Pennsylvania recently passed a law requiring all construction companies in the state to run immigration checks on workers through a federal database called E-Verify. The law, supported by the state's building trade unions, has sparked controversy in the state, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The law exists in some form in approximately 20 states across the country.
The building trades pushed for the law, as is standard building trades practice, believing it will lead to more work for their members. They also said it would ultimately help undocumented workers by targeting the contractors who were exploiting them.
But immigration advocates, as well as some unions like 32BJ SEIU, said the law would ultimately hurt workers, regardless of their immigration status, by making employers less likely to hire immigrants. And, they said, it would further the culture of fear immigrants have experienced during the Trump administration.
The battle over E-Verify reflects a longstanding debate about the identity of the labor movement, especially as labor fights to survive in a time of historically low union membership: Should unions protect their own? Or should they fight for all workers?
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