WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Town Council in Jackson, N.Y., voted to overturn its English-only law which went into effect last year. SEIU International Secretary-Treasurer Eliseo Medina issued the following statement:

Jackson, N.Y. has done the right thing. We commend New York Atty. Gen. Eric Schneiderman for addressing this issue, prompting the Jackson Town Council to undo its ordinance.

"The policy reversal should serve as a stern reminder to other communities across the nation that have or are considering English-only laws, that such policies are unconstitutional and discriminatory.

"By denying limited-English proficient Americans access to workplace safety instructions, emergency health services, and information on how to pay taxes, this law undermines the government's ability to communicate with the people it serves and also strains workers and employers.

"Rather than unite communities, such laws are divisive and fail to recognize the strong will of immigrants to learn English, assimilate in American society and succeed.

"Immigrants in New York, including Latino foreign born, have English proficiency and citizenship rates higher than the national average, according to a 2010 study by the University of Southern California's Population Dynamics Research Group. The inability of older immigrants to learn English is attributed to the drastic funding cuts and diminished availability of English-language literacy programs. SEIU strongly supports increased funding for these efforts."

With 2.2 million members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in the Americas. Focused on uniting workers in healthcare, public services and property services, SEIU members are winning better wages, healthcare and more secure jobs for our communities, while uniting their strength with their counterparts around the world to help ensure that workers--not just corporations and CEOs--benefit from today's global economy. www.seiu.org

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