A coalition of labor and immigration groups rallied Wednesday, August 21 with petitions, visual displays and more to call on Rep. Howard Coble (R-NC) to support immigration reform.

Local 391 Legislative Action Director Chip Roth spoke at the rally and was featured in media accounts of the event.

Specifically, the coalition urged Rep. Coble to bring an immigration bill to the floor vote that:

•             Provides a road map to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently in the United States;

•             Protects workers’ rights and ensures any worker authorization system treats workers fairly;

•             Protects immigrants against employers that take advantage of their status; and

•             Allows for rational, fair and just enforcement.

“The people of Guilford County care deeply about this issue,” said Carolyn Smith, state director for Working America. “We are asking Representative Coble to make the right decision to support comprehensive immigration reform.”

Working America, a national organization for working people, sponsored the rally. The organization has 3 million members who fight for good jobs and a just economy. For more information, go to www.workingamerica.org.

Rally participants included Working America, North Carolina State AFL-CIO, State Employees Association of North Carolina, Teamsters Local 391, Guilford County Association of Educators, Immigrant Rights   Working Group of Guilford County, and the Greensboro NAACP.

Links to articles related to the rally:

http://m.news-record.com/news/local_news/article_89375c20-0a60-11e3-97d0-001a4bcf6878.html?mode=jqm

http://yesweeklyblog.blogspot.com/2013/08/photos-workers-press-coble-for.html

http://www.news-record.com/gallery/collection_d8b46de4-0a77-11e3-a429-0019bb30f31a.html

https://twitter.com/NCStateAFLCIO/status/370274835437342720