Split in organized labor over immigration

updated 3:14 p.m. ET June 21, 2007

WASHINGTON - 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.

Temporary foreign workers
Several unions see a real threat to American workers under the Senate bill because temporary foreign workers would for the first time be able to hold non-seasonal jobs.

Ana Avendano, an AFL-CIO attorney and director of its immigrant worker program, said that would give employers like Wal-Mart and owners of meatpacking and poultry plants a lower-wage source of year-round workers that could be exploited.

On the other side are unions like the Service Employees International Union and UNITE HERE, an amalgamation of formerly separate unions representing hotel, restaurant, laundry and textile workers.

MORE FROM POLITICS

Politics Section Front

Obama: 'Africa isn't separate from world affairs' NYT: Ghana visit points to Africa's instability Obama's visit to fort a 'full-circle experience' House Dems to tax rich for health care Sept. may bring push for Iran sanctions Congress asked to address racism in military Al-Qaida inmate accesses Obama's books Newsweek: How Obama looked past the Kremlin Post-9/11 surveillance went beyond wiretapping Obama plane incident could have been disaster Politics Section Front   Add Politics headlines to your news reader: