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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 9/26/2000 - Human Relations Commission Mol�#enry Human Rel�tions Commisslon `--- M�r�rto T0: Commission Members FROM: Pat Buhrman RE: August Meeting DATE: August 11, 200p This is the informa�ion I pramised to get out to you. The August meeting of the HRC is cancetled due to several personal conflicts. Hopefully the September meeting will be a pralu�tive one. We wiii have a�uest speaker frum the Latino Coalition. Thar�k you! Pat � � --.. - ' SEPTEM6ER 20 � 21, �- • 2000 . • � . . � �r ou�r . . . , � c� en ��r � . � �, . � ► � � et , e � t t es . �- �1'��AtA�ING �HA1�G� The �ision of Dinersit� Mo�nes Forviv�ard • EXPLORE STRATEGIES TO ENHANCE RACIAL DIVERSITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN YOUR COMMUNITY. • MEET DE�ICATED COMMUNITY LEADERS, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND CITIZENS WHO ARE DEDICATED TO FINDING ANSWERS TO THE MOST DIF�ICULT QUESTIONS THAT FACE OU R SOCI ETY. We'll be sending you complete For further information or to con- information about the Congress in tt�bute ideas, contott the co- �the near future. Take a moment, �ha��: ond return the form on the other Gloria Smith -- 708.386.1074 side of this flyer. Barry Greenwald -- 708.383.5803 , 4 .�.._.��_. > II I l I I I I II I � Z0�09 siouilll '�lapd �IpO ' �aaa�s uosippW �Z L � �abd �IpO �o a�q��i� �I d0 ui ssaa�uo� a�uby�x� �quoi�a� '� :o� uan�a� I '�Si� UI�IDW JIIO�0�BWDU 6111M0��0�21�PpD�SD2I I Q �'�i •�si� 6w�iow ay�wo�}awou�tw anowa�asoa�d � ' pua�o�,uo��'A�a�oun�o�u�y I � I� a�ay� aq o� 6uiuu��d w,f - � si ssa,�ppe pue auieH �►y� � � , -- ' BULK RATE ' . . , U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 26 '�� Oak Park,IL • ' P r� i n�1 Exch�n e Co n ress 111 � �� � he Re o Village of Oak Park Explore the roles plaqed 6q government, the �23 Madison street schoots, the retigious communitq, 6usiness, Oak Park Illinois 60302 Realtors, and the arts in creating and main- taining a dinerse community. Diversity adds value to a communitq Raciallq �iinerse communities are �ood ptaces to Iive, to raise familie�s.�and to establish businesses. � Patricia Buhrinan City of McHenry HRC 4708 West Shore McHenry,IL 60050 � / � ��� �til'tl�����'i7�tit��il��t�t���� ,i�iill!!!t}lili4�3l3tt�112�Flitt H l�it�t3i:i�i 3 F..�.��a��.�4::.��=��. M � �1�1c3-fenry County latino CoaCition � a' Coalicion latina d�eCCondado de .�lc3fenry � � 134 Cass Street, 1Noodstock, IL 600g8 �' � ?"elep�wyce: (8151338-4541/.�ax: (815�338-4864 � p .� -� � e-maiG �1�Ic3�fLatinos@prodigy.net July 16, 2000 carfos.L a�ona �``�"` Ms. Pat Buhrman a�a�P�e= Chairperson v�e-�,-�`�"` McHenry City Human Relations Commission �okn lveck II 333 S. Green Street 7reasyarer MCHetlry, IL 60050 .?IngeCDorantes �eLQf� Re: Legalization resolutian � Dear Pat: �.ar�au'►�"za I hope this letter finds you and the members of your organization basking .Atyrna.9lCvarez ��«,.e�,� in the warmth of a fine summer. I am writing to request your assistance and �.Q„�;��o$;� support with the Coalition's Legalization campaign. The Illinois Coalition for �,.Q„���o Borto Immigrant and Refugee Rights has been spearheading the efforts in Illinois to cu�a car6a��r educate persons on the benefits of such legislation. The McHenry Co. Latino Br{anDiBona Coalition has been assisting the ICIRR locally with their campaign. 1 have Pedro Enr(quez enclosed various materials that provide background and a sample resolution `— ��.nG� pending before the Chicago City Council. .��,-�G�,Ya�, Joseragunas In February of 2000, the AFL-CIO dramatically changed their position �wQ„�,�rt{,�Z regarding undocumented workers and called for new legalization (amnesty) .�►tarfa.ate)ia legislation to be passed by the U.S. Congress. In April of 2000, Francis Cardinal ��o.r� George voiced the support of the Archdiocese of Chicago for a new legalization .�a�ocv�a program. In June of 2000, Alderman Richard Mell (33`d ward) introduced a s�P�,- resolution into the Chicago City Council in support of the ICIRR campaign. It is Li66y Paypafarcfo co-sponsored by 31 other aldermen. Donna PufafiC Do►-a�es I have enclosed a copy of the proposed resolution for discussion by your �+�e��v�-a organization. I would ask for a vote of support on the resolution and that it is .�tary Ralarte forwarded to your respective legislative body for endorsement. If you require Lupe Romo further information, or would like someone from the McHenry Co. Latino Coalition a�rearersac�,�.