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GUESTS: Pablo Alvarado, Director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, Sergio Rascone, Business Manager of Laborers International Union Local 300

Last Wednesday, the AFL-CIO signed a national partnership agreement with The National Day Laborer Organizing Network to improve the rights of all workers. The agreement formalizes the relationship between the largest union in the United States and the largest day laborer association. Day Laborers, who mostly immigrate from Mexico and Central America, are among the most vulnerable workers in the nation. In a recent survey, nearly half of all day laborers interviewed cited having been underpaid or sometimes not paid at all. Though the agreement with the AFL-CIO agreement would not make day laborers eligible to become union members, both parties hope to work together for improved conditions and comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship. A study released this past January found that about three-quarters of day laborers are, in fact, undocumented.

For more information, visit www.ndlon.org, and www.liuna.org.