As many of you know, last Thursday immigrants all over the nation decided to sit out from the average work day. The major absence in employees had an impact on the daily tasks and efficiency of many establishments. The strike took the biggest toll on the service industry and small businesses which have an impressive majority of immigrant employees. Also, many decided to not make any financial contributions on that day to most companies.
But why did such a huge sector of the labor force go on strike? All whom were participating on the “Day Without Immigrants,” claimed that it is to pose a very strong message to the Trump administration. A message which entails how significant and crucial immigrant involvement is to the United States. Many employees went as far as to convince their superiors to close the businesses for a day in order to fully exemplify the demand for their foreign-born staff.
Unfortunately, many cases of unemployed workers are coming to rise after the strike. Several employers voiced their dissatisfaction for their employees skipping out on Thursday, feeling that the political statement was no excuse to jeopardize a regular day of work. Some even went to the extent of firing or laying off their participating employees. Although protests continue and some faced minor setbacks, February 16th illustrated a very powerful depiction to all Americans.