Ontiveros on Immigrants and Organized Labor

Maria Ontiveros (San Francisco) sends us word on her piece out in WorkingUSA's Journal of Labor and Society: Out of the Shadows and into the Spotlight: Immigrants and Organized Labor.

Here's the abstract:

Immigrant workers have always been forced to organize in the shadow of antilabor laws because they have been systematically excluded from their protection. This essay begins by examining the ways in which the labor laws (the National Labor Relations Act and others workplace laws) have systematically excluded immigrant workers. It then discusses a wide variety of pragmatic legal approaches (lawsuits, collective bargaining agreements and legislative enactments) used by organized labor, acting in solidarity with immigrant workers (on the national and international arenas) to protect immigrant workers. Finally, it suggests a moral framework, grounded in the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to support these approaches.

Maria brought her timely essay to my attention after seeing yesterday's post on organized labor's international law project.  She noted that she viewed organized labor's ILO work "as a very positive development, as it emphasizes organized labor's role as an advocate for working people vis-a-vis the government, not just vis-a-vis employers."  Similarly, Maria's essay places that type of advocacy in perspective with organized labor's current advocacy for immigrant workers.

PS