Teamster local unions and members in Minnesota are taking action to protect immigrant workers.
Thousands of immigrant workers belong to the Teamsters in Minnesota from UPS to food distribution to the public sector.
Thousands of ICE agents have been deployed to Minnesota. Operation Metro Surge has come under fire from unions and community, religious and elected leaders, and even the courts.
“I am getting calls from my members who are citizens telling me they're afraid to go to work; that they have to wear identification around their neck at all times; that their kids can't sleep at night because ICE might come take them away,” said Local 638 President Scott Wilkie.
“People are afraid to leave their homes. It doesn't matter that we have immigration papers when ICE is pulling people over and harassing them anyway,” said Estifanos “Steve” Tesfagiorgis, a Local 320 steward and strike captain at the University of Minnesota.
Tesfagiorgis was one of more than 500 East African Teamsters from Local 320 who won a strike by 1,400 Teamsters at the University of Minnesota last year.
“You can't enforce your contract if you're afraid to leave your home. You can't speak up at your workplace if you're afraid to speak at all,” he said.
Teamster members at the University of Minnesota have been distributing “Know Your Rights” wallet cards in multiple languages to union members on campus. The cards explain immigrant worker rights when interacting with ICE.
Teamsters Local 638 is also taking action. They represent Teamsters across Minnesota and North Dakota.
Wilkie, the President of Local 638, and Benji Gómez, a Local 638 steward and UPS package car driver, have been coordinating deliveries of groceries, toiletries, and household goods to hundreds of immigrant worker families who are afraid to leave their homes because of ICE.
The Teamsters Joint Council 32 food shelf has donated hundreds of pounds to support the effort.
"We're doing what we're supposed to do, standing up for our members," Wilkie said.
Teamsters Local 638 is supporting a statewide labor and community action on Friday, January 23: No Work, No School, No Shopping. The action is organized by unions, faith groups, and community organizations.
“We recognize our Union’s longstanding place in our Minneapolis community and empathize with the hardships our neighbors are facing. Please continue to support and help one another in these difficult times,” the Local Union said in a social media post on January 20.