& the Post-9/11 Impacts
Filipino airport screeners at San Jose Airport sing "Bayan Ko"
to build unity and rally against impending unjust lay-offs (Nov. 19, 02).
After the September 11, 2001 tragic events and Bush's "Global War on Terror," fear, loathing, and scapegoating directly touched many US Filipinos. These events allowed opportunistic politicians to pass quite rapidly federal laws such as the comprehensive Aviation Transportation Security Act (ATSA) on November 19, 2001, targeting immigrants and people of color for intensified harrasment and discrimination. Specifically Filipino immigrants working at airports were negatively impacted. For instance, the ATSA laid-off over 300 immigrant, worker, airport screeners at San Jose, CA alone. Over ninety percent of the airport screener workforce were Filipinos. Workers at Oakland and San Francisco airports were also impacted.
As response and to survive, airport screeners at local airports formed new grassroots organizations called the People’s Association of Workers and Immigrants (PAWIS), which in Tagalog (Filipino) means “sweat.” In San Jose alone, there are over 120 members. Today PAWIS continues to wage the Airport Screeners Justice Campaign.
Feb 19, 02
Day of Act at All Bay Area Airports to
Call for: Justice for Immigrant Airport Workers, Safety for Passengers!
Immigrant baggage screeners are not to blame for 9/11. Yet thousands of them stand to lose their jobs because of a post-9/11 federal law that requires all screeners to be U.S. citizens. In the Bay Area, 1,200 mostly Filipino workers face termination.
Join hundreds of workers, allies and supporters at simultaneous rallies and press conferences February 19, the day the federal government takes over airport security. Protest this racist law and draw the line on the attacks on all immigrants and our civil rights and liberties post-9/11! Call for the retention of all immigrant airport workers here and across the country!
SIMULTANEOUS RALLIES & PRESS CONFERENCES:
SAN FRANCISCO AIRPORT, 12-2 PM,In solidarity: Service Employees International Union Local 790, Filipinos for Affirmative Action, Philip Vera Cruz Justice Project (PVCJ), Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, Filipino Workers Association, International Socialist Organization, San Francisco Labor Executive Council, Labor Immigrant Organizing Network, Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, INS Watch, La Raza Centro Legal, Filipino Bar Assoc. of No. CA, Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Local 2, Services, Immigrants and Education Network, Ray Quan, SEIU 790, Jack Heyman, International Longshore and Warehouse Workers Union Local 10, Labor for Peace and Justice, Town Hall Committee Against War and Hate, Left Party, Global Exchange, Incite, Stanford Labor Action Coalition, Socialist Workers Party, International Action Center, Workers World Party, Filipinos for Global Justice Not War, SOMA Community Action Network, API Coalition Against War, Anakbayan, First Quarter Storm.
Old International (Central) Terminal, Domestic Departure Area
OAKLAND AIRPORT, 12-2 PM, Terminal 1 & 2
SAN JOSE AIRPORT, 12-2 PM, Terminal A & C
| Sept 21, 02 Interfaith Offering for Workers, Immigrants, and their Families |
|
Sept 25, 02
Los Angeles Times Reports "New Airport Screener Jobs Going Mostly to Whites; Diversity: Before the 9/11 attacks, minorities were a majority of the work force. Citizenship rule, test are questioned."
Sept 30, 02
Picket to Support
Immigrant Airport Screeners
September 30 marks the beginning of the assessment period for workers and when most of them will probably start getting laid off. This is our last stand to show the airport, the government, and the larger public that we believe the Aviation Transportation Security Act (ATSA) was racist and anti-immmigrant. Please contact all of your friends, associates, co-workers, teachers, and family to come on Monday.
After the tragedy of September 11, the Aviation Transportation Security Act (ATSA) was passed leading to the federalization of all airport screening jobs which had previously been handled by private companies. While the law was supposed to guarantee us safer airports, it has instead unfairly targeted immigrants and naturalized U.S. citizens. To make it worse, it is not clear that the government is ready to replace experienced immigrant screeners with better trained staff.
… The law has a citizenship requirement which automatically means that immigrants, many of whom have years of experience as screeners, will lose their jobs only because they are Filipino.
… Even those Filipinos who have become U.S. citizens will more than likely lose their jobs as the testing standards set by the government serve to weed out those citizens who were not born in the U.S. Applicants, for instance, are asked to take English diction tests which discriminate against Filipinos who may speak English fluently, yet speak it with accents.
MEDIA RELEASE
MASS LAY-OFFS TO BEGIN AT SAN JOSE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT!
WORKERS/COMMUNITY PROTEST FEDERAL AGENCY'S RACISM AND GAMBLING WITH FLYING PUBLIC'S SAFETY!
