Boycott could leave local employers without Hispanic workers tomorrow
Warren County employers are bracing for life without their Hispanic workers ? at least for one day.
Immigrants throughout the nation are being encouraged to participate in Monday?s one-day boycott that keeps them from going to work or spending any money to demonstrate the impact of foreign-born people on the U.S. economy.
While estimates indicate around 5,000 Middle Tennessee residents will participate in the boycott, local employers are hopeful their workers will decide otherwise. In the event they do strike for a day, the results aren?t expected to be disastrous.
?It won?t be as bad this time of year as it would have been in mid-March,? said Andrea Keaton, an employee at local nursery Botanico. ?I don?t think one day will have a big enough impact as it would if they did it for a long time.?
Keaton said Botanico has a workforce of around 30 and more than half of those employees are Hispanic.
At Yorozu, the county?s largest business, president Jack Phillips said it would be illegal to classify workers by nationality so he couldn?t provide accurate numbers on how many Hispanics work there.
Phillips did say Yorozu has several legal Hispanics who are permanent workers and others who are temporary workers provided by a staffing agency.
?We?re aware this boycott is going to happen, we?ve investigated it, and we have contingency plans in place,? Phillips said. ?Aside from making sure they?re legal, we don?t look at Hispanics any different than our other workers. A person is supposed to be a person.?
In this state, the boycott is being organized by the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition. It has provided immigrants who want to participate in the boycott with a letter that reads in part:
?Dear employer, I am writing to let you know that on Monday, May 1, 2006 I do not intend to come to work. Instead, with your permission, I plan to participate in a day without an immigrant, a national effort to bring attention to the undeniable importance of immigrant workers to our nation?s economy.?
The letter goes on to say, ?I hope you understand the importance of this effort. If immigrants, businesses, churches and others who believe in the dignity of all people do not work together for comprehensive immigration reform, we are all in danger. Immigrants have always made this country stronger. Let?s work together to make sure this proud tradition continues.?
The boycott comes amid a nationwide debate over the future of the U.S. immigration policy. Proposed solutions have ranged from granting amnesty to undocumented workers to mass deportations.
The fear of mass deportations was likely a contributing factor to an unfounded rumor which spread through the county Monday indicating immigration officials were in town picking up illegal Hispanics. According to the Associated Press, similar rumors have been spreading across the nation causing some illegal immigrants to go into hiding.
?The fighting has just begun,? said David Lubell, director of Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition. ?We are going to do what we have to do. Immigrants are contributing greatly to this state and they want people to recognize that.?