Split in labor unions over immigration

MSNBC.com (AP):

WASHINGTON - The revival of the Senate's immigration legislation also resurrected a rare split inside organized labor.

The AFL-CIO formally came out against the bill Wednesday, reflecting the distaste among manufacturing unions and others whose members have been displaced by overseas competition and would have to compete with an influx of cheaper workers who don't have labor rights.

Embracing the bill are a couple of unions that cater to workers in the fast-growing service sector of the economy and also split from the AFL-CIO in 2005. They've seen their membership rosters swell with immigrants taking jobs in hotels and restaurants and as janitors. ...

"This bill is far from the kind of comprehensive immigration reform that would improve the status quo for either U.S.-born or immigrant workers or their families and, in fact, it is likely to make matters much worse," said AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard L. Trumka. ...

SEIU is now the fastest growing union in the country with more than 1.8 million members and says it represents more immigrants than any other union. UNITE HERE also has a large number of immigrants in its membership. Both see a recruiting target in those 12 million now-illegal immigrants.

They also are in favor of keeping temporary foreign worker programs, which are popular with immigrants, as long as the government ensures the workers aren't abused. ... [SEIU's] Medina isn't surprised that all the unions aren't on the same page. "There's differences among labor just as there's differences among business" on the legislation, he said.

"It's time to create legal and fair channels for immigrants to come here to work in the future," Medina said. "And it's time to replace this cycle of border deaths and worker exploitation with a controlled system that works for America."