Thursday, April 30, 2009

Swine Flu Infecting Immigration Debate (12:28 pm)

It’s no shock that those long-opposed to All Things Immigrant are using the Swine Flu outbreak—which has mostly affected Mexicans at this point—to ratchet anti-immigrant rhetoric up to an irresponsible level. It’s disappointing though, especially because the last few weeks saw more rational dialogue emerging in media coverage. This week’s Wire examines the voices talking about immigration both in the media and on the ground, from those recycling age-old “eliminationist” rhetoric to those who put their own bodies on the line to fight for inclusive justice.

In AlterNet, Joshua Holland uses history to contextualize virulent statements hurled by anti-immigrant pundits like Michael Savage. Holland deftly debunks numerous anti-immigrant, right-wing myths using a historical lens: By tying the source of contagion to immigrants, today’s pundits are echoing age old patterns that “contributed to a series of pogroms in which thousands were burned alive” in 14th Century Europe. Just what are today’s pundits saying? Savage asks “Could this be a terrorist attack through Mexico?” Michelle Malkin, Bill O’ Reilly and Neil Boortz agree: “[W]hat better way to sneak a virus into this country than give it to Mexicans?” shrieks Boortz.

While Colorado lawmakers aren’t using such frantic hyperbole, they are doing nothing to dispel the state’s reputation as heavy-handed when it comes to immigration enforcement. On Monday, the Democratic-controlled state legislature introduced a non-binding Joint Memorial that requests the use of DNA technology and expanded local police powers to “identify, arrest, and detain” immigrants. If granted, the request would allow the state to use “biometric identification—like DNA tracking—and federal databases to create in enforcement dragnet,” according to Erin Rosa of The Colorado Independent. Rosa also reports on scary developments in enforcement technology that attempt to mend the gap between the federal government’s lack of reform and the needs of each state.

Not all harsh enforcement measures result from a lack of federal legislation. A Republican-led Congress passed a law in 1996 restricting the ability of immigrants to challenge the legality of their deportation,” as Rochelle Bobroff and Harper Jean Tobin report for New America Media. The measure is pointedly cruel: It allows courts... read more

posted by Nezua | start the discussion

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Resurrection of the Republic (Windows and Doors factory) (4:23 pm)

The Republic Windows and Doors factory, which made national headlines last December when more than 200 of its union employees occupied their workplace for six days to protest its abrupt and illegal closing (read David Moberg’s full In These Times story here), is once again showing signs of life.

On Monday, Vice President Joe Biden visited the facility on Goose Island in Chicago and touted its new owners – California-based Serious Materials – as makers of “the most energy-efficient windows in the world.” Bravado aside, Serious acquired Republic’s assets in February and reached an agreement with UE Local 1110, which represents the factory’s employees, to rehire all former Republic workers at their same rate of pay, according to a statement from the UE. About a dozen rehired Republic employees were on hand for Biden’s visit.

(All that isn’t too good to be true. But Mike Elk over at The Seminal grills Serious CEO Kevin Surace on why his company didn’t recognize a union at a recent, less-famous window factory re-opening in Vandergrift, Pa.)

For now, there’s only a skeleton crew working at the factory, preparing it to re-open after Republic attempted to gut the building in February in order to equip a new Iowa factory for Echo Windows, the now-defunct company set up by former Republic owner Richard Gilman in the wake of Republic’s bankruptcy.

Serious says the plant should be ready to formally re-open within 60 days, but Chuck Wetmore, director of operations for Serious, told USGNN.com here that the factory could be ready to fill orders within a week.

Biden and Serious officials credit President Obama’s stimulus package with allowing the company to expand in a tight economy. The plan allocates $8 billion for retrofitting government buildings with energy-efficient materials and gives citizens tax credits for investing in green home improvements.

Carl Rosen, President of UE Western Region said, “The former Republic Windows and Doors shows that simply relying on market forces and unregulated banks and corporations cannot provide an economy that works for the American people.”

Pepe Lozano at People’s Weekly World has the full story here.

posted by Louis Mattei | start the discussion

What’s Obama Done for Workers in His First 100 Days? Plenty. (11:08 am)

In the media frenzy over Obama’s first 100 days, his administration’s new direction for workers’ rights and safety concerns hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves.

While some in the labor movement are doubtless disappointed at the slow pace of the Employee Free Choice Act in moving through Congress, there are enough key figures in the administration, including Vice President Joe Biden and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, ensuring that the President keeps workers’ priorities very much alive. That’s why, in part, as the National Journal reported recently, “Labor Holds Its Fire: Despite setbacks, labor leaders have greeted the new administration as a liberator.” The magazine observed, “Having been frustrated and even angered by the last two Democratic presidents, labor activists have decided to accentuate the positive when talking about the Obama administration.”

There are a wide range of accomplishments that have already been enacted, from the $787 billion economic recovery package to initial reforms at OSHA to the passage of women’s pay equity and children’s health legislation. These and other initiatives justify the high marks labor leaders give President Obama. John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO, pointed out, “Over their first 100 days in office, President Obama and Vice President Biden have laid down a foundation of change for America’s working families. They have taken big, concrete steps on the economy, health care and the protection of workers’ rights that will build a more prosperous and fair future for working people and America.” As Anna Burger, SEIU Secretary Treasurer, observed, “The fact that so many Americans are optimistic and involved despite tough times — that’s the hidden news in Obama’s first 100 days that holds such great promise for our country.”

With the glaring exception of the troubled, potentially disastrous bank bailout plan that could undercut any economic recovery, the Obama administration deserves at least an A- when it comes to taking action on behalf of workers.

Among the accomplishments pointed to by the AFL-CIO and other leading labor groups, including SEIU, are these developments (some paraphrased by me) that would have been unimaginable under the pro-business crony capitalism driven by George... read more

posted by Art Levine | 2 comments

Weekly Pulse: Days of Swine and Poses (11:07 am)

Yesterday, Senate Republicans prioritized human life over anti-abortion grandstanding and confirmed Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as Secretary of Health and Human Services. When the world totters on the brink of a pandemic, slow-walking the future health secretary begins to look unseemly.

As Dana Goldstein reports in TAPPED:

Sebelius’ confirmation has been delayed as her home state Republican legislature has forced her to deal with a series of abortion-related bills. Her latest pro-choice veto inspired a Republican backer of her nomination, Sen. Sam Brownback, to hint that he may change his mind and vote “no” on her appointment.

Of course, it was all an act, though some conservative activists suspect that swine flu was just a ruse to guilt-trip Republicans into confirming Sebelius. Seriously.

Wendy Wright, of the conservative group Concerned Women for America, told the Washington Independent that “If there’s even a hint that [Department of Homeland Security] is manipulating the health situation to push a political appointee through, well, it almost defies imagination that they’d be willing to that.”

Some costs of the Republican war on science became evident this week as the U.S. declared an state of emergency over swine flu. John Nichols of the Nation recalls that the Republicans cut $420 million for pandemic preparedness from the stimulus bill on the grounds that public health spending had nothing to do with economic recovery:

Senate Republicans led by Maine Senator Susan Collins attacked the public-health spending and successfully eliminated it from the Senate version of the stimulus. Collins complained at the time to CNN that: “There’s funding to help improve our preparedness for a pandemic flu. There is funding to help improve cyber security. What does that have to do with an economic stimulus package?”

Collins read the stimulus legislation, and the threat, wrong. So, too, did Senate Democratic leaders, who compromised with her wrongheaded demands in order to secure support for a watered-down stimulus plan.

