"The battle for immigrant rights has never been at a more critical moment," stated a letter sent out by Baldemar Velasquez, president of FLOC, which is based in Toledo, Ohio. The court's ruling "that employers have impunity to fire undocumented workers with no questions asked for union activity or any other reason [is a] devastating blow to all undocumented workers' ability to organize for their rights," he said.

Among the organizations sponsoring the action are the Asociación Tepeyac of New York; Carpenters Local 1554 in Hialeah, Florida; Comité Latino of Laborers International Union Local 79 in New York; Service Employees International Union; American Friends Service Committee; the Committee for Amnesty and Social Justice in Seattle; and Young Christian Workers of the U.S. in Baltimore.

"I'm really mad about the Supreme Court's decision," commented Juan Mazlymian, who is with the Comité Latino of Laborers Local 79, "It's working families who have been attacked."

The coalition sponsoring the Washington action is also seeking passage of the Freedom Act. This bill provides for three-year temporary residency for undocumented immigrants who are working, with a process by which they can eventually become permanent residents; and provisions to demilitarize the border and make it easier for these workers to visit their families in their native country, according to a summary provided by FLOC.

Further information on the May 1 protests can be found on the FLOC web site at www.floc.com  
 
 
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