LCLAA Applauds Administration on Partial Student Loan Forgiveness
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Dear LCLAA Members and Allies,
Yesterday, President Biden announced action to make education more accessible for working families. The White House canceled $10,000 of student debt for borrowers and an additional $10,000 of debt for Pell Grant recipients. This plan is a huge win for not only labor, but for Latinos nationwide. Almost half of all Latinos borrowers are now forgiven of their entire student loan debt. I want to applaud the Administration for listening to LCLAA’s calls made in solidarity with our labor brothers, sisters and siblings at the AFL-CIO.
While education has been seen as a pathway to the middle class, student debt has prevented many from achieving this. For many, their student loans are their second largest monthly expense, following housing.
While we celebrate our victory, we must keep in mind how much progress is still to be made. In the last 40 years the cost of a college degree has gone up by more than $74,000. Federal aid programs, such as the Pell Grant, were once able to cover a large majority of the cost, but they now only cover a third, and families are forced to front the cost largely unaided. However, students who are undocumented or from mixed status families are largely forgotten about in this conversation. They are not eligible for any type of federal aid.
Yes, the win today allows many in our community to finally enter the middle class. Yes, it shows how our solidarity in this movement beckons us towards progress, but it is not the finish line. More must be done to lower the cost of education and more must be done to help the undocumented Americans afford these same opportunities.
To learn more about funding higher education for undocumented students, you can listen to LCLAA’s recent episode of el cafecito, “Undocumented and Unaided: Barriers in Higher Education,” a conversation between LCLAA National and Nardi Velasquez and Ethan Mercado, co-community outreach coordinators for UndocuMason.
In Solidarity,
Yanira Merino
National President of LCLAA
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LCLAA National invites all of our members to LCLAA's 50th Anniversary Gala on September 28, 2022, at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. Buy your tickets today. Our Gala would not be possible without our sponsors. Thank you to Labor CU, Ullico, UA, IW, IBEW, AFSCME, LiUNA, IAM, ATU, UMWA, UAW, AFT and IUBAC for your commitment to supporting and growing the Latino labor movement!
LCLAA National invita a todos nuestros miembros a la Gala del 50 Aniversario de LCLAA el 28 de septiembre de 2022 en el Hotel Mayflower en Washington, D.C. Compre sus boletos hoy. Nuestra gala no sería posible sin nuestros patrocinadores. ¡Gracias a Labor CU, Ullico, UA, IW, IBEW, AFSCME, LiUNA, IAM, ATU, UMWA, UAW, AFT y IUBAC por su compromiso de apoyar y hacer crecer el movimiento laboral latino!
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In 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that Latinos made up 9% of all union members - and that there were roughly 1 million fewer women in the movement when compared to their male counterparts. It is clear that Latinas are under-represented in these spaces. Hear the stories of two Latina leaders in the trades, Liliana Calderon and Cristina Barillas-McEntee, as they share their stories of resilience, sisterhood and mentorship. El Cafecito is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Podbean!
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A big shout-out to all of the chapters for their successful events over the past few weeks. We were excited to see LCLAA’s New York City chapter join us on Twitter and Facebook! Be sure to check them out for all the latest information on Labor movements in the big apple.
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La Carta de Derechos de las Trabajadoras del Hogar de DC:
Los trabajadores domésticos en Washington D.C. están excluidos de la protección de la Ley de Derechos Humanos de DC. Este proyecto de ley protege a quienes sufren acoso sexual, robo de salarios y otras formas de discriminación. Firma aquí para apoyar La Carta de Derechos de las Trabajadoras del Hogar de DC.
Support of Starbucks Workers’ Right to Unionize! Starbucks employees across the country have time and time again been denied the ability to unionize for better working conditions. Click here to sign the petition.
Stop Hiding Pay Information From Gig Workers: DoorDash hides pay information from gig workers on purpose and makes it hard for Dashers to determine whether or not to take a trip. Click here to sign the petition.
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LCLAA’s Advocacy, Communications and Policy Internship Program: LCLAA’s Internship Program exposes interns to administrative, communications, research, and legislative advocacy work. Interns have the opportunity to develop leadership skills like political organizing, and writing. For more information email kpineda@lclaa.org. Deadline for Fall Interns is September 1st.
New York State Nurses Association: Various Positions are available Read more here.
Open Positions at the National Domestic Workers Alliance: Various positions are open. Read more here.
Open Positions at UnidosUs: Various positions are open. Read more here.
PSLF Waiver Offers Way to Get Closer to Loan Forgiveness: For a limited time, Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) borrowers may receive credit for past periods of repayment that would otherwise not qualify for PSLF. Read more here.
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AP NEWS: How is inflation affecting commuting costs? Read more here.
Cnñ: Llegan a Nueva York otros 140 migrantes en autobuses desde Texas. Read more here.
The Sun: Amazon Workers at San Bernardino Airport Stage Walkout. Read more.
WSJ: Big Labor Eats Small Business in California. Read more here.
La Opinión: Inmigrante latina define como “cementerio” prisión migratoria; ahora es traductora en tribunales. Read more here.
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El Avance is published by the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), the leading national organization for Latino(a) workers and their families. LCLAA was born in 1972 out of the need to educate, organize and mobilize Latinos in the labor movement and has expanded its influence to organize Latinos in an effort to impact workers' rights and their influence in the political process. LCLAA represents the interest of more than 2 million Latino workers in the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), The Change to Win Federation, and independent unions. Visit us on the web at lclaa.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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The Labor Council
for Latin American Advancement
815 Black Lives Matter Plz NW
Washington DC, 20006
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