Organized Labor

International Worker’s Day Commemorated with Call for Humane Immigrantion Reform

Several thousand people rallied and marched from Dolores Park in the Mission to the Civic Center May 1 to commemorate International Workers’ Day and call for humane immigration reform. Many immigrant rights organizations, community groups and labor union members participated. Marches held throughout the Bay Area were smaller than the marches held in 2006, but a broader range of groups participated. The marches were part of the National Mobilization to Support Immigrant Workers.

In 2006, immigrants led walkouts, boycotts, and protests in opposition to the anti-immigrant legislation, HR 4437, sponsored by Congressmember James Sensenbrenner. The Sensenbrenner bill would have treated undocumented workers as criminals, punished those who assist them and denied education and medical care to the children of illegal immigrants. While that bill has stalled, other proposals that create a guest worker program and tighten border security have been introduced. Since the 2006 May Day actions, thousands of immigrant workers around the U.S. have been detained in raids conducted by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, a division of the federal Department of Homeland Security. Protesters at the 2007 May Day actions called for an end to the raids and humane immigration reform that grants full legalization for immigrants.

Speaking at the Dolores Park rally, San Francisco Supervisor Tom Ammiano reminded the crowd that, “San Francisco is a sanctuary city for those fleeing oppressive governments and for those seeking work.” The city adopted a policy in the 1980s of providing sanctuary for refugees fleeing the wars and repression in Central America. The policy prohibits local authorities from assisting federal agents in rounding up immigrants. Ammiano went further, calling for unconditional amnesty for those who entered the U.S. illegally and telling undocumented immigrant workers, “We are with you.”

Supervisors Gerardo Sandoval and Chris Daly also spoke in support of immigrant rights. Daly emphasized that the City would continue to offer sanctuary. “Non-cooperation with the federal raids is a start,” Daly said. “Today is International Workers’ Day—a good day to remember that San Francisco is a union town, a working class town.”

SF Labor Council Executive Director Tim Paulson also spoke in support of all workers and expressed the need to link the immigrant rights and union movements. “We are proud of our movements joining together to fight the racist anti-immigrant policies of the Bush administration and keep San Francisco a sanctuary city,” Paulson said. “There is no such thing as an illegal worker, no such thing as an illegal human being. The Labor Council will work with unionized and unorganized workers for a humane immigration policy.”

The AFL-CIO has come out in opposition to the guest worker program proposed by the Bush administration but hasn’t called for amnesty for undocumented immigrant workers. Many of the organizations at the May Day rallies include the call for amnesty and full citizenship rights. The raids by ICE—in which families have been separated, people captured and held incommunicado, and their rights to due process violated—have intensified the call for amnesty. The Movement for an Unconditional Amnesty says, “These measures do not serve to stop immigration, but force immigrants underground, encouraging black market immigration and causing the separation of families.”

In Los Angeles, police shot over 200 rounds of rubber bullets at a rally of tens of thousands at Macarthur Park. Several journalists and marchers were also struck with batons by LAPD officers. As Organized Labor goes to press, two LAPD command officers have been re-assigned and outrage over the police action continues. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has promised a full investigation into the incident which is expected to be completed by the end of May.