� present during your discussions, please contact me at the above address and y��s��� phone to determine availability. Thank you for all of your past support and I look rn.R°Sa s��-S forvvard to hearing from you. German za�►�6ra,to Sin rely, Carlos J. Acosta President � Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights �- Press Release ILI,INOIS For Immediate Release Contact: Maricela Garcia or ;�;',�;��„T �,�Ke�vcsee. April 18, 2000 Fred Tsao �zrc}�rr� (312) 332-7360 FRANCIS CARDINAL GEORGE SUPPORTS AFL-CIO's CALL FOR NEW LEGALIZATION PROGRAM Chicago, IL—Francis Cardinal George has signed on to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights's (ICIRR) signature campaign, which supports the AFL-CIO's call for a new legalization program and end to employer sanctions. ICIRR launched this campaign to show widespread community support for the AFL-CIO's endorsement of a new amnesty. "Community leaders are stepping up to show their support for a new legalization program because it is the right thing to do,"said Maricela Garcia, ICIRR executive director. "I hope that more people will follow the leadership of Francis Cardinal George and sign on to the Coalition's campaign to support the AFL-CIO endorsement." In February, tlie executive council of the AFL-CIO issued a statement endorsing a new �, legalization program—a significant change in organized labor's position on immigration. Congress passed a previous amnesty in 1986 for undocumented immigrants present in the US before January 1, 1982. In an effort to reduce the flow of undocumented immigrants to the US, Congress also created an enforcement system that imposes sanctions on employers who hire unauthorized workers. Instead of rediicing undocumented immigration, employer sanctions have led to increased exploitation and racial-stereotyping of workers. In 1990,the US General Accounting Office found that authorized workers who appeared or sounded foreign-born, experienced widespread discrimination from employers. Congress nevertheless kept the sanctions in place and made weak efforts to protect the workers affected. In addition,many employers have lmowingly hired undocumented workers, and have been able to suppress their efforts to organize for better working conditions by threatening to report them to the INS. Recently,the concept of a new legalization program has been gaining support. Undocumented immigrants,numbering approximately 6 million, are helping to support one of th�strongest economic periods in US history. Most notably,Alan Greenspan, Federal Reserve Chaiiman,has suggested that increased immigration could help meet the economy's high demand for workers and prevent rising inflation. � "Our economy would not be in this strong state,if it were not for the many contributions of undocumented immigrants and their families,"expressed Garcia. "It is in the best interest of the � economy and the entire country to push for an unconditional amnesty for all immigrants." 3/2/00 rev.4/13/00) ILI.INOIS COALITION FOR IMIVIIGRANT AND REFUGEE RIGHTS � �- ,,.,.,N��« A CTIONALERT ��,....��.. 1\I�IIIiWI\T �wIJNMIRXJ\]f IfIC7117'f1 SUPPORT A NEW LEGALIZATION PRO GRAM The concept of a new legalization (amnesty) program has been gaining increasing support recently. Such a program would allow undocumented immigrants to receive legal status, and eventually apply for citizenship. Congress passed a previous amnesty in 1986 for undocumented immigrants present in the US before January l, 1982. In approving that amnesty as part of the Immigration Reform and Control Act, Congress also created a new enforcement system that imposes sanctions on employers who hire undocumented workers. Some employers, however, have used these sanctions to exploit undocumented workers. On February 16, the executive council of the AFL-CIO, the largest labor organization in the US, issued a statement endorsing a new legalization program. This statement marks a major change in organized labor's stance regarding immigration, and has generated significant media attention. Meanwhile, ICIRR and other immigrant advocates are actively developing strategies to promote a legalization program. This drive to support a [egaliZation program needs your active involvement. `' This alert is intended to summarize the AFL-CIO statement, and to clarify the current status of the legalization concept and what future steps need to be taken to bring about a new program. Though interest in a new amnesty is building, it is important to remember that no