Greetings from the Burgh, where two key labor democrats, Senator John Fetterman and Congressman Chris Deluzio, have already signaled that they intend to throw immigrants under the bus.
Fetterman & 48 Congressional Democrats Betray Immigrants
Yesterday, 48 House Democrats voted for the anti-immigrant Laken Riley bill including Western PA Democrat Chris Deluzio. (A full list of the 48 Democrats, who voted for the bill, can be found here at The New Republic)
The bill would dramatically change immigration law by giving state attorney generals the power to deport immigrants charged with non-violent offenses. Currently, only federal government officials can deport immigrants.
Many immigrants rights groups fear that the bill could lead to immigrants being charged with minor offenses and being deported before they have a chance to defend themselves in court.
(For more on the bill’s draconian provisions, check out MSNBC)
Yesterday, Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) became the first Democrat to sign onto the bill. This opened the floodgates to another 7 Senate Democrats declaring their support for the bill, making it likely that the bill would overcome any filibuster attempt by Senate Democrats.
“Fetterman’s support for the Laken Riley Act was an early indicator of the bill’s traction among Senate Democrats,” wrote Pablo Manriquez at Migrant Insider. “By Tuesday evening, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer signaled his openness to working with Republicans on the legislation, though details about the amendments process remained unclear at the time of writing”.
For more, check out Migrant Insider.
Media Not Ready to Handle Trump’s Deportations
Over at The Huddled Masses, a newsletter from The Bulwark about immigration by Adrian Carrasquilo, the veteran journalist looks at how most major news organizations are either unprepared or unwillingly to cover the mass deportations that will be likely under Trump.
From Huddled Masses:
“In private conversations with The Bulwark, employees within major newsrooms from ABC News to NBC News, Univision, and the Washington Post expressed doubts as to whether the media is ready to meet this moment.
One veteran NBC News journalist described concerns that the network’s mass deportation coverage would focus on b-roll of immigrants at the border, when the story will largely unfold in the interior of the country: from meatpacking plants to the cities and communities where they live.
“When we keep showing the border, we show that we don’t get it,” the source said. “Stop showing just the border—show churches, show schools, show hospitals.”
“We’ve done a poor job of covering immigration, historically,” Enrique Acevedo, a top Univision talent who interviewed Donald Trump and hosted both the incoming president and Kamala Harris for network town halls during 2024, told The Bulwark. “Most news platforms in the U.S. have focused on what happens at the border and done very little to understand the complexities of immigration coverage. Covering the border to explain our immigration crisis is like covering an ER to explain the COVID pandemic.”
For more, check out and subscribe to The Huddled Masses.
Most Unions Unprepared for Deportation - Help Payday Change Things
In recent weeks, Payday has been speaking to many unions and most seem totally unprepared both politically and legally to defend their immigrant union members.
Already, dozens of union-backed Democrats like Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) and Congressman Chris Deluzio (D-PA) have backed the anti-immigrant Laken Riley Act, but most unions have remained silent in calling out these Democrats for betraying union members.
Worse, many unions lack legal defense strategies to defend their immigrant union members.
Payday intends to show unions how they can do more for their immigrant members while, at the same time, holding accountable those unions that do not help their immigrant members.
Donate to Payday to help us push back against Trump’s likely mass deportation. Please, if you can, sign up as one of our recurring donors today.
4,000 North Carolina Amazon Workers to Vote on Unionizing
In North Carolina, 4,000 Amazon workers are set to vote on unionizing with an independent union, Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity & Empowerment (CAUSE)
The group has been organizing at the facility since 2022. However, their victory is not assured and already the group has claimed that Amazon has engaged in the illegal firing of a union organizer, Ryan Brown.
“Our team inside, they’re fighting like hell to get us to the finish line,” Brown told The News & Observer
For more, check out the News & Observer.
Kentucky Electric Battery Plant Workers Move to Unionize
In Kentucky, workers employed at the BlueOval SK (BOSK) electric battery plant are moving to unionize. Currently, approximately 750 workers are employed at Blue Oval and more than 5,000 are expected to be hired.
Despite BlueOval being a joint venture between the unionized Korean company SK and the heavily unionized Ford, workers say that they are facing anti-union opposition.
“Instead of listening to our safety concerns, management has been ordering people to work without proper protective equipment,” said worker Angela Conto in a statement put out by the UAW. ”Now they’re trying to stop us from forming our union to win a strong voice for safety. But the strong supermajority of workers who’ve signed union cards show we’re going to fix what’s wrong at BOSK and make it the leading manufacturer of electric vehicle batteries in America.”
Links & News Elsewhere
- Park City Mountain and ski patrol union announce tentative contract agreement
- Rhode Island hospital resident physicians are the first in Rhode Island to unionize
- Texas business leaders are apprehensive about Trump’s pledged deportations
- UCLA launches a union election simulator to help student learn about organizing
- Inside the long Social Security fight for Maine’s public workers
- Chinese workers forced into slavery-like conditions in Brazil
- Finally, a look at why more and more workers are launching worker-owned news cooperatives
Alright folks, that’s all for today. Keeps sending tips, story ideas, and comments to melk@paydayreport.com
Donate to help us cover the fight to protect immigrants against deportation. Please, if you can, sign up as one of our recurring donors today. Thanks again for all of the support.
Love & Solidarity
Melk
