Unity March core group speaks out

People have been asking what happened to the core group or organizers of the Unity March that was held last Dec. 7, 2007.

We can hear people say that nothing really good happened. Please be reminded that this rally was organized to primarily request DOLI to repeal Public Law 15-108. Yes, it was not repealed yet the Department of Labor listened to some of our messages and requests. There were some amendments done. Labor has opened its doors to us to discuss critical issues affecting guest workers and the declining economy of the CNMI.

The group has been working diligently, carefully and quietly for sometime now. And it is not the group’s style to publish all our actions, efforts and plans unless we have our end products.

There were several discussions and meetings our group had attended. And with all these we got some beneficial results for guest workers. The implementation of P.L. 15-108 is more lenient now. Transfers have been allowed and extensions to look for employment after expiration of contract can be extended as long as you report to Labor. Of course, some transfers were not granted because the prospective employer should show that the person’s employment is really necessary and Labor has to determine if the prospective employer has the capacity to pay the salary.

Our group believes that to be able to work and live here, we should have a stable economy first. What’s the use of having a two-year working permit or residency if no job is available on island? We worked in a way or two with the Saipan Chamber of Commerce in our quest for a visa waiver for our vital tourists in the CNMI, like the Koreans, Chinese and Russians. As we know, Koreans can now freely visit the CNMI even if federalization kicks in. And we are still working with different government agencies to request once again to include Chinese and Russians. And we are hoping that they will give some considerations because the economy of the CNMI is the one at stake here, which will consequently affect jobs in the CNMI and its workforce, whether you are a local or foreign worker.

We are still firm in our stand that long-term guest workers should be given the privilege to work and live here like any other U.S. citizens.

There is a new group requesting a grant of residency for guest workers who have been here in the CNMI for 20 years or more. How many alien workers have actually lived here for 20 years or more? Had our group known that this new group will bargain for 20 years, we would have accepted the proposal by one government agency—they were willing to give permanent residency to about 900 long-term guest workers that have passed their criteria (profession/skill, salary range, length of stay, educational achievement, taxpayer, and no criminal record). But because we were thinking of a bigger fraction, we did not buy it. Again, between these two, the second one is more useful to the economy and workforce of the CNMI with its criteria.

They are saying: “Federalization, You asked for it, you got it!” Please be reminded that before the Unity March was organized, there was still a grandfathering provision included. And we were there on the street requesting to retain that grandfathering provision. But we were not lucky enough to be heard. Some people are pointing their fingers at the Unity March organizers for the passage of the federalization bill. If that is true, then we would have insisted that the grandfathering should not be removed.

Personally, if federalization is not good for the whole guest workers, it might be good for some. It might be good for the U.S. citizen children of guest workers. We believe that no single law fits everybody anyway. If this is not good for us, it might be good for you. So just be thankful.

The Unity Core Group is just waiting for the federalization regulations to come out. But right now, we already have Plan A and Plan B actions, hoping to be heard. More drastic, more intense, another first in CNMI history. And we hope to get support again from the public who supported the Unity March a year ago.

Honestly, at this point of time, nobody should blame anybody. Federalization, PL15-108, and the Unity March and its organizers and supporters are not the ones that caused the down economy, not the reason why locals or guest workers cannot find jobs anymore. It’s global. Watch CNN, Fox News, TFC, its happening around the world. Are those countries having pending federalization bills for implementation? Do they have PL15-108? Were there Unity Marches that also happened last Dec. 27,2007? Get real.