Democracy for New Mexico

Scrooge Is Alive and Well in Chertoff's America

Michael Chertoff, the skeletal head of Homeland Security, was recently grandstanding all over the media as he is prone to do periodically. This time he was making rather hysterical claims that hundreds of meatpacking workers recently rounded up in six states and taken to undisclosed locations by Homeland Security were involved in an organized identify theft ring. Surprise -- it turns out that criminal acts, including "stolen" identification accusations, were the basis of only 65 of the 1,282 arrests. The rest were guilty of only "run of the mill immigration violations" or they turned out to be legally documented. Read this.

For example, of the 261 workers rounded up at the Swift plant in Grand Island, Nebraska, only 15 ended up being indicted for using someone else's identity to gain employment. Officials had to admit there was no evidence of their involvement in an ID theft ring or any other organized process. Here's a recent diary on Daily Kos about similar raids in Colorado (with lots of photos).

If only Chertoff were this heavily focused on making things right in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina's tragic wake. Does anyone in the Bush administration EVER tell the truth? Not when political gain is at stake. With this bunch, political hay can be made with ANY issue without setting off any alarm bells in their shrunken consciences. All the world's a political stage, even if people are dying, getting their limbs blown up or having their families destroyed right before Christmas because they had the AUDACITY to accept jobs offered to them by corporate America. You won't see anyone from Swift or the outfit that provided the workers with the fake IDs getting arrested. Just those who took the brutal, low-paying jobs so their families could eat and have a place to live.

In another really Christmasy detail, it's being reported that children of those seized are being left on their own, including at least one nursing baby. Family values in action. The way law enforcement is acting you'd think the immigrants were murderers or worse. These raids were carried out by heavily armed SWAT teams, despite the fact that civil, not criminal, warrants were used to meet legal requirements. Just another case of selective application of the law performed in a way that most harms ordinary people while letting corporate forces behind the scenes remain scot free.

Another ironic twist is that it now appears that most of those seized were bussed across state lines and eventually released without charge. Chertoff doesn't care. He got his headlines, and only the families of the workers will suffer through the holiday season. If only we could get those ghosts that haunted Ebenezer Scrooge to make late night visits to Mr. Chertoff -- and to those among us who support these sorts of un-American round-ups -- we might get somewhere in crafting a just and coherent immigration policy.

Bernalillo County Gets a Raise!

From NM ACORN: The Bernalillo County Commission (NM) passed a new minimum wage law last night that will raise wages almost immediately for thousands of workers.

"It's been a long, hard struggle," said ACORN leader Mike Taylor, "But that's how it is with important victories. We and all of our union brothers and sisters and allies were not going to go away until we passed this thing."

Thanks to Commission Chair Alan Armijo for carrying the legislation and Commissioners Teresa Cordova and Deanna Archuletta for supporting the increase, which will take effect January 13, 2007 with a wage of $6.75. Commissioners Brasher and Cummins were not present.

The new law will mirror the City of Albuquerque's, which was passed last spring and will take effect January 1. The law allows no exceptions or exemptions for small businesses or teenagers. The raise will increase to $7.15 in 2008 and $7.50 in 2009. For more information, contact Matthew Henderson at nmacorn@acorn.org.

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More on this story: According to an Albuquerque Journal article, Bernalillo County is the lone county in the United States that has passed its own minimum wage law:

Bernalillo County is moving into rare company ... The bill makes Bernalillo County the first county in New Mexico to have a wage law and one of the few counties in the country to have one, several local officials said.

... Bernalillo County officials said they know of no other county in the United States that has its own minimum-wage law, though San Francisco, a combined city-county government, has one.

ACORN, AFSCME, Governor Bill Richardson and others will be working hard to get a raise in the minimum wage passed statewide when the NM Legislature convenes in mid-January 2007. An amended minimum wage bill stalled at the last minute in the NM Senate at the 2006 Legislature after being passed in the House. The current federal minimum wage is $5.15 an hour and hasn't seen an increase in ten years.

Incoming Speaker of the U.S. House, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, has promised to introduce a bill to raise the federal minimum wage in the first 100 hours of the new Congress that convenes in January.

REMINDER: Bernalillo County Wage Vote Tuesday 12/12

From NM ACORN: Let's Finish the Year with One More Wage Raise! Don't forget the Bernalillo County Commission's vote tomorrow, Tuesday the 12th, at 4:30 PM in the Commission chambers in the basement of 1 Civic Plaza.

