. This is great news and immigrant rights advocates are excited that our friends in the Labor movement are joining the fight.
“The labor movement will work together to make sure that the White House as well as Congress understand that we speak about immigration reform with one voice,” Mr. Sweeney (president of the AFL-CIO) said in a statement to The New York Times.
Folks in labor unions understand that in order to ensure that workers’ rights are enforced across the board, we must level the playing field and bring the millions of undocumented immigrant workers into the system and out of the shadows.
A.F.L.-C.I.O. officials said they agreed with Change to Win leaders that, with more than seven million unauthorized immigrants already working across the nation, legalizing their status would be the most effective way to protect labor standards for all workers.
“It shows how important the issue is to the representatives of American workers,” said Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice, an advocate group.
This is great news and we applaud both the AFL-CIO and Change to Win for their brave move to support Immigration reform this year.