legislation has been proposed, and no program is yet in place. This alert, we hope, will dispel much of the misinfornzation that may be circulating among many immigrant communities about an amnesty. The AFL-CIO Statement - _ ,� The AFIrCIO places its call for a new amnesty in the framework of an analysis of the plight of undocumented workers. The statement expressly recognizes that"[m]illions of hard-working people who make enorm�us contributions to their communities and workplace are denied basic human rights because of their undocumented status." Because they lack legal status, undocumented workers are generally reluctant to report violations of laws governing working conditions, safety,wages and hours, and employment discrimination for fear that their employers will retaliate by reporting them to INS. The AFLrCIO cites a recent incident in which undocumented workers won a union organizing drive at a Minneapolis hotel that turned them in to INS; the workers now face deportation. -- Given this context, a new legalization program would acknowledge the contributions that undocumented immigrants make to the US economy and our communities. Legalizing undocumented workers would also enable these workers to exercise their rights in the workplace without fear of retribution. The AFL-CIO is also seeking to combat workplace exploitation through an overhaul of immigration �— enforcement. The statement notes that the current system has failed to stop undocumented immigrants from entering the US,but has created conditions that lead to exploitative conditions that"deny labor rights for all workers." The AFL-CIO supports replacing the existing I-9 work authorization system with sancrions that target employers who re�ruit undocumented workers,or who use their employees' lack of legal status as leverage against the workers' exercise of their workplace rights and protections. ..� The statement also calls for whistleblower protections for undocumented workers who report violations of workplace protection laws or who cooperate in investigations of such violations. The statement specifically opposes proposals to expand guestworker programs that grant foreign workers temporary visas to work for US companies, particularly in agriculture. The union expressed strong concern that such programs discriminate against US workers, depress wages and distort labor markets, and that the guestworkers themselves are subject to exploitation similar to the experience of many undocumented workers. Any guestworkers, the statement continued, should enjoy the same workplace protections that all other workers have. The full text of the statement is available on the AFL-CIO website, www.aflcio.or�. A link on the homepage will take you directly to the statement. If you need a copy of the statement, but do not have intemet access, please call ICIRR at(312) 332-7360 and we will fax or mail you a copy. Action Steps ICIRR is launching a signature drive to educate the community about the legalization concept and the AFL-CIO statement, and to build grassroots support. Our goal is to gather 25,000 signatures to present to an town hall meeting on June 3 in Chicago, one of a series of regional meetings that the AFL-CIO will hold this spring. Our presence will bring the voice of immi�rants to this meeting. Please join this signature drive! The signature form is attached at the end of this fax. Please sign one copy yourself and circulate copies to everyone you know. Please send or bring the signatures to the � ICIR.R office by Tuesday,May 30,2000. (This is an extended deadline.) The ICIR.R address is 36 S. Wabash, suite 1425, Chicago IL 60603. We are also convening a special amnesty committee to plan and carry out further steps to bring a new legalization program to reality. Please call for more information or if you would like to participate. In the Meantime... There is No New Amaestv Yet � _ We all need to be very clear with our clients and communities that right now there is no new amnesty. Any new legalization program would need to be written into legislation, approved by Congress and signed by the President. As y�t, there is not even any legislation drafted regazding a new amnesty program. Since there aze no pending proposals,there is no information about when a new program will take effect, which immigrants it will cover, what the cutoff date will be,what the application process will be,or any other details. Anyone who informs your clients that there is a new amnesty is wrong, and may be trying to defraud them. Fraudulent immigration service providers may take advantage of reports about a new amnesty by offering to help unmigrants with a new legalization program—for a fee. Indeed, there are reports that some notarios are akeady advertising that they can"reserve"spots in the new program in exchange for substantial payments. We need to get the word out that there is no new amnesty, and that immigrants should not seek assistance at this time regarding legalization benefits. --� , For more information,please ca11ICIXR at(312) 332-7360. AFL-CIO:23rd$iennial Conventiai—Resolutiona Book One http://www.aflcio.org/convantion99/real_y.htm . �.