Labor Beat: The Penthouse of Heaven {LB499}

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Chicago's Immigrant Rights / Workers Rights March, May Day 2006

On May Day, 2006 the largest march ever in Chicago took place--to support the rights of immigrant workers. Estimates of the size of the march ranged from 400,000 to 700,000!

Labor Beat's 27 minute documentary about that event and what led up to it: The earlier March 10 massive march which kicked off a national immigrants rights movement; Follow-up community planning meetings for the next big march; The emerging role of the unions in this struggle, including the press conference on April 24 at Haymarket Square, with Chicago Federation of Labor (AFL-CIO) and Change To Win speakers; The last minute preparations of the organizers on the eve of the march; The launch point activities at Union Park on march day.

The video contains interviews with union spokespeople from UNITE HERE, UFCW, SEIU, Carpenters, U.E., and others, including Jorge Mujica of the March 10 Committee, and a speech at the Haymarket Square ceremony by James Thindwa (Chicago Jobs with Justice) reminding us that the negative effects of NAFTA have been forgotten in the national discussion about border crossings from Mexico. The message of the video also criticizes guest worker schemes, and it calls for unionization, not just legalization, of immigrant workers, and for living wage legislation.

The march participants remind us with their signs and in eloquent statements that this protest was not only about Mexican/Hispanic immigrants, but about all immigrants, from Poland to India to the Philippines. Labor Beat's video about this historic day in the movement for social justice.

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