If you’ve been watching the stock market lately, or talked to a travel agent, you know exactly what pandemic preparedness has to do with the economy. Airline and manufacturing stocks were especially hard-hit by... read more

posted by Lindsay Beyerstein | start the discussion

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Local Media Challenged DC Pundits’ Anti-Union Spin—And Pushed Specter (7:24 pm)

The conventional wisdom among members of the Washington punditocracy is that the Employee Free Choice Act is essentially dead or doomed, in part because of the defections of moderate Senators Arlen Specter and Blanche Lincoln. And its chances, current thinking goes, aren’t helped by the eagerness of Democratic-linked lobbying firms to cash in on opposition to the bill, as reported by Thomas Frank in The Wall Street Journal.

But all that doom-saying doesn’t take into account the ongoing grassroots efforts in support of the legislation, key Labor Department appointments — or the spate of local media coverage.

In fact, while the national media ignored the grass-roots efforts in states like Pennsylvania or dismissed it as a waste of time, thousands of Pennslvania workers and supporters continued to lobby Sen. Specter throughout April over the Employee Free Choice Act. And that could be one of the overlooked factors in his political conversion — and a challenge he must face if he’s to win a primary. As one union strategist says, “Every person who shows up to demonstrate, Specter wants to vote for him in a Democratic primary. Do you really think Arlen Specter’s continuted opposition to labor law reform will go down well with the labor movement?” As the AFL-CIO’s Stewart Acuff has pointed out, “No Democrat can win a statewide race without the support of the labor movement.”

Specter has said the bill needs fixing, and while he insists he’ll stand by his opposition to the bill as written, in practice he’ll likely play a role in shaping a compromise that reflects the union movement’s goals and be enough to garner 60 votes — including his. As Business Week reports today:

Now Specter’s party switch—coupled with the apparent victory of Minnesota Democrat Al Franken in that state’s contested Senate election—would give the Democrats the necessary 60-vote supermajority needed to impose cloture and end Senate filibusters. However, on Apr. 28, Specter reiterated that he would retain his independent streak, especially as regards card check.

“My change in party affiliation does not mean that I will be a party-line voter any more for... read more

posted by Art Levine | 1 comment

Weekly Audit: Curbing Credit Card Abuses (11:08 am)

While the bank lobby continues to hold significant clout in Congress, President Barack Obama entered the fray on behalf of consumers Thursday, demanding that lenders put an end to abusive fees and predatory interest rates.

Writing for Air America, former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich highlights parallels between credit card problems, which are just now starting to take a serious toll on bank balance sheets, and the subprime mortgage meltdown that triggered today’s economic crisis. In both cases, Reich notes, banks used a vast array of traps to trick people into high-interest loans they couldn’t afford. Now that credit card loans are also going bad and eating up bank profits, lenders have deployed another set of fine-print gimmickry to gouge borrowers and make up for the losses.

Banks are currently jacking up interest rates on previously accumulated credit card debt and charging outrageous fees for simple mistakes, like exceeding the credit limit. There is no law that says credit card lenders have to charge such fees—when a borrower hits the credit limit, the company could simply deny the transaction.

Lawmakers have protected the unfair credit card playing field for years. In 2008, a House bill to ban retroactive interest rate hikes, limit abusive fees and rein in deceptive marketing techniques passed by an overwhelming margin, but the banking lobby successfully prevented a similar measure from coming to a vote in the Senate. Sadly, as Mike Lillis emphasizes in The Washington Independent, policy observers are experiencing déjà vu on the current round of credit card legislation.

Earlier this year, the Federal Reserve finalized new regulations that would ban many abuses by credit card lenders, but the rules don’t go into effect until July 2010. This absurd delay was the source of much of the initial support for the legislation in Congress: lawmakers had hoped to protect consumers in the middle of a dangerous recession. While versions of the bill have cleared key committees in both the House and Senate, Lillis notes that the bank lobby has already exacted its pound of flesh, convincing members of Congress to delay the effective date of... read more

posted by Zach Carter | start the discussion

Thursday, April 23, 2009

With Friends Like These…Robert Reich’s “Mistakes” on Employee Free Choice Act (6:45 pm)

Hard as it may be to believe, a moderate pro-union liberal, Robert Reich, the former Labor Secretary under Bill Clinton, echoed the right-wing myth that the Employee Free Choice Act takes away the secret ballot while acting as the token liberal guest on CNBC, the network that brought you the economic meltdown. Reich’s misinformation fits in well with a broader campaign by Democratic-linked loybbing firms to kill the bill, as reported by Thomas Frank in the Wall Street Journal, even if that wasn’t Reich’s intention.

