[Cid_Yama]

AFL-CIO Backs October 2 March in Washington, DC for Jobs, Justice and Peace
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')e learned this morning that the National Executive Council of the AFL-CIO has voted to support and mobilize its members for the October 2, 2010, march on Washington to demand "jobs, economic security, comprehensive immigration reform, a safe and renewable energy policy and a reversal of national priorities from making wars to meeting human needs." This march was initiated by SEIU Local 1199 and the NAACP.

NAACP President Ben Jealous announced the October 2 march at the NAACP convention in Kansas City in early July, explaining that "marchers will demand the change they voted for when Barack Obama was elected," and emphasizing the urgent need to "create jobs and stop moving money out of education and into wars and prisons." (Kansas City Star, July 12, 2010)

Indeed, while there are many issues of concern among working people, having a job ranks by far at the very top of the list, since so many other basic needs are directly tied to employment. The current Great Recession -- some are calling it a depression -- has spawned a surge in joblessness, with little recovery in sight. Temporary downward dips in the unemployment rate are resulting from workers becoming discouraged; they stop looking for work because they do not think they can find any, so they are no longer counted as unemployed.

Not enough jobs are being created in the private sector to keep up with the number of new workers who are entering the labor market. According to an AFL-CIO blog (June 7, 2010), 38 percent of Americans report that either they or someone close to them has lost a job. There are officially almost 15 million Americans now out of work, mostly due to the current economic crisis. But if those who are involuntarily working part-time and if discouraged workers are taken into account, the number is much higher.

Claiming that the federal deficit is the greatest threat to the economy, politicians of both major parties are displaying a stark lack of interest in aggressively attacking the problem of joblessness. Recently, Congress callously refused to extend unemployment benefits, thereby cutting a crucial lifeline for over one million unemployed workers. Many believe that this inflated focus on the deficit is simply an excuse by politicians to terminate popular government programs, where the politicians claim the government simply cannot afford to maintain them. Motivated by special interests instead of what is good for the country as a whole, these politicians propose privatizing the programs or eliminating them altogether.

SEIU Local 1199 President George Gresham has predicted that this demonstration will be a "massive -- and we believe historic -- march." It might, in fact, mark a turning point for organized labor as it launches this fight-back.

[gollum]

I can't understand a union pushing "comprehensive immigration reform" which only hurts their members. For the record I'm a union worker and very pro union.

[Plantagenet]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ludi', '.')... explain how immigration reform hurts union members? Thanks.

[Cid_Yama]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he number of illegal immigrants living in the U.S. has dropped for the first time in two decades — decreasing by 8 percent since 2007, a new study finds. The reasons range from the sour economy to Mexican violence and increased U.S. enforcement that has made it harder to sneak across the border.

Much of the decline comes from a sharp drop-off in illegal immigrants from the Caribbean, Central America and South America attempting to cross the southern border of the U.S., according to the Pew Hispanic Center, which based its report on an analysis of 2009 census data.

The findings come amid bitter debate over Arizona's strict new immigration law, which was passed earlier this year but is on hold for now as it is challenged in federal court. The Obama administration contends the state law usurps federal authority and promotes racial profiling, while Arizona leaders say states are justified to step in if federal enforcement falls substantially short.

The study released Wednesday estimates that 11.1 million illegal immigrants lived in the U.S. in 2009. That represents a decrease of roughly 1 million, or 8 percent, from a peak of 12 million in 2007.

[careinke]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')hat represents .35% of the population of the US. Not enough by a long shot to affect wages, except regionally where the percentage is higher, and only among unskilled laborers.

[Cid_Yama]

US population as of 2009 is 310,152,000. The 11 million illegal imigrants include families so are not entirely workforce any more than the entire population of the US.

3.5% is still not enough to significantly affect wages. Which would only slightly affect the unskilled labor pool, and the skilled labor pool, not at all.

The argument is still nonsense.

[RikkiTikkiTavi]

1,000,000 / 310,152,000 = ~.323%

The decrease was 1 million, not 11.1 million (the current total). Cid's math was accurate (if the figures given above for illegal alien decrease and current population were accurate).

Edit: Oh wait, now I'm not sure which figure Cid was referencing. Oh well.

[Outcast_Searcher]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cid_Yama', 'U')S population as of 2009 is 310,152,000. The 11 million illegal imigrants include families so are not entirely workforce any more than the entire population of the US.

3.5% is still not enough to significantly affect wages. Which would only slightly affect the unskilled labor pool, and the skilled labor pool, not at all.

The argument is still nonsense.

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Plantagenet', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ludi', '.')... explain how immigration reform hurts union members? Thanks.

[eastbay]

It's all so strange.

The USA imports two million workers annually. The economy is creating zero net new jobs. All of these imported workers must eat. To do so many get jobs thereby displacing others already here who would otherwise be working. Legalized or illegally present it's truly fascinating that any worker would approve of such a perverse arrangement. It's also interesting to see so many otherwise intelligent American workers brainwashed into thinking it's in their interest to allow this to continue.

[Cid_Yama]

This post is about the October 2nd March and some Moron changed the title and misspelled Illegal. Then turned off the edit to prevent me from correcting it.

Edit: Sorry, see that this was a split off from the other thread. Could someone please correct the spelling.

[Tanada]

Title spelling error corrected as requested, please us the PM function to request moderator actions.

[Ayoob]

Why the hell would anyone want MORE PEOPLE in their country in a situation of DECLINING RESOURCES?????

I cannot get it through my head. It makes NO SENSE.

We can immediately create a hundred thousand new jobs by hiring a national security force who will go door to door and drag the illegals out into the street, load them on busses, and send them all home. Back where they belong.

The US is not the dumping ground for every illiterate beggar in the world! That's a stupid idea, and it needs to be stomped to death in the street!

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ayoob', '
')We can immediately create a hundred thousand new jobs by hiring a national security force who will go door to door and drag the illegals out into the street, load them on busses, and send them all home. Back where they belong.

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ayoob', '
')The US is not the dumping ground for every illiterate beggar in the world!

[Plantagenet]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ludi', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ayoob', '
')The US is not the dumping ground for every illiterate beggar in the world!

[Plantagenet]

There was a story today in the LA Times saying that union membership in California --- that bastion of liberalism known for welcoming illegal immigration----is decreasing more rapidly then anywhere in the USA.

This is a classic example of how Illegal immigrants are bad for unions and bad for wages----you flood an area with millions of workers willing to work off the books for low wages and union workers are going to get undercut and wages are going to go down......

[Pops]

A neighboring dairy pays a milker $30 per milking, twice a day, 6 days a week, and usually in the summer an additional 2-4 hours a day at somewhere around $10/hr. for misc. chores. In addition to the paycheck the milker gets a nice little 2 bedroom house, electricity and propane supplied and a freezer full of beef.

They really didn't want to hire an inexperienced "Mexican" (he's actually a Texan) but no "white" people answered the want ad they ran a couple of years ago. People my age would have jumped at that job when we were in our 20's - I have 2 brothers-in-law that milked and got minimum wage and a trailer 30 years ago.

That's just one instance but how many 30 year olds do you know who would pick lettuce - for any amount of money?

It's pretty silly to say mexicans are taking jobs away from the good ol boys down at the union hall. Those boys voted themselves right out of the market sometime back in the '70s and the jobs have been crossing the border in the other direction ever since.

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pops', 't')he jobs have been crossing the border in the other direction ever since.

[Ayoob]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Plantagenet', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ludi', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ayoob', '
')The US is not the dumping ground for every illiterate beggar in the world!