Posted on 06/21/2007 6:19:38 AM PDT by Greg F
JESSE J. HOLLAND
AP Labor Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - The revival of the Senate's immigration legislation also resurrected a rare split inside organized labor.
The AFL-CIO formally came out against the bill Wednesday, reflecting the distaste among manufacturing unions and others whose members have been displaced by overseas competition and would have to compete with an influx of cheaper workers who don't have labor rights.
Embracing the bill are a couple of unions that cater to workers in the fast-growing service sector of the economy and also split from the AFL-CIO in 2005. They've seen their membership rosters swell with immigrants taking jobs in hotels and restaurants and as janitors.
The Senate legislation would legalize some 12 million unlawful immigrants and create a new temporary guest worker program wanted by employers in virtually all sectors of the economy. That's where the unions' interests diverge.
Earlier this month, the AFL-CIO and its allies succeeded in getting the Senate to limit the temporary worker program to only five years. The bill's proponents vowed to try and make it permanent again in later negotiations with the House if the bill makes it that far.
That victory, however, didn't placate labor leaders still opposed to the bill.
``This bill is far from the kind of comprehensive immigration reform that would improve the status quo for either U.S.-born or immigrant workers or their families and, in fact, it is likely to make matters much worse,'' said AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard L. Trumka.
. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
Woo hoo. The Onions are gonna kill the shamnesty.
Play taps.
THE UNIONS JUMP OUT OF BED WITH THE POLITICO’S!
I’M GOING FOR A RIDE TO WATCH FLYING PIGS!
Call your Dim representatives. Bang them over the head with the union thing. Kill this bill!
The union bosses must really be hearing it from their members.
3% approve of Congress’ handling of immigration. 3%!
14% approve of the job Congress is doing overall. 14%!
Immigration is the 2nd most important issue to the public behind the war in Iraq. 2nd!
Heh. This immigration debacle is going to do in the Dem Congress and the RINO’s . . .
Wow! I agree with the AFL-CIO. Is that a sign of the Apocalypse?
Go, AFL-CIO!
Work Union, Live Better
The morning after Kennedy announced this bill, John Sweeney was praising it.
The rank-and-file might be opposed to it, but the leadership loves the idea of swelling their deteriorating ranks with new members.
And Teddy’s down in a bottle again. These are some of his very bestest friends. How apocalyptic.
This makes things interesting for the Dems.
Finally the unions had the hypocrite card pulled on them by their own members. Without union support, this bill is dead!
Manufacturing unions like the AFL CIO are against this Bush-Kennedy-McCain travesty. On the other hand, service-based unions like the SEIU are entirely for this bill and are supporting it big time.
The reason? Large numbers of members in service unions are illegals. This is not the case with the unions in manufacturing.
“Without union support, this bill is dead!”
I think it’s the other way around.
Yes!!! They finally did something right! I have no doubt It’s because their due paying members have been heating their phone lines forcing them to do this.
Hear that Democrats? Some of your biggest supporters are in fury over this, going to turn a deaf ear to them the way reps have to us?
now I’d like to see the black caucus show some guts and come out against this. they can’t tell me their constituents support this.
Muy bueno!
yep. Calling my Dems Senators again to tell them the Union broke with them and opposes this bill. which basically means the elite in the union were hearing from irate due paying members. democrat voters. swing voters. dems arerisking their loyalty.
The service and government unions are still for it . . . so it’s a split in the unions. Of course the service and government unions are much larger now than the AFL-CIO since we have lost so much manufacturing due to the insane policies of this group of madmen in the Senate . . .
How do you know a U.S. Senator is sane?
When he retires instead of dying in office or being booted out.
Only the sane ones leave. The crazies stay . . . and stay . . . and stay . . .
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