Mark Simpson, a worker at NStar for 19 years, has a six-year-old daughter who had her right leg amputated. She told him she wanted to walk the picket line with him on crutches. Termination by the company of health coverage prevented her from getting a new prosthetic leg.

When Thomas May, C.E.O. of NStar, was informed of this during an interview by the Boston Globe, he offered to have the company foot the bill. Simpson said he would refuse medical aid from NStar until it restored health insurance for all strikers.

The next day, at a meeting of 1,500 union members, the workers voted unanimously to cover the costs for the prosthesis with money from the strike fund. “That’s what a union is all about, one for all and all for one,” Simpson said.

Gary Cohen
Arlington, Massachusetts
 
 
Immigration in Spain
More than 700,000 immigrants have presented documentation to obtain residency in Spain as part of a three-month process set in motion by a new addition to the Ley de Extranjería, which ended May 7. The “normalization law” was promised by President Zapatero in the 2004 elections and was formally approved at the end of December. The new law, which took effect February 7, requires the employer to present the residency application to City Hall on behalf of the immigrant. Requirements include a contract of employment, proof of residence with City Hall prior to Aug. 7, 2004, and a clean past criminal-record clearance from the country of origin.

The new law has been criticized by the main immigrant rights organizations. Mustafá Mrabet, president of the Association of Moroccan Immigrant Workers in Spain, has stated that the requirement of the criminal record from the country of origin has been very difficult for many to obtain. Rosario Zanabria, president of the immigrant organization Ari-Peru, has said many companies evade their obligation to contract employees, refusing to normalize the situation of foreign-born workers and firing some who ask for a contract.

On April 24 around 400 people protested in Madrid and about 3,000 in Barcelona. Demands included a prolonging of the normalization process, the acceptance of other sources of proof of residency, a clear criminal record from Spain only, and a solution for those who are unable to obtain a contract from their employer.

In mid-April the government authorized accepting other official papers that prove residency, including past deportation orders.

Spain now has the fourth-highest rate of immigration in Europe. Immigrants constitute 8.4 percent of the population, or 3.7 million people. Another 800,000 are estimated to be undocumented. Immigration rates in Spain have steadily risen in recent years. Moroccans, Ecuadorians, Colombians, and Romanians constitute the most numerous immigrant nationalities. Every year thousands are detained as they try to cross the Strait of Gibraltar into Spain. But southern immigration continues to grow despite the treacherous conditions of the Mediterranean crossing. Most of these immigrants come from Morocco, Algeria, and other sub-Saharan African countries—including Senegal, Nigeria, and the Ivory Coast.

This process reflects the increased integration of immigrant workers into society.

Emily Paul
Granada, Spain  
 
 
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