Solidarity between labor unions and immigrant communities

Summary

Marketplace Morning Report: Episode Summary Release Date: June 12, 2025
Host: David Brancaccio

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1. Labor Unions and Immigrant Communities: A Strengthened Alliance

a. Current Challenges and Solidarity Efforts

David Brancaccio opens the episode by highlighting recent tensions between labor unions and immigrant communities, particularly under the Trump administration's policies targeting workplace raids and deportations. A significant incident discussed is the arrest of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) official David Huerta in Los Angeles during a protest on a Friday, where he faced federal felony charges for allegedly impeding an officer (01:51).

Additionally, the podcast covers the wrongful deportation of Kilimar Abrego Garcia, a trades worker apprentice who is now under grand jury indictment. This event underscores the precarious position of immigrant workers and the growing solidarity within labor movements to protect them.

b. Historical Context and Evolving Relationships

The episode delves into the historical dynamics between labor unions and immigrant workers. Haley Brown from the Center for Economic and Policy Research reflects on the post-war period when unions often viewed undocumented immigrants as competitors, potentially weakening their bargaining power (03:26). UCLA labor historian Toby Higbee elaborates on this friction, noting that some unions even reported undocumented workers to immigration authorities during the 1970s, a strategy that unions later recognized as counterproductive (03:59).

c. Demographic Shifts and Renewed Collaboration

A turning point in this relationship is attributed to demographic changes within union memberships. Haley Brown points out that the percentage of union members who are foreign-born has nearly doubled from 8.4% in 1994 to 15.4% today (04:15). This shift makes collaboration between the immigrant rights movement and the labor movement increasingly beneficial and necessary.

Toby Higbee emphasizes the interconnectedness of immigrant communities and labor unions, stating, “So many working people are either immigrants, the children of immigrants, or live in mixed-status families or communities, it is in the interest of both the immigrant rights movement and the labor movement to collaborate” (04:28).

d. On-the-Ground Efforts and Voices from the Community

Maeve Campbell, a social worker and organizer for the Labor Committee to Defend Immigrants in New York, describes recent protests alongside immigrant rights groups against ICE deportation sweeps in Lower Manhattan (02:30). She highlights the diverse coalition, which includes teachers, teamsters, and service workers, emphasizing that their collective stance is, “They’re not going to take our kids” (02:55).

Maribel Martinez, a factory worker in Chicago, shares firsthand experiences of union-driven initiatives at her workplace, which are focused on securing better pay and safer conditions while also educating workers about their immigration-related rights. She asserts, “In general, we are not afraid of immigration coming to our work. Most of our fellow employees have permission to work in the US, and we’re more worried about having our rights as workers violated than we are of immigration rates” (05:01).

2. House of Representatives Proposes Significant Funding Cuts

David Brancaccio reports on a critical development in the House of Representatives, where lawmakers are set to vote on a bill aimed at formalizing the White House's proposed spending cuts. Nancy Marshall Genzer explains that the bill seeks to reclaim over $9 billion in funding previously approved by Congress, with the first phase targeting two years' worth of federal funding for PBS and public radio stations, amounting to approximately $1 billion (00:33 - 01:51).

The proposed cuts also include reductions in foreign aid, impacting areas such as reproductive health and support for LGBTQ communities. The White House has requested these clawbacks, triggering a 45-day deadline for congressional approval. If the House passes the measure, it will proceed to the Senate, requiring only a simple majority to circumvent a filibuster.

3. U.S. Trade Negotiations and Tariff Challenges

In a brief update, Brancaccio notes President Trump's announcement regarding the U.S. preparing to issue "Take it or leave it" letters to global trade partners, imposing specific tariff levels. Ongoing negotiations with these partners remain a focal point as the administration seeks to assert its economic stance (05:19).

4. Global Child Labor: Progress and Persistent Challenges

The United Nations, in collaboration with the International Labor Organization, released a report revealing that nearly 138 million children worldwide are engaged in labor. Max Horbury from the BBC outlines that while there has been some progress, the global community missed the 2025 deadline to eradicate child labor. He emphasizes that “more than one in every 12 children works,” equating to the entire population of Russia, with nearly 40% involved in hazardous environments like mines and factories (06:49 - 07:10).

