May Day: March for Immigrant Rights

May Day’s March for Immigrant & Worker Rights drew thousands of people to San Francisco streets. Five years ago, the massive crowds who turned out in support of immigrant rights and finding a path to citizenship and legalization surprised the nation. These marches were among the largest coordinated protests in U.S. history.

May_1_1_copy_by_josh_warren-whiteNow, with the labor movement itself under attack, an effort is underway to build those alliances between immigrant rights and labor.  

Both Latinos and labor are under assault by right wing forces. Collective bargaining is facing serious challenges, and hate crimes and anti-immigrant rhetoric against Latinos have increased by 40 percent in the last five years.

MayDay4_Josh_Warren_WhtieUnions, with their falling membership numbers need Latino workers in order to grow. By virtue of their enormous numbers in the service sector and in construction jobs, their role is pivotal in bringing union numbers up. Latino immigrants possess one of the highest participation rates in the labor force (70.8 percent).

The relationship is mutual. Latinos, among the most vulnerable workers,  need the protections and benefits provided by unions. Union leadership has to reflect inclusion of minorities. For much of its history unions have opposed the loosening of immigration restrictions. Now leaders of labor groups are realizing that Latino workers could have a great impact on their unions.

We snapped a lot of photos. Here are just a few. And, if you’d like to see more photos,  shared with us by photographers Chi Mei Tam,  Josh Warren-White and Melanie Cervantes, here’s the link.