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By Doug Cunningham

Yanira Merino is an immigrant worker from El Salvador and the

National Coordinator for Immigration with the Laborers union.

Speaking at the recent Labor Notes international conference in

Detroit Merino said as many as 60 percent of rank and file union

members still perceive immigrants as a threat to their jobs and a

drag on wages.

[Yanira Merino] : “And it’s amazing for me because in the last

ten years the big organizing drives that have happened in this

country have been among and led by immigrant workers.

Organized labor will not survive without the immigrants in this

country.”

Merino says immigration reform is needed and organized labor

isn’t driving the reform. But she says labor should see

immigrants as allies, not poor immigrants sneaking across the

border to take jobs.

[Merino 2]: “ No brothers and sisters, we’re not poor immigrants

sneaking across the border, we’re fighters! And if you will be

with us, we will be with you fighting for the rights of workers, the

rights of immigrants and the rights of human beings! Thank you

very much (applause).”