- _ } :x RasolY�s�(s'"�ic d�e : � � 9. Civil and Human Rights � �� � ' .� (.PREVIOUS I I+�XT.) The struggle for civil, human and worker rights has, in many � � � ways, only begun. While on paper laws protect many groups � against discrimination, discrimination continues to occur and =•• • ■ justice remains difficult to obtain. :.. - ■ �• .- . -. For many Americans, discrimination persists in every facet of ' • • � life, from getting a job to buying a home to simply�etting a table at a restaurant. Those who would argue that ' �' '' discrimination is a thing of the past should remember that it � • ' •� • was in the 1990s—not the 1950s—that two major national '- •• retail chains, Home Depot and Publix Supermarkets, agreed to ' ' ' pay out more than$80 million each to settle lawsuits charging � �� � � them with sex discrimination, including pay discrimination, � against thousands of women workers. It was during the 1990s � ` � � that a large national chain, Shoney's Restaurants, agreed to pay .� � , $100 million to settle roughly 10,000 discrimination claims, . ., including race discrimination against customers and employees. � . � Women and people of color still experience discrimination in � . housing, education, employment and many other aspects of . . their lives. A�t the end of the century,immigration patterns are makin� America's already diverse population even richer and more diverse. The Hispanic and Asian populations are growing faster than the population as a whole,with much of the growth among those minority populations attributable to immigration. We must ensure that these new citizens are welcomed and fully protected. • Givil Rights Enforcement and Coverage Although many civil rights proteetions now aze embodied in federal, state and locallaws, the pursuit of justice and true equality remains frustrated by the failure to commit adequate resources to the enforcement of these laws and the refusal of conservative politicians to extend the reach of civil rights protections to more Americans. Agencies charged with enforcing the law are underfunded and understaffed, with key appointees to head agencies often `- delayed and blocked by conservatives. Tens of thousands of ��---�•--�---`�--- ----- ---�` �-- - �---�-�-- -< <�-- T'---� T'---..�_--------` 1 of 7 8!1/00 7:39 AM AFL-CIO:23rd Biennial Convantimr-Rasolutions Book One http://www.aflcio.org/convention99/resl_9.htcn Q1SCI'1II11T1d.ilUI1 Ci15C5 WAli lII il �itCK1U� il.i iile�(�UtLI�II1P1UyIIleIli Opportunity Commission. And the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division is fully occupied pursuing housing discrimination, voting rights issues and other civil rights �... violations. Absent enforcement by governmental agencies, many workers are essentially without recourse or remedy for even the most blatant discrimination. Private litigation is extremely costly and time- consuming,placing it out of reach for most workers. Moreover,the threat of retaliation chills most individuals' assertion of their ri�hts in the absence of ineaningful guarantees that the government will intervene to protect compl�inants. Some Americans do not even have federal civil rights pratections on paper. For example, cunent employrnent laws do not cover abuses committed on the basis of se�cual orientation. Those who do have protection, such as persons with disabilities, face conservative court decisions that attempt to unfairly narrow coverage and place new burdens on those seeking to prove discrimination. Other Americans indirectly have been denied the full rights of citiaenship because they been left out of the Census count. People of color and the poor, in particular, may have been undercounted in the past. � The American union movement is committed to strong and inclusive legislative mandates for civil rights enforcement agencies and offices �nd increased fundin�for civil