The time for an immigrant led strike is now
In recent memory, May Day has always been a day of action that showed the reliance and contribution of immigrant workers to the economy of this country. However, with the backdrop of the historic wave of teachers strikes over the last couple of months, this May 1st feels different. In many ways, the effectiveness and courage of economic mass non-cooperation has been pushed to the forefront, brandishing the tactic of the strike as way to win and to reimagine the limits of what is possible when we come together as a community.
On this day, known around the world as International Workers Day, Movimiento Cosecha wants to honor and celebrate the workers that sustain this country, in particular those 11 million which are undocumented. The workers who blister under the sun picking our fruits and vegetables in the fields. The workers who cook and serve our food at the restaurants we go to when we’re hungry. The construction workers who build houses and apartments we live in, and all the other immigrant workers who hold traditional and nontraditional jobs and professions. Undocumented workers are more than the jobs they hold; we know this because of all the Cosecheros and Cosecheras that work 15 hour days and still go to sleep dreaming of a better future. We envision a future where we all workers are recognized and valued and are treated with dignity and respect.
We recognize that we are living in difficult times — undocumented workers are being vilified and targeted. We have seen multiple videos showing immigration officers boarding Greyhound buses and harassing undocumented workers in them. We have seen immigration officers stalk courts, placing the integrity of our legal system in question, waiting to detain workers as they leave the courthouses. We have seen how police stop workers on their way to work, to schools and hospitals, and turn them over to immigration officials, for the simple lack of a driver’s license. We have seen ICE officials conduct some of the most heinous worker place raids just this year including one in Tennessee this April where 97 workers were detained because they do not have a legal status. We know these attacks against the immigrant community are nothing new, with more than enough blame to be passed around between both political parties and a stagnant Congress. The most recent evidence of this has been the terminations of programs like DACA and TPS, resulting in around 800,000 Dreamers losing work permits (holding their breaths for a court decision) and 300,000 TPS holders losing status already.
Yet, under an administration that has made it a priority to attack undocumented workers, Cosecha commits to continue to fight fight until all undocumented workers have permanent protection, dignity, and respect. We know that we are in an era when workers have to be in the front lines, organizing and mobilizing. This is why Cosecha is supporting Cosecheros and Cosecheras around the country organizing their communities and starting local campaigns that will bring the immigrant community together as one movement for the 11 million.
- In Florida, the immigrant community is fighting to kick out ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and CBP (Customs and Border Patrol) out of Greyhound buses. This bus company allows immigration officials to board their buses and harass and detain undocumented immigrants.
- In Virginia, TPS (Temporary Protected Status) holders are organizing to fight for a permanent protection, no longer wanting to live day after day seeing their work permits expire, knowing that in matter of days they can lose their jobs.
- In Texas, communities are coming together to fight SB4, an anti-immigrant law that is used to racially profile and target undocumented immigrants, putting them at risk of detention and deportation.
- In New Jersey, Michigan, and Massachusetts, undocumented immigrants are already taking the streets to fight for #Licenses4All so that every undocumented immigrant worker can be #ManejandoSinMiedo (driving without fear).
We are inspired by undocumented workers who have been organizing and building community power, and will do so today again on Internal Workers Day. To believe in the vision of permanent protection, dignity and respect is to recognize the labor power that workers have, and to know that that power can be used to win. This is why Cosecha is working towards a seven day immigrant worker led strike. Immigrant workers sustain this country and we know that the United States economy would come to a stand still without them. Because our fight is not in D.C — it is in every home, city, school, business, industry, and intersection of American society that fails to recognize our labor and consumption. We know that striking is scary, especially for those who are undocumented and already face exploitation from employees. But this is also a reminder for all of us, that we come from long traditions of using non-cooperation tactics, like strikes, to win. Through strikes we awaken the spirit and memory of our community and demonstrate that through collective sacrifice, we can show this country it depends on us. People in our home countries, many in Latin America, are constantly teaching us how to use our labor power to fight back. People in the United States are doing it now too. We only have to look at the string of teachers strikes currently happening all across the United States, from the unprecedented win in West Virginia to the mass demonstrations just this week in Colorado and in Arizona. When we organize and build community power we can and will win. The time is now for an immigrant worker led strike! We invite all immigrant workers to join Cosecha as we also work towards a strike of 11 million workers #Somos11Millones.