But it’s also a sad commentary on the need for the progressive movement to broaden its reach on behalf of the legislation — and to overcome the mainstream media’s barriers to telling the truth about the legislation. As reported by author Randy Shaw on the San Francisco alternative news website Beyond Chron:

Reich’s comments on Kudlow’s April 20 show reveal that he neither understands the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) nor is an effective advocate for its passage.

Kudlow & Company is part of CNBC’s attempt to steal Republicans from FOX News, and its pundits are dominated by conservative, anti-union voices. In the show’s April 20 debate on EFCA, Reich’s opponent emphasized his outrage at EFCA’s alleging depriving workers of a secret ballot.

Reich should have responded by saying that EFCA did nothing to abolish workers right to a secret ballot election. Reich should also have told viewers that workers have long joined unions through signing authorization cards, and that all EFCA does is prevent employers from vetoing this process.

What did Reich say instead? He agreed that it’s wrong to abolish the secret ballot — which EFCA does not do — and said he shared his conservative opponent’s objections to that provision.

So much for point-counterpoint.

EFCA backers were no doubt thrilled to hear the only liberal on CNBC mimic conservative falsehoods on employee free choice.

Unfortunately, Reich did not stop with misinforming CNBC viewers about secret ballots. Seeking agreement with his right-wing adversaries, he asked whether they could not agree that companies that violate union organizing rights should pay steeper fines.

Reich proposed quintupling... read more

posted by Art Levine | 2 comments

Weekly Immigration Wire: Building Up to Change (6:41 pm)

As the U.S. moves closer and closer to enacting immigration reform, the situation on the ground is evolving as well. Nothing is static for an issue that touches so many people across so many communities. This week’s wire follows up on trends observed last week: holding mainstream media accountable, enforcement tactics, and immigration’s positive effect on the economy.

But if you’d first like to get up to speed on immigration reform fundamentals, stop over at Feministing’s interview with Christine Neumann-Ortiz. (And definitely don’t miss Feministing’s call to action to stop the infamous Sheriff Joe Arpaio.)

Last week, the Wire highlighted the importance of holding mainstream media accountable—especially when it comes to giving proper context to quoted sources. This week, Texas Observer’s Melissa del Bosque writes that “[t]he truth differs wildly from the perception.” when it comes to the actual political situation in Mexico and the image cultivated by mainstream media. While some outlets continue to develop an image Mexico as lawless and volatile, the actual scenario is not as dramatic.

Following up on enforcement tactics, Marcelo Balivé, writing for New America Media, explores the “backlash against immigrants” that “continues to rage countrywide.” According to Balivé, anti-immigrant sentiment is bleeding over into American perceptions about Mexican culture, “casting a pall on all Hispanic immigrants, whether they entered the country illegally or not.”

On a more positive note, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) head Janet Napolitano’s recent statements that ICE will henceforth target employers rather than workers is a move in the right direction, though she gives no indication of how that might manifest on a practical level. Napolitano also admits that there will be “no halt to arrests of undocumented workers.”

This is unfortunate. The effects of ICE raids, and the ongoing hunt for “illegals in our midst” is hurting most Latinos in the U.S., even citizens. Even the so-called “Sanctuary” cities, which refuse to enlist local law enforcement to federal duties like immigration control, are no longer offer a feeling of safety. San Francisco, much like Postville, Iowa, is now feeling the devastating effects of the ICE raids. I’m not sure... read more