Posted on December 28, 2011 by Laurie Couch
Photo courtesy of Debbie Kline, Cleveland Jobs with Justice
November 8th marked a major victory for workers all across the nation, when more than 2 million people voted NO on Issue 2 and repealed Gov. Kasich’s anti-worker Senate Bill 5.
Senate Bill 5 would have stripped Ohio’s public employees—firefighters, teachers, and nurses, among others—of their right to collectively bargain for fair wages and safe staffing levels. The effect of this bill on jobs and communities across the state would have been devastating.
That’s why SEIU Local 1 members joined their sisters and brothers across Ohio in working tirelessly to repeal SB5. Local 1 members helped gather a record number of signatures to get the issue on the ballot and spent weeks educating voters across the state about Senate Bill 5.
By using their citizens’ veto, Ohioans said loud and clear: working families are not punching bags. We did not cause the economic problems in Ohio and you can’t pick our pockets to fix them. This is a victory for the 99%, by the 99%.
The voice of Ohio’s middle class was heard ‘round the nation in November—but only because union members and working people across the state worked together and worked hard.
Posted on May 23, 2011 by lesliemendoza
Working families have suffered far too long at the hands of a broken immigration system that divides our strength, exploits workers, and fails to live up to our values as a nation of immigrants. Today, with a progressive, pro-worker majority in Congress, we face an unprecedented opportunity to rebuild our immigration system so that it:
- Raises living standards for all workers;
- Restores the rule of law;
- Strengthens our economy; and
- Honors our values as a nation of immigrants.
Today’s Broken Immigration System Hurts all Workers:
- The problem is not immigrants or immigration; the problem is our broken immigration system. Laws are outdated, unenforceable, and we’ve lost control of our borders. Today’s outdated system is bad for:
- Workers who suffer depressed wages and poor working conditions…
- Immigrants who are separated from their families; forced to live in the shadows…
- U.S. taxpayers who must foot the bill for costly, ineffective enforcement policies…
As long as unscrupulous employers have the ability to exploit undocumented workers, the current two-tiered workforce will continue to drive down wages for all workers. This is unacceptable.
Comprehensive Reform is the only way to End Illegal Immigration:
It’s time to re-build our immigration system so that it raises standards for all workers, strengthens our economy, and restores the rule of law for the long-term.
To ensure that every job in this country is filled by a legal permanent resident, we must:
- Replace an illegal flow with a legal flow of immigrant workers that is based on real labor demand and provides full labor protections;
- Get undocumented immigrants into the system—pass background checks, pay fines, learn English, get on the tax rolls, and become U.S. citizens.
- Couple border enforcement with smart reforms in the workplace—including vigorous labor protections that will raise standards for all workers; and
- Support robust integration programs that help immigrants learn English, assimilate into their communities and participate in U.S. political life.
Instead of ripping apart families and destroying local economies, our government must find a fair and practical way to bring undocumented workers out of the shadows and into the mainstream. The alternative – punitive attacks, family destruction, and harassment without hope – is shameful and fundamentally un-American.
Now is the time to make history:
- President Obama promised to take immigration reform up in his first term
- Fixing our immigration system is a key step to fixing our economy
- Americans voted for change; now we need to see it happen
