NYC IBT Teamsters Joint Council 16 union linked to Puerto Rico stands by leaders who denounce President Trump’s travel ban order

NYC IBT Teamsters Joint Council 16 union linked to Puerto Rico stands by leaders who denounce President Trump’s travel ban order
"Teamsters Joint Council 16 will keep marching in protest and reaching out in support of New York lawmakers who are fighting Trump's executive order.
NYC union linked to Puerto Rico stands by leaders who denounce President Trump’s travel ban order"
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/puerto-rico-linked-nyc-union-condemn...
Plinio Cruz-Alvarez, formerly an undocumented immigrant from the Dominican Republic, says many forget America is a country made up of immigrants.
Plinio Cruz-Alvarez, formerly an undocumented immigrant from the Dominican Republic, says many forget America is a country made up of immigrants. (ALEX MOORE )

GINGER ADAMS OTIS
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Wednesday, February 1, 2017, 11:51 AM
A New York City union with deep ties to Puerto Rico issued a sharp rebuke Wednesday of President Trump's controversial travel ban.

The head of Teamsters Joint Council 16, which reps 120,000 laborers in the city and Puerto Rico, joined with the Teamsters' National Hispanic Caucus to thank the elected officials who have opposed the executive order issued by Trump on Friday.

Joint Council 16 President George Miranda said many of his members — who are immigrants — are "scared" by what they see as divisive policies coming from the White House.

"President Trump's immigration orders — including banning immigrants from several Muslim countries, closing our doors to refugees fleeing persecution, increasing deportations that tear apart families, and building a needless wall — do not represent the values that make America great," Miranda said.

His own union's membership, both locally and nationally, includes workers from all around the globe.

One of them, Plinio Cruz-Alvarez, originally from the Dominican Republic, said he had once been an undocumented worker.

Now a legal citizen, he worked in private sanitation and is an organizer for Teamsters' local 813.

"I am a citizen of this country now, every day I contribute to build what we have ... and will continue contributing and fighting for all workers regardless of how or when they got here," he said.

He said he was happy to see the Teamsters — who also marched Sunday in a protest of Trump's travel ban — taking a stand on behalf of its members.

Joint Council 16 President George Miranda
Joint Council 16 President George Miranda(STEVEN M MEYER/STEVE MEYER FOR NEW YORK DAILY N)
"Even though we don't always agree on every issue, at least most of us respect the rights of others and stand for what is right. If you believe that immigrants shouldn't have the right to earn a living for their families, I suggest you look through your past which many of us are reluctant to do and others intend to ignore," Cruz-Alvarez said.

"Somehow, somewhere you will find out either you admit that or not, that you are also part of a lineage that came from somewhere else," he said.

President Trump has continued to defend his temporary halt on immigration and refugees from seven majority Muslim countries, saying it’s legal and it’s in the best interests of the country's national security.

Miranda said he, like other union leaders, understood the need to protect the public. But he feared the White House wasn't getting the message that "immigration makes us stronger," not weaker.

"New York Teamsters come from just about every country. We do the jobs that run America, from trucking and airlines, to sanitation and government," Miranda said.

He also hopes America's union movement will be a force in bringing together workers from all backgrounds and creeds to fight for better working conditions for everyone.

"Union workers learn that the threat is not the immigrant working next to you, but the company exploiting both of you," Miranda noted.

In coming days, Miranda said, Teamsters Joint Council 16 will keep marching in protest and reaching out in support of New York lawmakers who are fighting Trump's executive order.