Talking Points for Unions, Advocates and Community Members

• The immigration system is not broken; it is doing exactly what it was intended to do:  
  • Immigrants are among the most frequently and easily abused population of the total labor force. Many work 12-16 hours days with no overtime, and are often the target of robberies. In some cases, employers have adapted to using the illegal status of their employees as leverage against complaints. These workers are left without a voice and have no choice but to accept their potentially illegal working conditions. During the ICE raids in Postville, Iowa, in 2009, many of the workers (most who were mothers)  stated that their employers threatened to call ICE on them if they do not perform sexual sexual acts on them. We cannot allow these atrocities to happen on Long Island.
  • By leaving these workers option less, there is a precedent set for employers, leading them to falsely believe they may overlook their legal requirements to fulfill the rights of their workers.The current ICE raids, and the possibility of being a target for deportation, will allow bad employers to exploit immigrant workers even more. By having legislation that protects ALL workers, and holds bad employers accountable, we can stop the practice of using immigrants as exploitable cheap labor.
  • By allowing employers to threaten their illegal employees with deportation through ICE reports, workers rights across the board are cheapened, as these employees have just as many rights as any other employee in the workforce. Ignoring them in their time of need undoubtedly sets a tone that carries over to all workers in the long run.

• The immigrant workforce has acted as first responders during tragedies and emergencies in recent years. When they came to our aid, we did not ask them for identification or to prove their citizenship. We cannot turn our backs now.
  • During the tragedy of 9/11, thousands of illegal immigrants answered the call of being a first responder. Many funds have been raised to aid in the healthcare of first responders who suffered negative health effects from working in those toxic environments, however, almost none of which extend to the population of undocumented workers who were at Ground Zero, despite there being a surplus of donation money. These workers wore little to no protective gear and in some cases spoke little to no English.
  • Here on Long Island, undocumented day laborers became an integral part of rebuilding communities across the island after Hurricane Sandy. Many assisted in removing mold, asbestos, and debris from homes along the south shore, putting their own health on the line.They proved themselves to be reliable and relevant members of the community.

• Immigrant Workforce Contributes to the Economy
  • According to research reports done by David Kallic of Hofstra University, from 1990 to 2007, the immigrant population of Long Island rose from 11% to 16%. In that time, their share of the labor force has gone up from 12% to 21% and they account for $26.6 billion of the total $151 billion in the total economic output of 2007. The gross domestic product rose by 36% in that time, and just over a third of that growth is thanks to our growing population of immigrants.
  • In a report completed by the Hagedorn Foundation, it was found that immigrants paid an estimated $2.13 billion in taxes in 2006. Factoring in the costs of their housing, education, healthcare, and corrections, there is still $1.07 billion in net profit. These factors out roughly to about $2,305 per resident.
  • With these numbers in mind, it’s clear that the immigrant population manages to pull their own weight and then some. They contribute positively to the economy. After the raids that happened across the country this year,many parents feared picking their children up from school and many breadwinners feared leaving their homes to go to work.  This has had a great financial impact on each individual family unit  impacted as well as our economy as a whole.

• Limiting Discourse on Immigration to only including families leaves out workers, LGBT folks, and other groups of people fleeing persecution

• While the Obama administration has created Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, as  well as has taken many initiatives to assist unaccompanied children in fleeing gang violence from Central America, the focus on families has left out workers, particularly working men, LGBT folks, and other groups who are also fleeing violence. Everyone has a right to flee violence. According tot he Department of Homeland Security’s standard,  unlawful re-entry is a crime, having multiple violations, disorderly conduct, bounced checks, unpaid tickets, are all crimes. These offenses unfortunately  are often rooted in poverty, being unable to legally work, or homelessness.  We must include  workers, day laborers, LGBT folks, and everyone fleeing violence in our vision if immigration reform.