September 30 may be the last day that immigrant non-citizen screeners will work at the Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport. According to the federal Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) mass lay-off plan, airports across the nation will have the new "mobile screening force" in place the following day, October 1. San Jose International Airport is among them.
On Monday the 30th, dubbed the "last day", Airport screeners, the flying public and community activists will join in a picket/rally to push for reform against unfair discriminatory treatment by the TSA in the hiring process and to bring attention to the flawed plan of the TSA to protect the flying public's safety.
In the wake of an LA TIMES article, "New Airport Screener Jobs Going Mostly to Whites", it is reported that racism and disrimination may be construed due to TSA-required english proficiency, diction tests and citizenship requirements. These requirements are hampering racial and ethnic diversity in the hiring of airport screeners, both among re-hires and new hires.
Exprienced San Jose screeners and the community are demanding for equitable TSA employment procedure and the removal of anti-immigrant requirements that will allow them to become federalized screeners immediately. Approximately 85% of the experienced screener workforce in San Jose International Airport are racial and ethnic minorities and immigrants. A majority of them are Filipino.
"Applicants, for instance, are asked to take English diction tests, which discriminate against Filipinos who may speak English fluently, yet speak it with accents," said Robyn Rodriquez, Executive Director of FOCUS, a local organization helping screeners. "Even those Filipinos who have become U.S. citizens will more than likely lose their jobs as the testing standards set by the government serve to weed out those citizens who were not born in the U.S.," Rodriguez said.
"Nationwide and here in San Jose, TSA employment practices against Filipinos, Latinos, other immigrants, and non-white citizens mirror the spurts of historical anti-immigrant sentiments during periods of increased U.S. military interventions around the world," Dr. Peter Chua stated. Chua is a sociology professor at San José State University who teaches on global issues and has conducted research on U.S. Filipino employment. Other federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, do not have to follow such sweeping citizenship requirements. "To make it worse, it is not clear that the government is ready to replace experienced immigrant screeners with better trained staff," Robyn Rodriguez, stated.
Criticisms of the TSA-mandated lay-offs expose the fact that insecurity and inexperience will be at its height, once the experienced screeners are removed from their posts. Critics say that this is an unsound security plan, and that it gambles with the flying public's safety. "The mass lay-offs eliminates those with the most experience and puts inexperience in charge of peoples lives. Is this logical? No. It's illogical, racist and anti-immigrant at its best," said Rodriguez.
The picket is organized by PAWIS and FOCUS to draw national and international attention to the anti-labor and anti-immigrant portions of the Airport Transportation Security Act and to TSA's unsound plan of not retaining experienced and qualified workers via racial discrimination to secure our national airports.
Oct 16, 02
New Wave Of Mass Lay-Offs For SJ
Airport Screeners Sparks New Protests.
Federalization Shows Decline In
Security Standards And Discrimination
Visibly Evident.
A second wave of mass lay-offs hit airport screeners at the Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport sparking pro-safety and anti-discrimination protests on Wednesday October 16, 2002. The newest wave of mass-layoffs impact mostly those working at the "Northwest" checkpoint (also known as American checkpoint) at Terminal A.
Airport screeners and community groups say the previous lay-offs (last September 30) have clearly resulted in serious security lapses at the checkpoints and commercial delays. As well, discrimination is visibly evident in the white replacement of minority workers, who were largely Asian and Filipino.
"Knives of all sorts have been reported to us as getting through the checkpoints," said Terry Valen, FOCUS Spokesperson, a community group supporting immigrant airport screeners, "And discrimination is extremely visible now with the white replacement of minority workers. But, the new TSA-screeners were so poorly trained and unexperienced that planes were waiting for passengers instead of passengers waiting for planes."
FOCUS says that commercial airlines are embarrassed to say publically that they were meeting behind closed doors to resolve the issue of delayed flights and passenger backlogs at the checkpoints due to insufficient training of new TSA replacements. United Airlines in Terminal C could be one of these airlines. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and its hiring agency NCS Pearson, have overseen the training requirements for new federalized screeners.
Independent reports of airline consumers said items such as swiss army knives and nail-cutters were not detected when new TSA screeners oversaw the process, according to FOCUS. Immigrant screeners themselves were reporting the detection of prohibited items after-the-fact that TSA screeners had cleared bags.
Meanwhile, long lines and delays frustrated airline customers who saw lots of new TSA-screeners, but no movement of the lines. Even stores inside the airport were complaining. They said after the first lay-offs their businesses went slow because the passengers were in a rush and anguished to fall in line.
Airport screeners belonging to PAWIS (People's Association of Workers and Immigrants) say "We think that unjustified racism is going on in the hiring process. First, they discriminated against those of us who are not US citizens, when we have loyally served at the airports. Then, they?re screening us out of the jobs that we?re the most experienced and the most qualified to do, just because of our language accents and the color of our skin.? Airport screeners will be available for interview at the press conference/rally. "What we want is our jobs and dignity back... everyone's no matter what immigrant status or the color of their skin," states PAWIS.
