Support Immigrants

To the Editor:

This letter is in reply to the vicious, bigoted, anti-immigrant letter entitled "Wrong on Illegals" written by Thomas Cunningham (in your Nov. 23rd edition.).

Mr. Cunningham's knuckle-dragging diatribe against undocumented immigrant workers twists the facts by calling them "illegal criminals in our midst." When did seeking work become a criminal act? Mr. Cunningham, by calling them criminals, is trying to put an equal sign between a worker without proper documents, who is just seeking employment, and bank robbers, murderers and rapists.

I have news for Mr. Cunningham: breaking a law does not make one a criminal, despite Lou Dobbs's nightly bigoted rants on CNN saying so. When you get a ticket for illegal parking, it doesn't make you a criminal, even though you broke the law! There are numerous laws for minor infractions that are broken every day resulting in fines and even court appearances and judgments. There's a huge difference between these minor infractions and criminal felonies.

Millions of immigrant workers helped build this country and our city. These same immigrants built the labor movement. These undocumented immigrants represent the very workers that most need union representation and desire union representation. The union movement needs them as much as they need us, however.

Demagogues, like Lou Dobbs, are trying to set worker against worker. The union movement will not be successful if we fall for Lou Dobbs's nightly corporate-sponsored bigotry. Only worker solidarity and unity can lead to union success.

How can the union movement survive in New York City, where the overwhelming majority of the population is either black, Asian or Latino and/or immigrant, if the union movement fails to defend these undocumented workers? These undocumented workers are an important part of our community! I am happy that many NYC unions supported giving driver's licenses to undocumented workers. Last spring, as a delegate from my union to the NYC Central Labor Council, I gave a talk from the floor advocating union participation in the May 1st Immigrant Rights Demonstration in Union Square. I was very pleased by the warm reception given to my talk from the other delegates.

Workers need to drop the words "illegals" and "criminals" from their vocabulary when referring to undocumented workers. These workers are our sisters and brothers! By saying no to bigotry we can build a bigger and a better union movement!

MIKE GIMBEL

Editor's note: Mr. Gimbel is a delegate to the AFL-CIO's New York City Central Labor Council representing Local 375 of District Council 37.