Justice Action Center
New York Law School
57 Worth Street
New York, NY 10013
T: 212.431.2314
F: 212.431.1864
E: jac@nyls.edu
Back to Basics: Labor Unions & Immigrants
Wednesday, March 21, 2007, at 12:50 p.m.
New York Law School, Room A700
On Wednesday, March 21, 2007, the JusticeActionCenter presented the final Justice Speaks Lunch of the semester, Back to Basics: Labor Unions & Immigrants. Immigrant workers have become the backbone of the rejuvenated unionization. But does unionizing new Americans flood the U.S. job market and further undercut American workers with cheap labor? Kevin Finnegan, Levy Ratner and Brent Garren, UNITE HERE, discussed where unions stand on guest worker programs, amnesty for undocumented persons, and other legal remedies of immigration policy. Professor Lenni Benson moderated.
Lunch was served to all attendees.
Brent Garren is the Senior Associate General Counsel of UNITE HERE. He was graduated from Wayne State School of Law in Detroit, MI, summa cum laude, in 1987. He was admitted to the Bar of New York State in 1988. He has been employed in the legal department of UNITE HERE and its predecessor unions since that time. Mr. Garren is an Editor in Chief of "How To Take A Case Before the NLRB", 7th Edition and is a former union co-chair of the ABA's Labor and Employment Law Section's Committee on Practice and Procedure Under the NLRA. He authored "When The Solution Is the Problem: NLRB Remedies and Organizing Drives", 51 CCH LLJ 76 (2000) and "The High Road To Section 7 Rights: The Law of Voluntary Recognition Agreements", 54 CCH LLJ 263 (2003). Mr. Garren also serves on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Labor Education in the Americas Project.
Kevin Finnegan is the chair of Levy Ratner’s Campaign Finance Group and Land Use Practice area.Prior to joining Levy Ratner, Finnegan served as the Deputy Director of the SEIU NYS Council where he directed several major legislative and electoral efforts for 1199 SEIU.He continues to serve as a strategic consultant to 1199’s homecare division and has spearheaded the Union’s effort to organize, win contracts and ultimately increase Medicaid funding for tens of thousands of Home Health Aides in New York City.Finnegan served as political director at a UNITE local in the late 1990s.He also led a unionization drive of Korean grocery stores throughout New York City.Finnegan has served as manager or consultant on numerous state and local election campaigns including, Hillary Clinton’s first Senate race.During the last Presidential election, he worked as the Deputy National Field Director for America Coming Together in Washington, DC.Finnegan has represented individual candidates and the Working Families Party in election law proceedings and has extensive experience in Federal, NYS and New York City campaign finance laws.He serves as General Counsel to the Working Families Party.
Finnigan graduated magna cum laude from University of California, HastingsCollege for Law in 1986. Prior to attending law school, he worked in the entertainment industry and was an elected member of the governing council for his division of the Directors Guild of America.Finnegan has had extensive experience in election law, campaign finance, land use and commercial litigation.Finnegan frequently lectures on campaign finance issues for labor unions, and he is a veteran strategist of political campaigns and New YorkState and local budgetary and legislative battles.He has represented unions in contract negotiations in various industries, including healthcare, apparel, retail and food preparation.Finnegan is also developing a growing litigation and regulatory practice in the land use area where union issues can often be advanced during thepublic approval process for new developments.