5. Impact of Deportation Campaign on Latino Consumer Spending

Max Horbury also reports on economic repercussions stemming from the Trump administration's deportation policies. Latino consumers, who have a combined spending power of approximately $2.1 trillion, are reducing their shopping activities. This pullback is evident in declining first-quarter sales across consumer goods, food, beverage companies, and restaurants in regions like Los Angeles (07:49).

6. Closing Remarks

David Brancaccio concludes the episode by directing listeners to further content and community engagement opportunities, ensuring that the information presented is both comprehensive and actionable for the audience.

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Notable Quotes:

• Maeve Campbell: “But it's not all smooth sailing.” (03:11)
• Haley Brown: “The labor movement unfortunately had kind of a fractious relationship with immigration.” (03:42)
• Toby Higbee: “Were there some unions that were calling the INS on undocumented workers even in the 1970s? That's true. That did happen. But unions began to see that that was a losing strategy.” (03:59)
• Maribel Martinez: “Most of our fellow employees have permission to work in the US, and we’re more worried about having our rights as workers violated than we are of immigration rates.” (05:01)

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This comprehensive summary encapsulates the key discussions, insights, and conclusions from the "Marketplace Morning Report" episode focusing on the evolving solidarity between labor unions and immigrant communities, alongside other pertinent economic and social issues of the day.

Transcript

[David Brancaccio]

Hey there and thanks for listening. We want to know more about our audience. Stick around at the end of this episode to hear about how you can help, provide feedback and have a chance to walk away with a $75 gift card.

[Nancy Marshall Genzer]

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[Mitchell Hartman]

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[Nancy Marshall Genzer]

Programs and lets you learn on your schedule. A different future is closer than you think with Capella University. Learn [e-mail].

[David Brancaccio]

Changing views of Labor Unions on Immigrant Labor I'm David Brancaccio in Los Angeles. First, the House of Representatives is scheduled to vote today on a bill that would formalize some of the White House's spending cuts for money that has already been allocated by Congress. This includes money for public broadcasting, Marketplace's Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.

[Nancy Marshall Genzer]

The bill would claw back more than $9 billion in funding Congress once voted for. It's the first step in Trump administration's efforts to formalize some of the cuts from doge, the cost cutting commission once headed by Elon Musk. Since Congress has the power of the purse, only lawmakers can officially take money back. The legislation would claw back two years worth of federal funding for PBS and public radio stations, totaling about a billion dollars. Most of the cuts would come from foreign aid spending that reportedly includes money for things like reproductive health and support for LGBTQ communities. The White House formally sent the request the funding clubbacks to Congress last week. That started the clock ticking on a 45 day deadline for lawmakers to approve the bill. They only need a simple majority that avoids a Senate filibuster. If the House okays the measure today, it will go on to the Senate. I'm Nancy Marshall Genser for Marketplace.

[David Brancaccio]

Now to labor unions and union members opposing the Trump administration's workplace raids and deportations. One focus has been the arrest of Service Employees union official David Huerta in Los Angeles at a protest on Friday. He has been charged with a federal felony allegedly impeding an officer. Another focus of some unions the mistaken deportation of Kilimar Abrego Garcia, a trades worker apprentice who is now under grand jury indictment. This kind of solidarity would have been less common a generation ago when some in the labor movement saw undocumented immigrants as low cost competitors for union jobs marketplaces. Mitchell Hartman reports.

[Maeve Campbell]

Two days ago, this was the Sound in Lower Manhattan, alongside immigrant rights groups protesting ICE deportation sweeps was the Labor Committee to Defend Immigrants, a coalition including unions representing teachers, teamsters, service workers and others in New York. Maeve Campbell is a social worker and organizer for the group. She says the labor committee isn't just.

[Haley Brown]

Marching United Federation of Teachers, which are public school teachers. They formed committees in several different schools in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan and distributed know your rights information to defend students where the bottom line is they're not going to take our kids.

[Maeve Campbell]

But it's not all smooth sailing.

[Haley Brown]

We've made some efforts in the labor committee to get construction workers involved. Well, you know, guess who does construction in New York? I mean, it's undocumented immigrant workers. People are very, very afraid.

