Unions call for an end to exclusion of undocumented workers from vital relief
HOUSTON – Today, working people will take to the virtual streets to commemorate May Day and rally from home for the rights of all workers, regardless of where we were born.
Each year on May 1st, working people across the nation and around the world march shoulder to shoulder to show our unity and to send the message that solidarity is stronger than hate and corporate greed. Amid the pandemic, working people will come together online to take collective action.
This year, workers in the Houston area will honor essential workers like grocery store workers, domestic workers, nurses, and farmworkers, among so many others, by demanding bold actions to keep them safe and improve their lives, regardless of immigration status.
Gulf Coast unions are participating in the WE ARE ALL ESSENTIAL May Day Rally at 3 pm today, in which front line nurses, grocery store, postal workers will share their stories from the front lines. The event is hosted by the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) and the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), both of which have active local chapters in the Houston area.
“Today we remember that solidarity is the only source of power for working people. This virus makes clear just how interconnected we are, and we know that none of us will be safe until all of us are safe,” said Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation Executive Director Hany Khalil. “Excluding immigrant families from COVID relief is dangerous and wrong, and today we say no more! We’re all in this together, and we will not stop fighting until we win justice for all working families, regardless of where we were born.”
Through our virtual action, working people and labor leaders in the Houston area will reaffirm that the labor movement continues to fight for all working people and that we cannot achieve our economic essentials while immigrant families are excluded from vital relief.
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The Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation (TGCALF), AFL-CIO unites the power of 95 unions representing 60,000 union members across 13 counties to advocate for working families in the Texas Gulf Coast. We mobilize our members and community partners to demand a fair shot at better lives for all working people — regardless of the color of our skin, which country we come from, or whom we love. Learn more: www.gcaflcio.org/