After victories this year in Albuquerque, Arizona, Colorado, Ohio, Missouri, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, and other places, we have a lot to celebrate. Let's keep the momentum going with another increase that will make sure workers in the South Valley and East Mountains enjoy the same wage increase in January that those in the City of Albuquerque will. Come join us!  For more information, contact Matthew Henderson at nmacorn@acorn.org.

Hope for the Holidays Vigil Takes On Wal-Mart

From WakeUpWalMart:
“HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS” CANDLELIGHT VIGIL
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14TH, 3:30 PM
WAL- MART {CORNER OF MENAUL & CARLISLE NE}
TO CHANGE WAL-MART TO A RESPONSIBLE EMPLOYER

For more information about this event, call Diane at {262-1986}. Check the WakeUpWalMart website for more information about this issue.

Latest on Bernalillo County Minimum Wage Hike Bill

From Terry Riley:
We almost made a terrible mistake! We missed an important political action, one that affects us all. We missed the Bernalillo County Commission meeting where they were going to vote on raising the minimum wage.

We all put a lot of time and energy into the election and a whole lot of people put a lot of energy into the counting of the absentee ballots by hand. It is unfortunate but just because we put a lot of time and energy into one direction we really need to be ready to work on others. I am referring to a very important County Commission meeting that was held this Tuesday evening. 

The minimum wage issue was to be voted on last night. I rushed down but I had planned poorly and was not in time to sign up to speak. There were about 20 people from ACORN. Some of the people who got up and spoke were prime examples of how terrible our low minimum wage is. The County Commission put off the vote until the December 12th meeting. This is very fortunate because there were nowhere near enough present to convince any councilors to support the issue if they were not already convinced that it is the right thing to do.

Political action requires that people stand up when the item of interest is being voted on. It looks to the councilors that only a very few people in Bernalillo County support raising the minimum wage. I really hope that there is a lot of support for it. 

We know that there are going to be minimum wage bills in the state legislature and in Congress this year. That is not a reason to just wait. There are a lot of times that legislators introduce a bill that they intend to not pass. They want to look good to the voters but they are only playing with us. 

If we push for and get an increase in the county we will have a better chance of getting it approved in the state. If a few more states pass minimum wage increases the Congress will consider passing a national minimum wage increase. We have to do what we can locally so that we can effect the national agenda.

Please make plans now to come to the Bernalillo County Commissioners meeting on December 12th.  If you can make it by 4:30 PM you can sign up to speak.  A well crafted short comment can turn the tide.  Please help make Bernalillo County a better place to live, a place where you have a better chance of making a living even if you are paid minimum wage. --Submitted by Terry Riley

Editor's Note: Today's Albuquerque Journal reported that three of the five Bernalillo County Commissioners have expressed support for the minimum wage bill:

In interviews Tuesday, commissioners Deanna Archuleta and Teresa Córdova said they expect to join Commission Chairman Alan Armijo in supporting the wage increase. Armijo is sponsoring the proposal.

"It's good for the community, and it's good to have consistency," Archuleta said. Commissioners Michael Brasher and Tim Cummins are expected to vote "no."

For contact information for the Bernalillo County Commissioners, . You're urged to contact your Commissioner and express support for the bill and then attend the Commission Meeting on December 12th to testify on its behalf.

Bernalillo County Sets Date for Wage Vote

From ACORN:
The Bernalillo County Commission will vote of Commissioner Alan Armijo's proposal to match the City of Albuquerque's minimum wage ordinance on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, November 28. The meeting begins at 4:30 in the Commission/City Council Chambers in the basement of 1 Civic Plaza, so please come early if you want to sign up to testify.

The proposal would provide an almost immediate raise to workers in the county, providing a wage of $6.75 on January 1 and rising to $7.50 by 2009. The ordinance would allow no exemptions for teenagers or small businesses. For more information, contact Matthew Henderson at ACORN: 242-7411.

You're Invited: Labor 2006 Early Vote Celebration This Saturday

UPDATE: Attorney General Patricia Madrid, running as the Dem candidate for Congress in NM-01, will speak at the rally.

The Labor 2006 Early Vote Celebration will be held on Saturday, October 21 at Noon at the Barelas Community Center and Park, 801 Barelas Rd SW, in Albuquerque. Click for map.

NM Federation of Labor leaders; Linda Chavez-Thompson, Executive Vice President of the AFL-CIO; Laura Rico, Vice President of American Federation of Teachers; and John Gage, President, American Federation of Government Employees will speak. And you can join them in casting your early vote Saturday at a nearby polling place! (Early voting at alternate locations begins October 21st.) Free live music, mariachis, hot dogs, hamburgers and refreshments.