Yesterday, SEIU members and activists joined together at events across the country to honor the legacy of the Justice for Janitors campaign. With a united voice, they called for comprehensive immigration reform and a fair, just voice on the job for all workers.
In Denver,14 people were arrested after a sit-in calling for comprehensive immigration reform outside the city's federal building. Among those arrested were leaders from the faith community as well as 11 SEIU members.
In several cities across California, SEIU members in Orange County joined a rally protesting Costa Mesa's refusal to be a "sanctuary city" for illegal immigrants. Across the state in San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco, members and activists rallied against the broken immigration system, demanding solutions. In Sacramento, the city council officially approved a city-wide boycott of Arizona that includes both travel to the state and contracts with Arizona-based firms.
In Portland, members of SEIU Local 503 joined with civil rights activists to protest the continued deportation of hard-working immigrants outside of a local Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.
In Houston, janitors and community activists marched outside the federal building calling upon Senator Kay Bailey-Hutchinson to provide real solutions for a broken immigration system.
Moving eastward to Milwaukee, members of SEIU Local 1 took to the streets and celebrated the 20th anniversary of Justice for Janitors day with a rally calling for fair wages and good benefits for all janitors.
In Boston, SEIU President Mary Kay Henry marched alongside members of SEIU Local 615 to protest a recent anti-immigrant bill moving through the Massachusetts legislature. Across town - outside Fenway Park before a Boston Red Sox/Arizona Diamondbacks game - leaders from the civil rights, faith and labor communities joined together to protest Arizona's new anti-immigrant law, SB1070.
Protests also occurred yesterday in Seattle and Chicago.
Over the past twenty years, the Justice for Janitors campaign has evolved to symbolize the inextricable link between the fight for worker's rights and the fight for immigration reform. Under today's broken system, an underground economy of undocumented workers who lack basic rights pushes down wages and working conditions for all workers. Until we fix our broken immigration system and level the playing field for workers, we cannot restore fairness for workers.
Visit SEIU's 'Honoring Justice for Janitors' page for a detailed look at how the J4J movement changed the face of organizing, as well as J4J videos and photos.
