by AJLPP-USA
ajlpp_socal (at) yahoo.com 213-241-0906 337 Glendale Blvd. Los Angeles,CA 90026

MESSAGE OF SOLIDARITY FROM THE AJLPP TO NATIONWIDE WORKERS MASS ACTIONS ON THE INTERNATIONAL WOKERS DAY IN THE UNITED STATES, MAY 1, 2007

The Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) extends its warmest greetings of solidarity and greetings to all workers and migrants in the United States on the International Workers’ Day, May 1.

We are extremely happy that after more than 60 years, we have been able to reclaim and make May 1st, truly an international workers’ day in the United States. This, in itself, is a great victory for the workers’ movement in the United States. But now, the situation has changed since the great immigrant rights upsurge last year that mobilized all Americans in their millions.

For more than 60 years the U.S., ironically the country where it all began, was the only country in the world that refused to recognize May 1 as Labor Day. Yellow labor bureaucrats, fearful of the militant tradition of U.S. workers, deliberately chose the first Monday in September as an apolitical “Labor Day” in order to obliterate the memory of the collective struggle that eventually won the 8-hour day.

The Filipino workers movement since May 1,1903 when the Filipinos marked the first international workers' day in an anti-imperialist march-rally in front of Malacañang Palace continue to uphold such glorious tradition.

We in the AJLPP strongly condemn the racist attacks and raids against immigrants all over the nation in which more than 4,000 Filipinos have been deported in the course of such massive raids.AJLPP and its allied organizations stand for full rights for all immigrants, earned or genuine legalization as a path for U.S. citizenship.

We oppose the STRIVE Act in the U.S. Congress or the Bush Plan which is nothing but a modified Bracero program that will certainly exploit workers, keep them in long wait for citizenship.

We, the AJLPP-USA and all of our allies, militantly support the urgent call for the unconditional amnesty and full rights for all immigrants that will pave the way for earned legalization of the more than 12 million undocumented immigrants including the more than 850,000 TNT Filipinos in America.

More than 14 million immigrants came to America without any limitations from 1900 to 1914. Reagan legalized and gave amnesty to five million immigrants in 1982. Why can’t the US government do it now?

QUE QUEREMOS? AMNESTIYA!
CUANDO? AHORA!

Alyansa-Pilipinas (AJLPP)
National Executive Council
Los Angeles, California
May 1, 2007