Sunday, December 26, 2010
UPDATE ON CHIPOTLE'S WORKERS
Chipotle workers protested on Dec 22 at a Chipotle Restaurant in downtown Minneapolis. No results yet. Watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGL8MYvrpHE
Monday, December 20, 2010
“The Death of the DREAM Act”.
By Silvia Uribe
Latinos are not only disappointed, but also frustrated by the failure of the DREAM Act in Congress. The main problem was not that Republicans wanted to derail it– everyone knew that - but that Democrats didn’t have their act together, and some joined the Republicans and voted against it. With those 5 Democrat votes against, the DREAM Act fell 5 votes short from passing. If those 5 Democrat votes would’ve been pro DREAM, the bill would have reached the Senate floor, and could have passed by a simple majority.
Unfortunately, this shows the reality of the Democratic Party. It is disjointed, and unable to organize one vote. This leaves Latinos out in the cold, and with no clear option as to which political party to turn to. Maybe now is the time for an Independent candidate to come forward for 2012, uniting the Latino vote and taking it away from both parties.
Even worse, is that the DREAM Act failure comes on the heels of the passing of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy reversal, which allows for gays in the military to be as openly gay as they may. The country is focusing in celebrating this great success, of course, however, very little has been said in the media about the irrational vote on the DREAM Act.
Why irrational? Because who can possibly think that the youth - who didn’t come to this country willfully, but were brought by their parents - who will become well educated adults, paying their taxes, their social security, expending in consumer products, is not something that our country will benefit from? We’re talking about 1.2 million immigrant youth in this group, according experts. Republicans, frankly, are blindly obsessed with fighting anything that could appear like an amnesty. Whether it could be beneficial or not, they don’t care.
As upsetting as the failing of the DREAM Act is, it is not surprising to those who have been paying attention to the writing on the wall. When the Democrats had the majority in both houses, the Democratic leadership wasn’t able to cash in on that political power. Now things have changed, the fight for the presidential race on 2012 is on, and Republicans will for sure obstruct anything that Obama wants to do.
Although Republicans say that they are interested in passing a comprehensive immigration reform, it is not expected that they will act on it, until “our borders are secured”, as they have expressed. But, curiously enough, they keep opposing the bills that fund border security. It seems that the “statuos quo” is working fine for them. In the meantime, we can expect more abuse of power, and inhumane treatment for those undocumented.
Unfortunately, this shows the reality of the Democratic Party. It is disjointed, and unable to organize one vote. This leaves Latinos out in the cold, and with no clear option as to which political party to turn to. Maybe now is the time for an Independent candidate to come forward for 2012, uniting the Latino vote and taking it away from both parties.
Even worse, is that the DREAM Act failure comes on the heels of the passing of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy reversal, which allows for gays in the military to be as openly gay as they may. The country is focusing in celebrating this great success, of course, however, very little has been said in the media about the irrational vote on the DREAM Act.
Why irrational? Because who can possibly think that the youth - who didn’t come to this country willfully, but were brought by their parents - who will become well educated adults, paying their taxes, their social security, expending in consumer products, is not something that our country will benefit from? We’re talking about 1.2 million immigrant youth in this group, according experts. Republicans, frankly, are blindly obsessed with fighting anything that could appear like an amnesty. Whether it could be beneficial or not, they don’t care.
As upsetting as the failing of the DREAM Act is, it is not surprising to those who have been paying attention to the writing on the wall. When the Democrats had the majority in both houses, the Democratic leadership wasn’t able to cash in on that political power. Now things have changed, the fight for the presidential race on 2012 is on, and Republicans will for sure obstruct anything that Obama wants to do.
Although Republicans say that they are interested in passing a comprehensive immigration reform, it is not expected that they will act on it, until “our borders are secured”, as they have expressed. But, curiously enough, they keep opposing the bills that fund border security. It seems that the “statuos quo” is working fine for them. In the meantime, we can expect more abuse of power, and inhumane treatment for those undocumented.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
CHIPOTLE'S WORKERS SUPPORT A BOYCOTT
December 16, 2010
In relation to our previous posting, regarding CHIPOTLE "cooperation with ICE" we've received communication from CHIPOTLE's workers' representatives in Minnesota [NAIR_CC:7866]:
Thank you for forwarding this aticle. In Minnesota, we are working with the workers and they are supporting a boycott. From our meeting with workers there are three main demands for Chipotle: (1) that Chipotle tell the truth about what's going on -- they won't say anything to the fired workers or to the media; (2) that Chipotle give people more time, don't fire them immediately; and (3) that Chipotle pay them for their hours work and the year-end bonuses they are due. And they have the demand for ICE to stop these I-9 audits so this doesn't happen to anyone else.
In solidarity,
Anh Pham
MIRAc
---o---
It seems CHIPOTLE is not only "cooperating" with ICE, but also they're trying to make money out of their employees. Hmmmm...
CALL TO ACTION: SUPPORT THE BOYCOTT (and re-post this comment)
In relation to our previous posting, regarding CHIPOTLE "cooperation with ICE" we've received communication from CHIPOTLE's workers' representatives in Minnesota [NAIR_CC:7866]:
Thank you for forwarding this aticle. In Minnesota, we are working with the workers and they are supporting a boycott. From our meeting with workers there are three main demands for Chipotle: (1) that Chipotle tell the truth about what's going on -- they won't say anything to the fired workers or to the media; (2) that Chipotle give people more time, don't fire them immediately; and (3) that Chipotle pay them for their hours work and the year-end bonuses they are due. And they have the demand for ICE to stop these I-9 audits so this doesn't happen to anyone else.
In solidarity,
Anh Pham
MIRAc
---o---
It seems CHIPOTLE is not only "cooperating" with ICE, but also they're trying to make money out of their employees. Hmmmm...
CALL TO ACTION: SUPPORT THE BOYCOTT (and re-post this comment)
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
CHIPOTLE "COOPERATES WITH ICE" - Fox News
According to CityPages, an online Minnesota blog, restaurant managers referred all questions to Chipotle's corporate headquarters in Denver. Chipotle released the following statement to Fox News Latino:
"We are fully cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials in Minnesota in response to a request for documents they have made. Chipotle is extremely proud of its diverse and talented workforce, and is saddened by the loss of some excellent employees."
There is no confirmation that all of the released employees have been fired due to their document status.
The number of fired employees -- at least 80, CityPages reports -- could still grow. The Minnesota Immigration Rights Committee has stepped in to condemn the firings and represent the now jobless employees.
Workers gathered at then Bethany Lutheran Church in Minneapolis on Tuesday to share their stories and discuss their options.
---- o ----
CALL TO ACTION: Let's not eat at CHIPOTLE. Pass the word.
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