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State of Working WI 2008
COWS' biennial Labor Day report brings generally bad news for Wisconsin's workers.
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Cities and Immigration: Local Policies for Immigrant-Friendly Cities
Download the PDF version.1/20/2008
By: Pablo Mitnik, Jessica Halpern-Finnerty and Matt Vidal
As political interest in immigration has grown in recent decades, the federal government has reacted largely by restricting entry by immigrants, and by narrowing their political and economic rights. But while federal policy toward immigrants has toughened, the responses of states and localities have varied widely. Although some local governments have passed ordinances pursuing anti-immigrant goals, other states and cities—motivated by a variety of moral, humanitarian, legal, and economic reasons—have embraced immigrants and have worked with them in ways that are humane and conducive to the harmonious development of their communities.
This report aims at helping elected officials, policy-makers, activists, community-based organizations and city residents advocate for, design and implement progressive city policies toward immigrants. These goals have become particularly important given the recent failures of comprehensive immigration reform initiatives at the federal level. Building on policy experiments and experiences from all around the country, the report offers a menu of local policies aimed at creating immigrant-friendly cities.
The contents of the report are the following:
1. Introduction
1.1 A new socio-demographic reality
1.2 Federal, state and local reactions
1.3 Reasons for immigrant-friendly policies at the local level
1.4 A menu of local policies for immigrant-friendly cities
2. The enforcement of immigration law’s civil provisions
2.1 Background
2.2 Policies
2.2.1 Non-participation in the enforcement of civil immigration law
2.2.2 Not collecting information on immigration status unless required by law
2.2.3 Establishing broad privacy or confidentiality protections
2.2.4 Position-taking resolutions against proposed federal legislation and for comprehensive immigration reform
3. Employment and self-employment
3.1 Background
3.2 Policies
3.2.1 Using a city’s regulatory power to establish wage floors and other employment standards
3.2.2 Using a city’s proprietary interests as a basis for public policy
3.2.3 Helping enforce federal and state employment regulations
3.2.4 Regulating domestic-employee placing agencies
3.2.5 Implementing EOE policies and disseminating information on good jobs
3.2.6 Curbing employers’ misuse of no-match letters
3.2.7 Curbing employers’ misuse of the basic pilot program/E-Verify
3.2.8 Supporting worker centers for day laborers
3.2.9 Combating independent contractor misclassification
3.2.10 Supporting minority entrepreneurs and street vendors
4. Health care
4.1 Background
4.2 Policies
4.2.1 Expanding health care coverage
4.2.1.1 Maximizing enrollment of people already eligible for health care programs
4.2.1.2 Expanding access to health insurance and health care
4.2.2 Eliminating non-financial barriers to health care
4.2.3 General health education/outreach.
5. Other basic services
5.1 Background
5.2 Policies
5.2.1 Developing immigrant-friendly communication policies
5.2.2 Establishing an office of immigrant affairs or other similar multipurpose agency
5.2.3 Offering municipal identification cards
5.2.4 Improving immigrants’ access to the banking system and financial education
5.2.5 Providing information and legal advice on immigration status and citizenship
References
Additional Resources
The report refers to many city ordinances and resolutions, to proposed legislation, and to other texts. Many of these documents are available here:
The enforcement of immigration law's civil provisions
Sample of position-taking resolutions
* Boston 2006
* Borough of Princeton, NJ, 2004.
* Cleveland 2006.
* San Rafael, CA, 2003.
* Seattle 2006.
* Sonoma, CA, 2006.
* Watsonville, CA, 2004.
Employment and selfemployment
Documents related to using a city's regulatory power to establish employment standards
* Albuquerque’s Minimum wage ordinance
* Baltimore’s Minimum wage law
* Chicago’s Big box living wage & benefits ordinance
* Kansas City’s Stealing of a person’s labor law
* San Francisco’s Minimum wage ordinance
* San Francisco’s Sick leave ordinance
* San Francisco’s Personal services minimum contractual rate ordinance
* Santa Fe’s Minimum wage ordinance
* Santa Monica’s Minimum wage ordinance
* Washington D.C.’s laws regarding minimum wages, payment and collection of wages, attachment and garnishment of wages, seats for employees, overtime wage rate, split shift additional payment, and several other employment standards.
Documents related to using a city's proprietary interests as a basis for policy
* Boston’s Jobs and living wage ordinance
* Burlington’s Living wage ordinance
* Camden’s Living wage ordinance
* Cincinnati’s Living wage ordinance
* Cleveland’s Fair Employment law
* Detroit’s Living wage ordinance
* Duluth’s Public investment and living wage law
* Ferndale’s Living wage law
* Hartford’s Living wage ordinance
* Hayward’s Living wage ordinance
* Lansing’s Purchasing, contracting and sales law
* Los Angeles’ Living wage law
* Madison’s Living wage ordinance
* Minneapolis’ Living wage and responsible spending ordinance
* Missoula’s Quality job and labor protection ordinance
* New Britain’s Labor Standards in city contracting and purchasing law
* New Haven’s Living wage law
* Oakland’s Living wage ordinance
* Pittsburgh’s Living wage ordinance
* Port of Oakland’s Living wage and labor standards at Port-Assisted Business ordinance
* San Jose’s Living wage policy
* Santa Cruz’s Living wage ordinance
* Sonoma’s Living wage law
* Staple Center CBA’s First source hiring policy
* Tucson’s Living wage law
* Warren’s Purchasing law
* Watsonville’s Payment of living wage law
Documents related to regulating domestic-employee placing agencies
* New York City’s Domestic workers and household employees law
* New York City’s Department of Consumer Affairs’ Statement of employee rights and employer responsibilities regarding domestic or household employment (English version)
* New York City’s Department of Consumer Affairs’ Statement of employee rights and employer responsibilities regarding domestic or household employment (Spanish version)
Documents related to curbing employer practices that take advantage of immigrants
* No-match letter sample
* Santa Fe’s Resolution declaring a policy of non-discrimination upon receipt of a “no-match” letter from the SSA
* San Francisco’s Resolution opposing the DH’s proposed rule on use of SSA “no-match” letters to enforce immigration law
* Basic Pilot Program’s Memo of understanding sample
Health care
San Francisco Health Care Security Ordinance
District of Columbia Equal Access to Health Insurance Amendment Act
Los Angeles Living Wage Ordinance
New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation Options information booklet
Other basic services
New York City's Charter - Chapter 1
Brochure of New York City Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs
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