rights agencies. The elimination of discrimination is a continuing struggle, and we must fight discrimination aggressively if we are to achieve the dream of equal opportunity so eloquently set forth by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. three decades ago. We will educate our members about their civil rights. We will form civil rights committees at our unions. We will support and encourage the AFL-CIO constituency groups in their efforts to end discrimination based on race, gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation and to advance their members. We will join in key legislative, agency and court battles in which the future of civil, human and worker rights is at stake. Finally, we will push for full funding of the Census and the use of scientific methods to compensate for undercounted populations. Affirmative Action The union movernent is committed to diversity and full � participation,both within our unions and in society as a whole. Women and people of color play a growing role in leadership 2 of'7 8/1/00 739 AM AFL-CIO:23rd Bi�nial Convention—Resolutions Book One http://www.aflcio.org/conventimi99/tosl_9.htm and staff positions within the union movement and are an increasing part of both the or�anized and unorganized American workforce. To promote diversity,the union movement supports constituency groups that are developing `' new leaders, providing networking support,building ties to communities and helping to ensure that the concerns of the community are at the top of labor's agenda. Today's unions also are promoting diversity through collective baxgaining, education, outreach, mentoring and representation. One undeniable fact of American history—from slavery to lynchings, from the Trail of Tears to the bracero programs, from the Chinese Exclusion Act to recent hate crimes, from the denial of women's right to vote to continued residential se�regation—is the persistent and deeply troubling legacy of discrimination. Discrimination persists in American society in the way people are hired and promoted, in the way banks extend credit, in the way children are provided educational opportunities, in the way people of color sometimes are stopped on the highway by police as well as in numerous other ways. This long history of discrimination produces results too obvious and pa.inful to deny. Examples of discrimination appear daily in the media and in complaints filed at state and federal civil rights agencies. To remedy the results of past and present discrimination, and to `— promote diversity,the idea of affirmative action was first put forward by a Republican president more than a quarter-century ago. Americans realized that the Civil Ri�hts Act of 1964 was not enough. Pro-active steps were needed to open the doors of education, employment and business development. President Clinton recently explained that affirmative action was established as "a way to finally address the systemic exclusion of individuals of talent on the basis of their gender or race from opportunities to develop, perform, achieve and contribute." �'irmative action has worked well. Many professions, businesses and educational institutions now include significant numbers of women and people of color where there were few or none not long ago. Af�irmative action is also good for business in a warld economy. Affirmative action for women and girls directly has benefited families of all races. The American union movement has supported a.f�irmative action for decades. The union movement will continue to defend affirmative action from attacks by the faz right, especially since those attacks often are designed to create a "wed�e issue" to divide Americans for political gain. The union � movement will not be divided. We vigorously will oppose 3 of 7 8/1/00 7:39 AM AFI,-CIO:23rd Biennial Convention—Resolutions Book Ona http://www.aflcio.org/canvattion99/real 9.htm federal and state legislation and local ballot initiatives that seek to end affirmative action. The unian movement is committed not just to defending �-' affirmative action to remedy discrimination and promote diversity,but atso to dispelling the myths about affirmative action. Affirmative action is not about quotas, which are illegal. Affirmative action is not about giving unqualified people jobs. It is a common-sense approach to addressing the nation's long and sad history of discrimination. Af�irmative action is a recognition that to finally eliminate race, gender and national origin ctiscrimination from