California Labor Federation Applauds Decision to Block Immigration “No Match” Letters

Letters would threaten workers' rights, result in unfair termination

Statement by California Labor Federation Executive Secretary-Treasurer Art Pulaski

 

“Yesterday, the federal district court ruled to continue to protect workers from the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) illegal plan to use social security records as an immigration enforcement tool. The DHS plan to use ‘no-match’ letters, which notify employers if their employee forms do not match the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) error-prone data, is a misguided way of threatening employers and causing the senseless firing of countless workers.

“If the no-match rule had been implemented, all workers’ rights would be in jeopardy. Employers could fire workers for trying to organize a union and justify the firing based on a no match letter.

“These ‘no-match’ letters would result in an employment crisis in California, as employers unreasonably terminate both authorized and undocumented workers in order to avoid any penalties. By upholding the restraining order that prohibits the distribution of such letters, the court is protecting the rights and jobs of workers nationwide.

“The SSA database was never intended to document immigration status; many SSA no-match letters simply reflect inaccuracies and errors in the system. We cannot in good conscience hand over the fate of millions of workers to a flawed computer database.

“The California Labor Federation will continue to strongly oppose this mean-spirited rule and to press for real immigration reform that protects the rights of all workers and their families.”

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