Valen further said, "The TSA and NCS Pearson has sent a clear message to the American public: Better jobs for a more white workforce. Low-paying and no jobs for minorities, immigrants and non-citizens." Valen points out that "while TSA/NCS Pearson boast of meeting the national hiring standard for minorities, the workforce at San Jose International Airport was over 90% Asian. California and San Jose City are well above the national average because they are majority- minority populations. After replacements with whites, this means a huge discrimination differential in the hiring process," said Valen. He further stated that all discrimination should be removed from the legal requirements and the hiring process regarding airport screening.
The press conference/rally is organized by FOCUS (Forwarding Opportunities through Community Upliftment and Service) and PAWIS (People's Association of Workers and Immigrants).
Local college students rally to against the impending lay-offs of Filipino airport screeners at San Jose International Airport. |
Nov 19, 02 Filipino Airport Screeners at San Jose "Cross the Line" and Organize to Keep Jobs to Protest Nov. 19th Federalization Deadline Injunction Too Little, Too Late; Workers Demand Re-Instatement and Reparations |
When: Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2002, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Where: San Jose International Airport, Terminal C, outside by flagpole
San Jose International Airport Screeners hold a press conference and protest on Nov. 19th, which is the federalization deadline for all experienced airport screeners to be replaced by new screeners nationwide. The situation has put the U.S. citizenship requirement and hiring process in the spotlight of controversy for the last 11 months.
The press conference covered:
- the recent US District Court injunction and its meaning for San Jose airport screenersA court ruling on Friday, November 16, ordered a temporary injunction against the implementation of the U.S. citizenship requirement, which was filed against defendant Norman Y. Mineta, the Transportation Secretary. Thus now, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) can no longer discriminate against immigrants who are not U.S. citizens to apply for and work as airport screeners.
- the increased serious breech of security and unnecessary delays for commercial passengers and airlines resulting from the new TSA airport screening security
- impacts of the mass lay-offs on airport screeners and their families
- recent indiscriminate wage reductions of baggage handlers and ticket readers
- the continuing efforts of workers to campaign for reparations and justice
- the racial, gender, age, and language discrimination in the testing and hiring process for federal screeners
However, the People's Association of Workers and Immigrants (PAWIS), representing San Jose airport screeners said, "The injunction is too little, too late. It's positive that there's a temporary injunction against discrimination of non-U.S. citizen immigrants. This is a small victory. But we've already all been laid-off. We've got no jobs now. Immigrants and U.S. citizens alike."
The protest on Nov. 19th comes after the TSA rushed to implement the fifth and "final" wave of mass lay-offs at San Jose International Airport on November 14.
PAWIS is also bringing attention to incidences of reduced pay for baggage handlers and ticket readers who have been indiscriminately docked 50% of their hourly wage from $14.00/hr to $7.00/hr. This is absurd because unemployment benefits
Workers will continue to publicize their cause to seek reparations, reinstatement and a permanent injunction against the U.S. citizenship requirement.
The protest and press conference is arranged by PAWIS, an organization of airport screeners and other immigrant workers, and FOCUS, a Santa Clara county-based non-profit organization in supporting airport screeners.
Nov 23, 02
People's Association of Workers and
Immigrants (PAWIS) Launching, Recognition, and Potluck
Nov 25, 02
US President Bush signs bill to transfer the Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) from the Department of Transportation to the new Department of Homeland Security
Feb 19 & 26, 03
On "Birthday" Of Federal Take-Over: Ex-Airport Screeners Demand Feds To Deliver On Promised Patriot Bonus And Plan Reinstatement; Rally Being Planned By San Jose, San Francisco And Oakland Screeners And Supporters
PAWIS members chant, protest, and toyi-toyi in front of the San Francisco Federal Building.
"We're back!", decried Tatay Virgil, President of the San Jose Chapter of PAWIS (People's Association of Workers and Immigrants), an unemployment rights association made-up of ex-airport screeners who were laid-off en masse from San Jose Norman Y. Mineta International Airport due to discrimination and immigrant bashing.
This February 19, 2003 marks the one-year "Birthday" of the national federalization of airports by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Today, ex-screeners sent a letter to Admiral James M. Loy, Under Secretary of Transportation Security, head of the Transportation Security Administration, urging the Federal government to live up to its promise of a "Patriot Bonus", worth $500-$750 per person, since the ex-screeners had stayed loyally on their jobs up until their last day, serving the public, before they were laid-off.
"In today's 'recession' and state budget deficits, we need money and jobs now. Ex-screener families are getting behind on their mortgage payments, deepening their debt, and can't find a jobs in Silicon Valley," said Jay Mendoza, Executive Director of FOCUS, a San Jose-based non-profit assisting unemployed airport screeners and their families.
