From meat packers in Detroit to house painters in Monroe, Washington, to auto parts workers in Chicago, dozens of fired workers have won back their jobs. Others continue to press for reinstatement.

Their struggle, which is part of the broader fight for amnesty and permanent residency for the undocumented, is not a “Latino issue” or an “immigrant issue.” It strengthens all working people, U.S.- and foreign-born alike. Bosses rely on immigrant labor. They use their cops and legal system to maintain a pariah section of the working class in order to foster divisions among workers and as a source of superprofits.

The recent protests, whose size and scope surprised the ruling class, demonstrate the growing self-confidence of millions of immigrant workers. To undercut their impact, the bosses will continue to scapegoat immigrants, blaming them for unemployment and other social ills caused by the profit system. Spokespeople for the wealthy capitalists posing as “friends of immigrants” are warning workers not to “antagonize Americans,” counseling them instead to keep quiet and to rely on the Democratic Party, the courts, and immigration “reform.”

But the recent actions—the largest working-class demonstrations in the U.S. in decades—show the potential power of working people. They have an impact on millions of U.S-born workers and farmers, reinforcing their own willingness to fight and breaking down prejudices against workers born abroad. In fact, these immigrant rights protests are not an isolated development. They are part of a pattern of resistance among working people against attacks by the employers on our wages, working conditions, safety, and dignity on the job.

All those who support legal status for the undocumented should join upcoming actions for immigrant rights, including those planned for April 29-May 1. Many workers may skip work or school on May Day. It’s important, however, to recognize that most of the organizers of the earlier mobilizations, including trade unions, are not behind the May 1 boycott. Any calls for a generalized strike are not based on a mass working-class movement—the only force that can stay the hand of the bosses, who will be better prepared this time to go after workers who don’t show up on the job on May Day.

Some bosses are warning that they are now going to check the documents of workers who join such demonstrations in order to verify that they are not “illegal.” This is the same tactic the C.W. Mining owners used against coal miners who have fought to unionize the Co-Op mine in central Utah. On the eve of a union representation election, the company dismissed dozens of miners on the pretext that they did not have proper documents. The illegal firing of these workers is still awaiting final decision by the National Labor Relations Board.

All working people should support those being victimized by the employers for joining immigrant rights protests or fighting to unionize. The future of the labor movement is at stake.  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home