CA: Organizers gear up for rally

Readying for a massive national rally on May 1, organizers are calling on employers not to punish employees who skip work to protest, while state legislators are expected to vote this week on a resolution that would formally recognize a boycott.

For weeks, organizers have been calling for a massive mobilization on May 1, Labor Day in the United States or International Workers Day abroad, to show the force of the undocumented immigrant community across the U.S. - an estimated 5 percent of the U.S. work force.

Though organizers have been split about whether the protest should include a work, school and economic boycott - they have been carefully working to broaden their coalition over the past two weeks.

"This whole movement is snowballing not just in the size but also in the composition of the coalition. It's diversifying, it's not just Latinos," said Nativo Lopez, the president of the Mexican American Political Association. In the coming days, he expects Filipino, Muslim and African immigrant organizations to announce they will join the boycott.

In the Korean community, some employers have been bracing for the boycott, expecting many of their Latino workers to call in sick, said Danny Park, executive director of the Korean Immigrant Workers Alliance.

Last week, the Korean Apparel Manufacturers Association sent out letters to its 1,000 members who employ an estimated 30,000 workers asking them not to retaliate against workers who don't show up for work that day.

"We don't want a confrontation between employers and employees," said Mike Lee, the association's president. "We want to stand together."

Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, said she expects most of those participating to be students and longtime Latino activists.

"Day laborers and low-wage workers can't give up their day of work. It's not that they don't support this, it's economic."

...while state legislators are expected to vote this week on a resolution that would formally recognize a boycott.

Here is the legislation:

BILL NUMBER: SCR 113     INTRODUCED
     BILL TEXT

INTRODUCED BY   Senators Romero, Cedillo, and Soto
   (Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Coto)
   (Coauthor: Senator Figueroa)
   (Coauthors: Assembly Members Bermudez, Calderon, Oropeza, Saldana, and Torrico)

                        APRIL 18, 2006

   Relative to The Great American Boycott 2006.

           LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

   SCR 113, as introduced, Romero  The Great American Boycott 2006

   This measure would recognize May 1, 2006, as "The Great American
Boycott 2006," to educate people in California and the United States
about the contributions of immigrants in California.
   Fiscal committee: no.

   WHEREAS, May 1, 2006, is declared "The Great American Boycott 2006"
; and

   WHEREAS, The United States has a tradition of historic boycotts,
including the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott that galvanized the
African-American community and resulted in the landmark 1956 United
States Supreme Court ruling against segregation; and

   WHEREAS, The Great American Boycott 2006 observes that tradition
and is intended to draw attention to the contributions of immigrants
to the nation's economy, including $4.5 billion in state taxes in
California each year, and more than $30 billion in federal taxes; and

   WHEREAS, Immigrants and their children comprise nearly half of the
population in this state and live in virtually all 58 counties in
California. More than one-quarter of all California residents are
foreign born, a rate higher than any other state in the country; and

   WHEREAS, Immigrants participate in the workforce at rates higher
than the national average. Ninety percent of Latino and Asian male
immigrants are employed; and

   WHEREAS, Immigrants comprise approximately one-third of the labor
force in California and figure prominently in key economic sectors in
California, including agriculture, manufacturing, and services; and

   WHEREAS, Immigrants provide leadership and labor for the expansion
of California's growing economic sectors, from agriculture,
telecommunications, and information technology to health services and
housing construction; and

   WHEREAS, Immigrants are among California's most productive
entrepreneurs and have created jobs for tens of thousands of
Californians. In San Jose alone, immigrant owners of technology
companies created more than 58,000 jobs and generated more than $17
billion in sales during the late 1990s; and

   WHEREAS, The average immigrant-headed household in California
contributes over $2,600 annually to federal Social Security, $539
more than the national average; and

   WHEREAS, Nearly 40 percent of California's foreign-born residents
are United States citizens; and

   WHEREAS, There are currently 2.7 million immigrants in this state
who are eligible for naturalization, 3.3 million are legal permanent
residents, and millions more will soon be eligible for
naturalization; and

   WHEREAS, California elected an immigrant to the highest post in
the State of California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, in the most
recent gubernatorial election; and

   WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of California recognizes that The
Great American Boycott 2006 is to educate people in California and
across the United States about the tremendous contribution immigrants
make on a daily basis to our society and economy; now, therefore, be
it

   Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That May 1, 2006, be recognized as The Great
American Boycott 2006; and be it further

   Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the author for distribution.

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Organizers gear up for rally Employers urged not to punish workers who take part in May 1 protest

Organizers gear up for rally
Employers urged not to punish workers who take part in May 1 protest