life's basic decisions—school,jobs, housing and the lik�—we may first need to take those factors into account to ensure we do not discriminate and that we genuinely provide equal opportunity for all. Affirmative action is about making a special effort to reach out to those who have been excluded because of race, gender and national origin to build a better and more inclusive society. Where affirmative action has been misused, it shouid be fixed. As President Clinton has stated,we should mend affirmative action, not end it. The AFL-CIO will continue to promote and defend affirmative action until discrimination becomes a distant memory. tmmigration L.. The ancestry of most American workers lies not in the United States, but in every country in the world. From the beginnings of our nation, men and women attived in the United States and set out to make it their own,joining with other immigrants and the native-born to form one people. Throughout our history, immigrants have played an important role in building the nation and its democratic ideals. New arrivals from every continent have contributed their energy and vitality to making the United States richer and stronger. Their achievements are remarkable, given that they arrived in a nation that at times failed to welcome them as fellow Americans, and often discriminated against them, whether they were African slaves, Irish fanners, Chinese railroad laborers or Mexican agricultural workers. Without their sacrifices, Americans would not have the freedom and prosperity they enjoy today. Immigtants continue to follow this proud legacy into the ne� century. The union movement in particular has been enriched by the contributions of immi�rant workers. Their coura�e has played a � fundamental role in building our mavement, and newly arriving 4 of 7 8/1/00 7:39 AM AFI.-CIO:23rd Biennial Convention--Resolutions Book One http:/1wWw,8flCio.org/Copvenhq�yy/t+Cgl Y.hfil workers continue to make indispensable contributions to the strength and growth of our unions. In workplaces all across the country, immigrants are joining unions, fighting for decent � contracts and becoming leaders in our unions. America's unions are rea.ching out to unorganized immigrant workers with the realization that providing all workers with the most effective representation is key to increasing the bargaining strength of every worker. Because the union movement has a rich immigrant lustory, because hundreds of thousands of immigrants are an integral part of American unions and because immigrants contribute enarmously to our society, the union movement recognizes its obligation to defend our system of legal immigration and immigrant rights at a time when some facets of society continue to scapegoat immigrants. Contrary to unfounded beliefs that some of aur newest immigrants contribute to the stratification of our country, more than 7 million immigrants have become U.S. citizens since 1973,the most in any 25-year periad in American history. The union movement also recognizes the important role the United States plays in accepting refugees and asylum seekers, The United States should continue its tradition of providing a safe harbar for the persecuted. `-- To achieve these goals of fairness for immigrants,the AFL-CIO reiterates its long-standing commitment to immigration policies and laws that provide fair opportunities for legal immigration. In particular,the AFL-CIO supports immigration policies that promote family reunification and ca11s upon the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service to process applications for naturalization, permanent residence and work authorization in an effcient and timely manner and to address the backlogs tha.t frustrate many legal imrnigrants. The AFL-CIO strongly opposes temporary "guest worker" programs that create groups of easily explaited workers at the expense of U.S. workers. Last yeax, Congress approved an increase in the number of H-1B (specialty)temporary worker visas that will result in the presence of up to 700,000 H-1B workers in the United States, while failing to provide most U.S. workers with protection against displacement and a fair opportunity to be hired for a job. The annual H-1B cap is reached not because of an urgent need for foreign workers,but by the exploitation of the vague definitions of a specialty worker, cursory labor certification by the Department of Labor, inconsistent and incomplete screening of the credentials of � H-1B visa applicants by Department of State consulate