Teamsters Must Stand In Support of DACA

Recently, the Attorney General’s office announced the rescinding of the DACA program which has been in place since 2012. Hateful rhetoric was used during the announcement portraying undocumented immigrants as aliens who are taking jobs away from Americans. This cannot be further from the truth. Under DACA, close to 800,000 young adults who have known no other home but the United States have been able to come out of the shadows and obtain protection from deportation. They are valuable members of our society who make our country stronger.

Thanks to this important program, DACA recipients have been able to improve the lives of themselves and their families. They have been able to purchase homes, start families, and grow our economy. Beyond its broader impact, the rescinding of DACA is a direct attack on Teamster members. Many members of Teamsters Local 396 are DACA recipients. Once the announcement was made, I received multiple calls from members expressing concern for themselves and their families. These are hard working members working in some of our country’s largest corporations. They are not criminals, they are your coworkers and part of our brother and sisterhood that embraces all members regardless of their legal status. At Local 396, we have been able to bargain for stronger contract language that protects immigrant workers and provides better opportunities for their families.

Instead of having immigration policies that increase deportations and tear families apart, as Teamsters, we must demand that our elected officials create a permanent solution that provides a pathway to citizenship for all immigrants. This will not only strengthen our communities, it will strengthen our labor movement. Now more than ever, we must stand united as Teamsters, standing shoulder to shoulder with our immigrant brothers and sisters in our communities and in the workplace.

Teamsters Local 396 represents UPS and Sanitation workers in Southern California. The Local Union also serves Members in other miscellaneous industries such as logistics, recycling and feed delivery services.