It's time for labor unions to embrace migrant workers

Most wealthy nations in the west have turned to migrant workers to keep a variety of industries afloat. But while the cheap labor of immigrants is welcomed, the migrants themselves are not. Canada is no exception. From the agricultural industry to the service sector, migrants can be found working under dangerous conditions for less than the minimum wage. And in many cases, unions simply aren't doing their part to organize this vital section of the workforce. Elizabeth Ha joins The Real News to discuss the plight of migrant workers in Canada and why the labor movement must embrace them for its own survival.

Elizabeth Ha is the Equity Vice President of the Ontario Federation of Labour. She is also a member of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, the Asian Canadian Labour Alliance, and the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists.

Studio Production: Jesse Freeston
Post-Production: Cameron Granadino

The Real News is an independent, viewer-supported, radical media network. Help us expand our in-depth analysis and coverage from Baltimore to Bangladesh by subscribing and becoming a member today!

[desperatelyseekingrealnews]

Its about time the unions supported workers period

[samuelrosander]

The whole point is to keep people from seeing others as equally human and equally valuable as humans so that the different groups of workers would be at odds with each other and be much less likely to organize against their masters. Elites throughout the last couple thousand years have used Aristotle's writings on the topic as the basis for their own implementations, and for (almost always) exactly the same reasons. In Aristotle's time it was employed to protect slave owners from their slaves. Then it was capitalists and the ruling elite in pre-colonial America employing it to protect themselves from organized workers making demands that would cut into profits; miscegenation laws (banning interracial marriage) 1600s were designed specifically for that purpose, and had to be enforced brutally so that the unequal relations would be accepted and normalized (and this is saying nothing about what the Spanish did in Mexico and further south, or what other colonial powers did elsewhere) and a PERMANENT UNDERCLASS would always be available to threaten the job security of the rest. We've moved on from colonial times, but capitalists and the ruling elite still work hard to keep us divided so that we don't organize against them and threaten either their profits or their hegemony.

If we want better working conditions and a better future we HAVE to stop letting capitalists and the ruling elite keep us at odds with each other. Racism and anti-migrant sentiments in unions were a major problem that worked to weaken labor movements in the past, and unless we come to terms with the fact that we're shooting ourselves in the back for the entertainment, profit and security in power of the elite (who over time sniffed their own crap so much that many forgot that profit and control were the point), we'll just keep repeating the same mistakes and never see real systemic change. And SYSTEMIC change is what everyone should be aiming at. Not just your workplace or your industry. System-wide change for the better.

[Italianstallion-vf]

Would it suprise you if a registered employed nurse routinely looks at ways to live comfortably as a homeless person to make ends meet because of economic pressure?

[Cyberphunkisms]

of course we don't trust unions... teachers unions the worst

[mikeklassic]

Thing is there not gonna do it.... migrant workers are gonna have to get together an boycott these companies until they start acting an treating people right.

[MetalHeadPyro]

Workers have to embrace worker power and unity amongst themselves first because if they can't even do that, then how do you expect them to embrace migrants? 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

[Cyberphunkisms]

i have the answers to her questions = "intersectionality is integral to the logic of neoliberal colonialism" which is why its all show and no action.