[Maeve Campbell]

Immigrants have played a crucial role in the union movement organizing garment workers in New York, industrial workers in the Midwest, farm workers in California. But in the post war period, relations soured, says Haley Brown at the center for Economic and Policy Research.

[Haley Brown]

The labor movement unfortunately had kind of a fractious relationship with immigration. There were concerns that immigrants were going to erode bargaining power for union members.

[Maeve Campbell]

Sometimes it got ugly, says UCLA labor historian Toby Higbee.

[Toby Higbee]

Were there some unions that were calling the INS on undocumented workers even in the 1970s? That's true. That did happen. But unions began to see that that was a losing strategy.

[Maeve Campbell]

One reason, says Haley Brown, simple demographics.

[Haley Brown]

A higher share of union members are foreign born now. Their share has actually almost doubled 8.4% in 1994. Today it is 15.4%.

[Maeve Campbell]

Which means, says Toby Higbee, given that.

[Toby Higbee]

So many working people are either immigrants, the children of immigrants, or live in mixed status families or communities, it is in the interest of both the immigrant rights movement and the labor movement to collaborate.

[Maeve Campbell]

In Chicago, factory worker Maribel Martinez says a union drive at her workplace is pressing for better pay and safer working conditions. The group organizing the workers is also educating them about their rights as immigrants.

[Mitchell Hartman]

Well, in general, we are not afraid.

[Maeve Campbell]

Of immigration coming to our work, martinez says. Most of her fellow employees have permission to work in the US and they're more worried about having their rights as workers violated than they are of immigration rates. I'm Mitchell Hartman for Marketplace.

[David Brancaccio]

President Trump said last night the US Is preparing to send out Take it or leave it letters to countries around the world imposing levels for US Tariffs. Negotiations with US Trade partners are ongoing.

[Mitchell Hartman]

This Marketplace podcast is supported by Greenlight. As a listener of Marketplace, you're likely already building smart money habits for you and your family, trying to instill important lessons on saving and spending and the economy overall and the younger folks in your life. But what about the older generation? Your parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles? As they age, they may need more support in managing their finances, too. With Greenlight's Family Shield. You can take the next steps by protecting your senior loved ones from scams and financial fraud. Family Shield offers account monitoring, real time alerts and coverage including up to $100,000 for deceptive transfer fraud and $1 million for identity theft so you can keep your whole family financially safe and sound. And with added safety tools like SOS and crash alerts, along with location sharing, you can keep an eye on both your family's wallet and their well being. Take care of your whole family, from kids to grandparents with Family Shield from Greenlight Sign up [e-mail] marketplace.

[David Brancaccio]

The United nations says there are nearly 138 million children working worldwide. The UN Children's Fund and the International Labor Organization worked together on a report out today which shows some progress on this despite a missed deadline to end the employment of children in the workplace globally. Here's the BBC's Max Horbury.

[Max Horbury]

More than one in every 12 children works. This represents, the United nations say, an improvement, but it still means that 138 million children aged between five and 17 work, equivalent almost to the entire population of Russia. Nearly 40% of those children have been risking their health working in mines, factories or fields. Sub Saharan Africa has the highest number of child laborers, while most progress has been made in the Asia Pacific region. There had been an aim to bring the global number down to zero by 2025, but at the current rate, it will take hundreds of years before the world is free of child labor.

[David Brancaccio]

Max Horbury is with our partners at the BBC and the Wall Street Journal has a story today on companies seeing Latino consumers pulling back shopping amid the Trump administration's deportation campaign. Consumer goods, food, beverage companies and restaurants are seeing a pullback in buying which already showed up in first quarter sales calculations. The report puts spending power by HISP consumers at $2.1 trillion. In Los Angeles, I'm David Brancaccio. You're listening to the Marketplace Morning report from APM American Public Media.

[Haley Brown]

This old House has been America's most trusted source for all things DIY and home improvement for decades. And now we're on the radio and on demand.

[Nancy Marshall Genzer]

I think you're breaking into this wall.

[David Brancaccio]

Regardless, I was hoping you wouldn't say that.

[Nancy Marshall Genzer]

I need to go and get some whiskey.

[Toby Higbee]

I think I would get the whiskey for sure.

[Haley Brown]

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