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The Weekly Dispatch
Community-powered immigration news from the Bay Area.
Welcome to El Tímpano’s Weekly Dispatch. I’m Erica Hellerstein, senior immigration, labor and economics reporter.
In last week’s edition, we looked at how immigrant workers powering California’s fast food industry are responding to the threat of ICE worksite raids. Today, we’re turning to another trade where immigrant labor is essential: construction.
In the San Francisco metro area, nearly 30% of construction workers are non-citizen immigrants, according to a recent Axios analysis of U.S. census data—the largest share of foreign-born workers without U.S. citizenship in any industry in the region. Agriculture and hospitality come next, with non-citizen immigrants making up 28% and 22% of those workforces, respectively.
A national mass deportation campaign of the scale the Trump administration has promised would deliver a major blow to U.S. industries reliant on immigrant labor. California’s construction industry is especially vulnerable. Statewide, immigrants account for more than 60% of construction laborers, 26% of whom are undocumented, according to a recent study by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute. Without the participation of undocumented workers, the GDP of California’s construction industry would shrink by an estimated 16%.
There are already clear signals that an escalation of immigration enforcement in California is underway and may continue to increase. According to a July analysis of data obtained by the UC Berkeley School of Law’s Deportation Data Project, ICE arrests in the state more than tripled from April to June. Sixty percent of those arrested have no criminal charges, and ICE agents are breaking precedent by arresting asylum seekers at immigration courts from San Francisco to Concord.
To learn more about how local Latino and immigrant construction workers are navigating Trump 2.0, I called up Carlos Flores, business representative for Local 83 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. Local 83 represents painters and drywall finishers across the North Bay, about half of whom are Latino. Since the election, Flores has led know-your-rights trainings for members and, alongside the Sonoma County Sanctuary Coalition, pushed for a countywide ordinance protecting immigrant workers and community members from ICE.
Flores and I discussed how workers are experiencing the Trump administration’s immigration policies, and the role labor can play in defending immigrant workers’ rights as the federal government intensifies its crackdown.
Working through uncertainty
Despite fears of immigration enforcement and worksite raids, painters and drywallers represented by Local 83 are still clocking in.
“I haven’t heard of too many members of my local saying that they haven’t gone to work over this, mainly because if they don’t work, they don’t get paid,” Flores told me. “But there’s definitely fear.”
One of the ways workers’ fears have shown up is by a lower-than-expected turnout at the know-your-rights trainings Flores has led since the election. But among those who did attend, “there was definitely a desire for more information” about immigrants’ constitutional rights, he said. “Members want information.”
Flores hypothesized that members are still showing up because they feel supported by the union. Local 83, for instance, provides free legal consultation for members’ immigration cases. “There’s maybe a little more confidence for members to go to work, because they know if something happens, I have representation,” he said.
For the workers represented by Local 83, it’s possible that union membership — along with the need for a paycheck— has created conditions where immigrant employees feel empowered to keep working.
Increasing Latino representation in labor
Flores is also part of a district council committee focused on building the leadership of Latino members within the union. One of its priorities has been improving the information landscape for the union’s Latino membership, many of whom are monolingual Spanish speakers.
Previously, Flores explained, members didn’t have access to key documents like bylaws and contracts in Spanish, and had to rely on colleagues to interpret them. Now the committee is working to translate these materials for Spanish-speaking members. The ultimate goal, he explained, is to allow Spanish-speaking members to engage directly with union governance in their own language. He sees this work as a step towards broadening the union’s leadership structure, particularly for Latino and Spanish-speaking members.
Flores hopes this effort will not only strengthen Latino members’ involvement in the union but also encourage political participation outside the organization, especially as immigrants come under attack. He believes elevating Latino voices will help illustrate that “immigrant’s rights are the same as worker’s rights. Everyone should have the right to go to work and come home.”
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading and see you next week.
P.S. For the next installment in this series, I’m hoping to speak with unions representing immigrants in the hospitality, child care, and domestic work sectors. If that’s you, or someone you know, please reach out: ehellerstein@eltimpano.org.
— Erica Hellerstein
Ear to the Ground
El Tímpano’s text messaging (SMS) service reaches more than 6,000 Spanish-speaking immigrants across the Bay Area. Since the election, community members have shared questions and concerns with us about ICE raids and resources for immigration applications. Here are a few of their responses:
Do you know of any agency or organization that can help fill out an asylum application here in Oakland?
¿Sabe de alguna agencia u organización que ayude a llenar la aplicación de asilo aquí en Oakland?
—Oakland resident
Do you have information about an immigration event?
¿Tiene información sobre algún evento de inmigración?
—Pittsburg resident
Do you know if there is a hotline to report ICE activity?
¿Sabes si hay algún hotline para avisar de actividad de inmigración?
—Oakland resident
From the El Tímpano Newsroom
Last week, Bay Area employees represented by California’s Fast Food Workers Union walked off the job to protest excessive workplace heat. From our archives, a history of the political movement that gave rise to the first union in the U.S. dedicated to advancing the labor rights of fast food workers.
California’s new Fast Food Council gives workers a seat at the table
A sweeping new law has empowered employees in California’s fast food sector, an industry predominantly staffed by Latino workers. What comes next?
National
- Trump administration for now can end deportation protections for thousands from Honduras, Nepal and Nicaragua, court says
California
- California Nonprofit Organizations File Amicus Brief Urging Court to Block Trump Administration Attacks on Sanctuary Cities
Resource of the Week
Our Spanish-language resource guide provides an overview of a person’s constitutional protections when confronted by immigration officials and a link to a flyer that outlines their rights. You can check it out here and find many more resources at www.eltimpano.org/guia.
Do you know people who could benefit from this information? Share our guide and let them know they can text El Tímpano their questions at (510) 800-8305.
Questions and feedback? Tips for newsroom stories? Reach out ehellerstein@eltimpano.org.
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