o�ices 5 of 7 8/1/00 7:53 AM AFL-CIO:23rd Bi�mia)Convention_Reaolutions Book One h ://www.aflcio. ttP org/convention99/resl 9.him and a failure to report even the most basic information regarding H-1 B workers,their employers and their occupations by the INS. The AFL-CIO ca11s upon Congress to return the � cap on H-1 B visas to 65,000 and reform the H-1 B program after thorough analysis of the effect of H-1 B workers on the U.S. labor market, an examination of fraud and abuse in the H-1B program and the implementatian of accurate and timely reporting of H-1B statistics by the INS. Far too many employers have sought to exploit the H-2B (other skilled worker) and H-2A(agricultural guest worker) programs in order to depress the wages and working conditions of U.S. workers. Although both programs require certification by the Department of Labor that qualified U.S. workers are not available, U.S. workers are discouraged from even applying for jobs because they are advertised with below-market-rate wages and benefits, creating the appearance of a worker shortage that is exploited by employers seeking a steady supply of cheap, docile labor. Despite complaints from agribusiness that the labor certification process is complicated and time-consuming, the U.S. Department of Labor in 1998 approved mare than 99 percent of a11 agricultural gvest worker applications—even though many rural areas suffer from double-digit unemployment. The dreadful bracero pro,gram should not be resurrected under the gvise of the H-2A and H-2B temporary foreign worker programs. � Immigrants contribute much to the American economy, pay taxes and deserve the benefits of social services. The AFL-CIO supports the provision of sa.fety net benefits for immigrants and looks forward to the restoration of benefits that have been stripped from immigrants by recent legislation. The AFL-CIO continues to support legal and civil rights for immigrants and opposes federal agency programs that penalize or threaten immigrant workers, documented or undocumented, who have attempted or are attempting to assert their rights under our nation's collective bargaining, health and safety, minimum wage or other laws. The union movement pazticularly is alarmed by INS raids at workplaces where organizing campaigns are in progress. The INS must fully recognize and respeet the federally protected rights of workers to organiae, bargain collectively and act in concert. The AFL-CIO is further concerned that the INS has chosen to conduct its worksite enforcement with the cooperation of the very employers that often axe responsible for the importatian and hiring of undocumerned workers in the first place. We call upon a11 federal agencies to recognize and respect the federally � protected rights of unions to represent their members and to 6 of 7 8/1/00 7:39 AM AFL-CIO:23rd Bieimial Canvention—Resolutioas Book One h //www.e$cio.o ttP� rg/convention94/real 9.htrn organize workers. The AFL-CIO opposes immigration enforcement programs that undermine unionized workforces and tazget minority workers through racial and ethnic profiling � and immigration enforcement programs utilizin� seriously flawed databases. The AFL-CIO ca11s on the nation's political, civil and religious leadership to refute and speak out against those who seek to blame immigrants for the country's economic and social problems. We urge our nationall�aders to be at the forefront of the effort to reaf�rm our national heritage as a land of freedom and equality far those who choase to make the United States their home. Civil and Human Rights in a Changing World The AFI,-CIO and its affiliate unions know that without civil and human rights, no economic advancement is possible. While we have come a long way, discrimination persists, excluding many Americans from the benefits of equality and inclusion. And newly arriving immigrants continue to make the United States an even more diverse country. Unions are strongly committed to fighting for the advancement of all Americans and to ensuring that the wrongs of the past are not repea.ted. Referred to the Public Policy Committee. � �. PREVIOUS I NEXT.) � 7 of 7 8/1/00 7:39 AM RECEIVEO: 7-11- 0; 4:33'�; 3123327044 => XEROX 3006; q2 From:(�DICIRR 312332'044 To:Carios Acosta Date:7/11/00 Time:4:28:50 PM Page 2 of 3 RESOLUTIOti TO JOIN ILL[NOIS COALITION FOR INIMIGRANT AI�"D REFUGEE RIGHTS AND OTHERS � SEEKING A NEW NATIONWIDE LEG.4LIZATION(A:�IIVESTY)PROGR��1 FOR UNDOCUI�IENTED I1�7MIGRA.