Unions fight to protect the labor rights of undocumented immigrants

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America's Work Force Union Podcast AWF

Guest Name:

Ernest Ojit

Guest Website:

www.liuna.org

Guest Social Media:

Facebook

Twitter

Supportive Documents:

Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA) International Representative Local 202R Business Manager Ernest Ojito joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and spoke about the need for immigration reform and the efforts of unions to protect the rights of undocumented workers.

Ojito discussed Local 202R’s efforts to obtain Temporary Protected Status for a number of their members who are from El Salvador. Many of these individuals have been in the country for over 15 years and have children, with some even owning their own business. They pay fees and are continually monitored by the federal government, including required fingerprinting every other year, in order to legally remain in the country.

Ojito explained the need to provide permanent residency to undocumented workers who have followed the law, pay their taxes and are otherwise in good standing. Many of these workers are abused and exploited at work, he added.

He then talked about successful efforts by Local 202R to obtain U visas for undocumented immigrants who report workplace violations committed by their employers. U visas provide temporary immigration status, including work authorization, to immigrants who report crimes.

Ojito also touched on the impact the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will make, as he expects it to fuel the Local’s membership growth. The passage of this bipartisan effort, combined with President Joe Biden’s Executive Order on Project Labor Agreements, makes it an exciting time to be in a union, he said.

Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.

America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

Unions fight to protect the labor rights of undocumented immigrants

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