Commonsense Immigration Reform - Highlights & Statement of Support

A commonsense immigration reform bill was unveiled this week which offers a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants currently living in the United States.  The bill would also ensure that immigrants are covered by US labor law, including minimum wage and workplace safety requirements. 

A statement from Vincent Alvarez, President of the New York City Central Labor Council:

"New York City’s labor movement is committed to mobilizing our community to ensure that we will have a roadmap to citizenship in 2013.

As may be expected in a first response to an issue as complex as immigration, there are details in the bill that could cause unintended, but serious, harm to immigrant workers and the broader labor market. We still have much work to do to fix these aspects and mobilize our community to ensure we have the best, most comprehensive and inclusive bill possible.

Our work does not stop now, not when our families and communities continue to be torn apart. Workers who stand up for themselves in the workplace are being deported by employers while DREAMers watch as their parents are seized out of their arms. We call for an immediate moratorium on deportations of people who will soon be eligible for a roadmap to citizenship. 

All people want to create opportunities for ourselves and our families. Working people in New York City and around the country believe in hard work, in the dignity of all work, and in respect for one another. What unites us as Americans is our belief in shared values and in the country we call home, not where we were born.

We will not stop until our sisters and brothers, neighbors and co-workers, and fellow community members can live and work with dignity and without fear.

Together with our allies in the immigrant rights movement, faith groups and community partners, the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO and the more than 1.3 million working families it represents is committed to fighting for justice for all working people. The time for citizenship is now."

For more highlights of the bill, please click here.