"When workers begin to time-out of their unemployment, we will have a second crisis on our hands," he said.
Workers and community groups are also urging the federal government to implement a reinstatement program for ex-airport screeners in order to help improve security, and improve the image of the TSA amidst reports of major security breaches, lack of excellent security needed under "code orange", and negative public perception of the TSA due to alleged cheating, discrimination and mismanagement by the agency.
"Reinstatement of ex-screeners is beneficial comprehensively to the TSA, the ex-screeners, the airline industry and the public's safety at large," stated the PAWIS letter to Admiral Loy.
Ex-airport screeners are organized into three local chapters of PAWIS--San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland. Together with community groups, they are planning for one big "Birthday Rally" on February 26, 2003 at 11:00am-1:00pm at the San Francisco Federal Building. Speakers invited include elected officials who have been supportive of the ex-screeners over the past year.
Apr 10, 03
Partial Victory: Screeners
Getting "Patriot" Bonus
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Sept 21, 03 NEW FILIPINO TOWN HALL MEETING TACKLES KEY ISSUES: JOBS, HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND JUSTICE... THE CONTINUING STRUGGLES OF OUR COMMUNITY |
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A new emerging social justice and grassroots network of Filipino immigrants, workers, youth, students, teachers, professors and their families in Santa Clara County will be coming together on Sunday, August 10, 2003 to tackle the issues of their time. Among the hot issues are the newly passed California Budget, the information ban known as the Racial Privacy Initiative (Proposition 54), high unemployment, lack of healthcare, the Overseas Voting Act for Philippine citizens and Filipino Studies and education.
"We're bringing together new players to participate in contributing to building a movement for social justice," said Jay Mendoza, Executive Director of FOCUS (Filipino Community Support). "We're consolidating our community in order to do better coalition work with other groups, races, nationalities and ethnicities who are suffering the same problems as we do."
The Filipino Town Hall meeting is primarily a multi-sectoral joining of four organizations: 1) the People's Association of Workers and Immigrants (PAWIS), whose membership is comprised of ex-airport screeners laid-off due to the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA) of 2002, 2) Bagong Bayan, a youth group founded to promote leadership development, cultural and political awareness among Filipino youth, 3) the Critical Filipina/Filipino Studies Collective, an organization of professors and PhD students from San Jose State University, De Anza Community College, University of California-Berkeley and San Francisco State University, and 4) the non-profit organization, FOCUS, which provides technical support through services, education and advocacy to low-income immigrants, workers, youth and families.
"Filipina/o youth are going to change the way California, the U.S. and the world works. Historically, we've been there at every juncture of social change and even revolution," said Annie Sayo, Youth Coordinator of Bagong Bayan. "We need to unite stronger with our manongs and manangs [Filipino elder's] issues and fight together for social change." Bagong Bayan has just successfully finished the Summer 2003 Exposure Trips to the Philippines, where youth took intensive history, socio-political and cultural courses regarding their ancestral homeland of the Philippines before going there for over 1 month.
Meanwhile, Rowena Tomaneng, Professor of English at De Anza Community College said, "We're organizing professors and educators to bring their diverse resources to help the community. We go out there and learn from the streets." Professors from CFFSC have been doing research on Filipino airport screeners, the impacts of post-911 policies and legislation on the Filipino community, international Filipino migration, globalization and Filpino conscientious objectors to the War on Iraq.
Sept 20, 03, 10am-5pm
Forum About Dual Citizenship
FOCUS (Filipino Community Support), PAWIS (People's Association of Workers and Immigrants), Holy Child Episcopal Church, MIGRANTE Sectoral Party is inviting you all to a forum about dual citizenship. As we all know, this law was passed just recently but there are questions and concerns that's still unclear to the Filipino community.
In this regard, we are requesting to everyone to spread the word widely. Invite your parents, relatives and friends or our kababayan. This event will be happening while we're also conducting a mobile registration for oversees absentee voting.
WHAT: mobile registration for absentee voting and a forum on dual citizenship
WHERE: 1172 Murphy Ave. San Jose, CA 95131
HOW: just bring your philippine passport (please photo copy) or in absence of Phil. passport: NSO birth certificate/marriage certificate (for women) green card. It would only take 15 mins. to register
THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT ... THAT WE EDUCATE OURSELVES ABOUT THIS MATTERS!
AT PRESENT
Filipino Airport Screeners Have Two Pending Class Action Lawsuits Filed
Against TSA and Its Contractors
PAWIS Meets Every Two Weeks to Provide Members Support and to Organize for Worker and Immigrant Justice
the struggle of airport
screeners must continue
to achieve justice...
screeners must continue
to achieve justice...
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