Labor union leadership and members are finding themselves in the middle of an increasingly heated debate over the rights of undocumented workers in the Washington area.
Some labor unions such as the Service Employees International Union’s Local 32BJ, which represents more than 85,000 property service workers from stadium workers doormen, are working with immigrant-advocacy groups such as CASA of Maryland and the National Capital Immigration Coalition. Spokeswoman Kate Ferranti said local 32BJ members helped the groups to organize lobby days for federal immigration reform and are working with those same organizations to plan out responses to Prince William and Loudoun counties’ efforts to discourage illegal immigrants from living inside their borders.
“The broken immigration system feeds an underground economy, forcing workers into low-wage jobs and poor conditions and threatening the wage and benefit standards we’ve fought hard to achieve,” Jaime Contreras, local 32BJ’s capital area district director, said Tuesday in an e-mail.
Other unions are torn on where to position themselves in immigration discussions. Jerry Lozupone, executive secretary treasurer for the Washington Building and Construction Trades Council, an umbrella organization for 15 local unions, said the union members he represents are divided.
Lozupone said the Washington Building and Construction Trades Council would take an official stance on any efforts to enact immigration policy changes on a national or statewide level but chooses not to participate in city and county discussions.
“It’s a catch-22, really,” Lozupone said. “If I’m living in Guatemala and I’m oppressed, I’d want to get out of there as well for my family.
“On the other hand, when you tell me that these [day labor positions] are jobs Americans won’t do, I tell you they’re full of crap. Americans won’t do them for chump change.” Lozupone said he believes all people who break the law should be penalized.
