Today, we see our local and national leaders once again bumbling about, unable to stand up to xenophobic attacks on immigrants. In the halls of Congress (and in the White House today), there is confusion, cowardice, and concessions, but across the US, workers are organizing from the bottom up, showing courage and creativity, and setting an example of what it’s going to take to turn the tide in this country.
We’re excited to share some updates from workers lifting up the DALE call to action nationwide. Will you take action to make sure workers demands for respect and protections at work are lifted up today?
Last week, thanks to the organizing and pushing from NDLON day laborer and workers centers, 29 members of Congress called on the Biden administration to update its DALE worker protections to ensure reliable and predictable renewal policy. That means that workers who have come forward can count on their protection being renewed, like DACA, without more obstacles by ICE or their employers.
It’s been one year since the Biden Admin, thru DHS Secretary Mayorkas announced the DALE guidance for workers to obtain “deferred action for labor enforcement.” But in one entire year, President Biden has been completely SILENT about his own policy! And we know, if Biden is going to fulfill the promise of his own policy, he needs to show a fraction of the courage being demonstrated by immigrant workers. We need President Biden to do for workers what President Obama did for young dreamers; Biden needs to show workers that he is committed to his own policy.
That is why it is so important that Congressman Rep. Grijalva led a coalition of 28 members of Congress in this effort – echoing over 100 organizations that called on the Biden government to honor those workers who have come forward by giving them the same renewal policy given to young dreamers under the DACA program. See the full list here!
Meanwhile, at Arriba Las Vegas, workers hosted US Secretary Of Labor Julie Su in a face to face roundtable with workers that have come forward with their cases, organized at their worksites, and won important workers rights victories. Workers like Rosario and Jonas, they made sure Sec. Su heard about the urgency of streamlined renewal policies for Las Vegas workers and their compañeros and compañeras across the country!
Will you take a quick action to share on your own social media platforms?
1. Share the Congressional letter graphics and call to action on social media. And you don’t see your member of Congress, give them a call here, and let us know.
2. Check out and share the roundtable that took place at Arriba Las Vegas!
These important updates come after a grassroots push in January where day laborers and migrant workers from across various industries took to the streets to call on Biden to make good on his promise to respect and protect workplace rights for all workers. In Chicago, hundreds of workers convened with Arise Chicago, Raise the Floor, Casa DuPage Workers Center and partner organizations; in Jersey City, workers hoisted a massive banner with giant balloons across the NYC skyline and the statute of liberty in the background; and in Los Angeles, workers from across the metropolitan region closed down a major intersection with a giant message for President Biden: Y Nosostros Que, Señor Presidente?
The actions won’t stop. We know that when we organize from the bottom up, we are raising the standard for all workers. As we say at the day laborer centers – desde abajo se defiende todo el mundo.
Let’s get to it.