�ITS Vb'I�REAS,the City of Chicago a�d indeed most of these great United States�cere founded upon the dreams and traditions,the energy and labor of immigrants. They traveled far and wide from many nations to what they ferventl�� hoped would be a better w�orld;and WHEREAS,in this new cenhuy,inunigrants continue to be a key driving force in the U. S. economy and in the economy of the City of Chicago,and such a major figure as Alan Greenspan has stated that immigrants are essential to the ongoing strength of our economy,and w'HEREAS,much of the ongoing flow of immi�ation has resulted from dramatic changes in the global economy which have uprooted man}'individuals and families,and which have made them leave their nati��e lands in search of sustenance and survival;and �VI�REAS,our society has many sectors whose stabilit}�is dependent upon the labor of inncnigrants,and in particular on those who have no legal status. These undocumented irrunigrants are unfortunately subject to many injustices in the w°orkplace. Their lack of legal status makes them fearfitl of retaliation,so that many of them endure long hours and lo�v pay,unsanitary and squalid working conditions,seYual harassment and discrimination; and 1�1�'HEREAS,this cxploitation of undocumented immigrants is made possible,b}'the current system of employer sanctions,which places employers in the position of enforcing immigration laws and gives abusive employers leverage to threaten undocum�nted immigrants who protest their working conditions. The clulling effect of employer sanctions on attempts by workers to exercise their legal rights harn�s all workers,regardless of immigrant status;and � �VI-�REAS,in previousl}'recognizing the plight of undocumented immigrants,the United States Congress in 1936 passed,as part of its Immigration Refonn and Control Act,an amnesty program affecting those immierants present in this country prior to January 1, 1982. The act also created a new enforcement system itnposing sanctions on employers who hire undocumented t��orkers. Almost tc�o decades have passed; and some employers have used such sanctions to exploit undocumented�i�erker who more recently have come to our shores;and ���REAS,the r,eed for a new amnesty pro�am has been widel�•reeognized.On February 16, 2000,the esecutive council of the AFI�CIO,the largest labor oreanization in the land, issued a statement endorsing a new•legalization program. In March the U.S. Catholic Gonference and National Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a joint statement with the AFI.-CIC�,and also in March the Illinois�.oalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights(ICIRR)announced a broad-based campaign designed to encourage ne�amnesty program for undocumented immigrants;and V►�IEREAS,undocumented immigrants in Chieago and throughout these United States make substantial contributions to our economic,civic and cultural life but unjustly remain vulnerable to exploitation as long as they are denied legal immigration status,and as long as current emplo}•er sanctions persist;no�v,therefore, BE IT RESOLVED that we,the Mayor and membeis of the City Council of the City of Chicago,gathered here this 28th Day of June,200G, A.D., do hereby wholeheartedly support a new legalization program to allow undocumented imnugrants to obtain legal residency in the LTnited States.We support the abolition of the present system of employ�er sanctions,and�e join ICIRR, AFL-CIO and other leading business,religious and civic leaders and or�anizations in urging the U. S. Congress to establish such new legalization program to ensure the rights of undocumented immigrants. BE IT F[JRTF�R RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the United States Cona ess and to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights(ICIRR). RICH.�RD F.1�1ELL � Alderman-33rd Ward REOEIVE�: 7-11- U; 4:34NM; J1LJJ2lu4a => xtnux auoo; Aa From:��ICIRR 3123327044 To:Carlos Acosta Date:7l11/00 Time.428:50 PM Page 3 of 3 CO-SpOriS01'5 Burton Natarus 42 Patrick Levar 45 "� Vilma Colom 38 Billy Ocasio 26 William Banks 36 Theodore Matlak 32 Thomas Allen 38 Ed Smith 28 Margaret Laurino 29 Patrick O'Connor 40 Brian Dolierty 41 Helen Shiller 46 Eugene Schulter 47 Bemard Stone 50 Frank Olivo 13 Theodore Thomas 1� Shirley Goleman 16 Vi Daley 43 Michael Wojcil:30 Jesse Granato 1 Isaac Carothers 29 tiValter Burnett Jr.27 Daniel Solis 25 Ray Frias 1� James Balcer 11 Anthony Beale 9 `�irginia Rugai 19 ,•—� Arenda Troutman 20 Leonard DeVille 21 1�Iichael Zalewski 23 I�tichael Chandler 24 '"t