Essential Work, Disposable Workers

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Recent years have witnessed significant migration from the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa to Europe and North America, alongside a surge in anti-immigrant, far-right populism. This has brought migration to the forefront of political and social discourse. The author contextualizes global migration within the history of capitalism, class formation, and the financialization of migration. As globalization progresses, a neoliberal labor market compels workers worldwide to compete for wages, driven not by foreign investment but by an increasingly mobile workforce. The author critiques the right-wing approach of restricting immigration through temporary worker programs, advocating instead for solidarity with migrants in their struggles for decent work and justice. By analyzing the organizing efforts of migrant workers at major corporations like Amazon and Wal-Mart, as well as discount retailers such as Dollarama and Sports Direct, the author highlights the power of precarious workers in companies like UBER and Airbnb. The successful resistance of taxi drivers and fast food workers globally, along with the contemporary mass labor movement led by new unions and workers' centers, illustrates how migrant demands and strategies can influence radical working-class politics in North America and Europe.