By: Clarissa Garcia Kevin A. Schmelzlen Nicholas Grover Sandra Chavez Thomas Lee

 Trade Union- an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages and hours.  Collective Bargaining- A system of industrial democracy in respects to labor participation in managerial decision making.  AFL-CIO- The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations which represents over 11 million workers in various work sectors.  The Change to Win Federation- A federation which spilt from the AFL-CIO in 2005 to challenge the global economy to restore the “American Dream.”

 The first trade union was created in 1866 and it was referred to as the National Labor Union.  This union didn’t last long but it paved the way for future American unions.  Following the NLU was the Knights of Labor founded in  This trade union excluded Chinese and partially included African Americans and women.  The Knights of Labor union opposed child labor and demanded an 8 hour work day.  In 1884 during the railroad wage cut strike membership soared to 700,000 people.  A rapid decline soon followed on May 4, 1886 with the Haymarket Massacre.  The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was founded by Samuel Gompers and by 1904 membership reached to over 1.4 million nationwide.  The AFL established the use of collective bargaining.

 H.R Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of Passed the House of Representatives but not in the Senate -It was meant to strengthen enforcement of the immigration laws and enhance border security -The bill would have made helping undocumented people stay in the U.S. a crime -This would directly affect unions because employers would be able to threaten undocumented workers with deportation, thus frightening them into submission -Workers would therefore be afraid to join unions and surrender their rights  S Comprehension Immigration Reform Act of It is different from H.R in that it allows for immigrants to become citizens -5 years—can apply for citizenship -2-5 years—can stay for an extra 3 years but after that time period they must leave the U.S. and they can apply for citizenship at border check points -2 years or less—must return to their home countries -It toughened penalties for labor law violations by employers in high-risk, low-wage industries that employ migrant workers -Had this bill passed unions believed that immigrant workers would have been more likely to join a union because they wouldn’t be threatened with deportation

 AFL-CIO -When the Senate introduced legislation in 2007 that would legalize approximately 12 million immigrants and introduce a new guest worker program the AFL- CIO came out against the bill -The bill would affect large numbers of manufacturing unions and create competition in the workforce due to the exploitation of immigrants as a cheaper labor source -temporary workers who would have the opportunity to hold non-seasonal jobs were also seen as a threat to American workers  Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Unite Here, The Change to Win Federation -These unions for the most part represent workers with various occupations such as hotel employees, restaurant employees, laundry and textile workers. -There has been a rise in membership in these unions because a large number of their members are immigrants. -SEIU claims to have more immigrant members than any other union at 1.8 million -With a new 12 million potential members these unions see it as an opportunity to gain prominence and growth -The Change to Win Federation is a collection of 7 unions and over 6 million workers who, like the SEIU, fight to create a workable path to legalization for undocumented immigrants. -They also believe that the government should ensure the safety and wages of immigrant workers to avoid exploitation and discrimination

 The two dominant ideologies are as follows: -To embrace the immigrants, both legal and illegal, and incorporate them into the workforce as a whole  In opposition, the other ideology is to advocate a means of making the border infrastructure tight and keep the migrant workers out in order to preserve the stability of the nation’s economy

 During the midterm election in 2006, unions spent more than $66 million to support political candidates who they felt would support their agendas.  In 2007, the AFL-CIO and its allies succeeded in getting the Senate to limit the proposed temporary workers program to only 5 years.  Additionally the Senate voted to half of the total guest worker program at only 200,000 workers a year and also to phase it out after the 5 year mark was reached.

 The AFL-CIO spent $53 million and its trade union affiliates $250 million to help Barack Obama in the 2008 Presidential election  Obama had promised to push for and sign the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) should Congress pass the measure  The AFL-CIO and the Center for Labor Renewal (CLR) are more focused on modern issues of globalization and corporate exploitation and less community based so their proposition calls for a mass immigration reform  They are against guest-worker programs  The Change to Win Federation believes that immigrants should have rights and the ability to change jobs without being tied down to one employer due to their immigrant status.  President Obama said the following quote: “We need immigration reform that will secure our borders, and punish employers who exploit immigrant labor.”