On May 1st 1886, a major demonstration of mostly immigrant workers in Chicago was the catalyst that led to the eight-hour workday and forever changed the way work was done in this country.

Today hundreds of thousands of workers from New York to Chicago to Los Angeles will turn out in a variety of grassroots protests and rallies to deliver a simple message: Immigrants who work hard for a living and who contribute to their communities deserve a chance at the American Dream.

From its inception, America has been a gateway to a better life for generations of immigrants. In return, those immigrants - - my parents among them -- built better communities and a better United States of America. From the Irish laborers who built our bridges, canals and mined our nation’s coal in the worst of conditions, to the Chinese who built our railroads, immigrants have always played a critical role in our nation’s growth.

Today’s immigrants are no different. They are farmers, truck drivers, students and small business owners. They are Indian computer programmers working for major corporations. They are women, born in El Salvador and Africa, who tend our children every day. They pay taxes. Many have families and have been contributing members of our communities for years. We rely on their labor each and every day. Yet their basic rights -- a right to a minimum wage, to a safe workplace, and fair treatment -- are routinely trampled upon, undermining basic standards. This exploitation hurts all of us, foreign and native-born alike. When standards are driven down for some workers, they are driven down for all workers.

Immigrant workers are our sisters and brothers and every person who works in this country is entitled to the full range of rights and opportunities America provides. We support immigrant workers because supporting all working people is the core of our labor movement. We are always stronger together than when we allow ruthless employers and the politicians they own to drive wedges between us.

This May Day we are joining together with workers, students, people of faith and community leaders in thanking the immigrants of yesterday by standing up for workers’ rights and the immigrants of today and tomorrow.

Contact: Esmeralda Aguilar 202-637-5018