Long Island DREAM Act Coalition Statement on NYDA in the 2016 Budget

The Long Island DREAM Act Coalition would like to commend Governor Cuomo for adding the New York DREAM Act into the 2016 draft budget. The New York State DREAM Act provides tuition assistance to undocumented students, a benefit already available in Texas, California and New Mexico. As a coalition made up of DREAMers, educators, and union members, we are also pleased to see that this year’s inclusion of the New York DREAM Act is as a stand alone bill.

However, more needs to be done. Each year that the New York DREAM Act fails pass in the final budget, thousands of students will continue to watch their peers go to the college of their choice while they face overwhelming financial barriers to achieve the same goals.  As the leader of the state with 2nd highest immigrant population, we expect Governor Cuomo to show his commitment to passing the DREAM Act, and to show this is indeed genuine through his voice, and actions in the upcoming months.

According to the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC), the cost of extending eligibility for State financial aid to undocumented students is less than two percent of the total TAP budget – a small price to pay for giving more than 8,000 undocumented students a chance to go to college, graduate and continue contributing to the betterment of our state.

The Fiscal Policy Institute found that the New York State DREAM Act will cost typical taxpayers less than the price of a doughnut, and that the tax revenue alone generated by undocumented immigrants would cover more than the increase in TAP costs. According to the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy, the state earned more than $662 million in revenue from undocumented immigrants in 2010, proving that undocumented immigrants truly are an important source of economic growth for the state.

We remind Governor Cuomo that the NY DREAM Act is not only a smart investment, but that education is a human right and no student should be marginalized because he or she is unable to obtain economic opportunity for higher education.

Governor Cuomo, we urge you follow through on your commitment and include the NY DREAM Act in the final 2016 budget come April.

Sincerely,

The Long island DREAM Act Coalition

The Long Island DREAM Coalition Solidarity Fund is a community raised initiative that seeks to provide financial assistance for the families of workers facing deportation. Long Island is a very expensive place to live and one person’s deportation/detainment can have devastating impacts on a family unit’s ability to afford housing, food, childcare, or medical treatment. 100% of all money raised will go to to families with detained breadwinners  or workers. Please consider donating here, no amount is too small!

Today is Giving Tuesday – the day when people give back to the causes they care about most.

With the biggest shopping season of the year upon us, corporate CEOs are doing everything they can to finance holiday bargains on the backs of hardworking people. Together we can change that.

Donate this Giving Tuesday and support Long Island Jobs with Justice as we lead a movement of activists to demand fair wages, just hours and decent lives for working families across Long Island.

We’ve already made huge strides so far this year:

• Through community organizing, we pressured the New York Wage Board to raise the minimum wage for fast-food employees in the state to $15.
• In March, we took on NICE Bus and successfully prevented a fare increase on some of Nassau’s most disenfranchised.
• We provided information and resources to 740 immigrant parents and students on their educational and employment opportunities.
• We helped support the organizing efforts of UFCW Local 2013 in their fight to win wage increases for their members working for Quality King, and Teamsters Local 1205 in their fight to win a good contract with improved worker protections for their members working for Baumann/Acme buses. Both locals were victorious!

Giving Tuesday is a great example of something we see every day in our work: we are more powerful when we stand together. So for those who care about workers’ rights, now is when our voices can have the most impact.

Donate TODAY and help us win more victories for working people across Long Island this holiday season and into the New Year.

We thank you for your ongoing support and hope that you will join us on this national day of giving, and thousands of others across the world, who are fighting for what’s right by giving back – and giving generously.

Thank you for joining us in the fight for working people everywhere.

In solidarity,

From all of us at Long Island Jobs with Justice

PS: After you give back, please spread the word on social media with the hashtag #GivingTuesday to inspire others to support Long Island Jobs with Justice!

Verizon is trying to take away job and retirement security from its workers – all the while the CEO makes over 200 times as much money as the average Verizon employee.

Verizon makes $1.5 billion each month in profits, but wants to take about job security, raise healthcare costs by thousands of dollars, slash retirement security and even eliminate benefits for workers injured on the job.