A Chicago Teamsters local is demanding a packaging company refuse to allow federal immigration enforcement on its property without warrants as a top tenet of its overall demands.
The workers are seeking assurances from Mauser Packaging Solutions that it will require ICE to display a warrant signed by a judge before it is allowed on the property.
The strike at Mauser's plant in the heavily Hispanic "Little Village" neighborhood has lasted more than two months, and the Teamsters Local 705 negotiator recently refused the factory’s latest offer, according to multiple reports.
About 140 people work at the plant, which reconditions metal barrels for chemical storage, and a plurality are Latino, according to the American Prospect.
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One striking worker told the outlet that he and others are concerned that ICE may target them on a racial basis even if they are able to prove legal residency.
The Prospect reported the strike began over a separate issue — allegations of employee surveillance during discussions with union representatives amid contract bargaining.
The Illinois-based global company’s striking workers also collected a big-name voice in their court during that time: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Johnson, a former teachers' union figure, is familiar with similar situations and also agreed with the union's aversion to federal law enforcement.
"This union and this strike is leading the way to ensure that this country knows that workers run this country," Johnson said while rallying with strikers earlier this month.
He said Mauser’s workers have the right to seek livable wages and environs "at a time in which we have a federal government coming after workers, immigrants, Brown and Black people," according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Johnson demanded workers get protections to ensure "ICE agents do not get to run amok [or] create fear and come in and disrupt and destabilize our communities and workplaces, whether you are at work, school, church or the barbershop."
He noted that Chicago is a "welcoming city," a term increasing in popularity among Democratic leaders due to the political stigma now associated with "sanctuary cities."
In his remarks, Johnson also once again referred to President Donald Trump as a "dictator."
Updated figures from Chicago's official crime dashboard now show 266 homicides this year, averaging more than one a day.
Fox News Digital reached out to DHS and the Teamsters for comment.
Mauser Packaging Solutions communications director Kimberly Braam told Fox News Digital later Wednesday the company "is aware of the concerns raised by members of Teamsters Local 705. We are committed to negotiating a fair and sustainable collective agreement with employees."
When asked about the union’s demands, a DHS spokesperson criticized Johnson, saying he and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker "stand with criminal illegal aliens over the safety of American citizens."
The spokesperson also said "shameful rhetoric" against ICE has "fueled a culture of hate against law enforcement resulting in a 1,000 percent increase in assaults against them."
Fox News Digital's Madison Colombo contributed to this report.
Original article source: Chicago Teamsters, backed by mayor, want ICE blocked without warrants in strike fight
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