Capitol Hill Launch of U.S. Business and Hispanic Integration

Congressional Speakers (in speaking order)

• Rep. Charles A. González (TX)
• Rep. Sam Farr (CA)
• Rep. Albio Sires (NJ)
• Rep. Michael M. Honda (CA)
• Sen. Ken Salazar (CO)
• Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL)

• Lourdes Diaz, Senior Director of Diversity Relations, Sodexo, Inc.
• John Ozburn, Vice President of Human Resources, Tecta America Corp.
• Bob Merchent, Vice President, Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding
• Tim Daly, Senior Vice President, Government Relations, The Western Union Company

• Susan Segal, President and CEO, AS/COA
• Christopher Sabatini, Senior Director of Policy, AS/COA and Editor-in-Chief, Americas Quarterly

Senator Ken Salazar, Representative Michael Honda, and other congressional leaders joined high-ranking corporate representatives to speak on the importance of achieving greater integration of Hispanics within the United States. Speakers echoed themes emphasized in the new AS/COA white paper on Hispanic integration and the role of the private sector. Integration is both a challenge and an opportunity. Above all, it is a pressing issue for the U.S. economy, society and politics.

The new AS/COA white paper, U.S. Business and Hispanic Integration: Expanding the Economic Contributions of Immigrants, demonstrates a collective commitment by private sector leaders to integrating immigrant communities and offers best practices for encouraging Hispanic workforce development and community integration. It features case studies of business′ efforts to facilitate and promote integration and highlights Hispanic contributions to the U.S. economy.

Background

Funded by a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, the AS/COA Hispanic Integration Initiative is engaging private-sector leaders in support of initiatives that promote Hispanic integration. As part of this initiative, the National Business Council was formed with members committed to innovative programs in areas such as skills development, financial literacy, English language acquisition, access to health care, and promotion of civic participation. In the project’s first phase, roundtable meetings were held in New York, NY, Atlanta, GA, and New Orleans, LA, with general conclusions informing the development of the white paper.

Congressional Highlights

Members of Congress emphasized immigrants’ contributions to the U.S. economy and workforce. According to Representative González, the public and private sectors should work together and shift the focus of immigration discussions to the link between immigrant labor and U.S. competitiveness. But first a positive dialogue must emerge about the role of Hispanics in the United States. Salazar noted that such an approach would build on the strength of diversity and offer a great opportunity for the business community and for the country.

Companies participating in the AS/COA Hispanic Integration Initiative were widely praised for their commitment to integration. Representative Sires stressed ways in which companies support employee and family education. Looking at the longer-term goals of corporate integration progams, Rep. Ros-Lehtinen stressed the unique role of business in encouraging Hispanic integration—the first step to economic and social empowerment. Also addressing empowerment, Rep. Farr called for greater access to education, health care, and housing in order to break the cycle of poverty.

Coinciding with the launch of the AS/COA white paper, Honda introduced the Strengthening Communities Through Education and Integration Act of 2008 (H.R. 6617) on the same day as the AS/COA program. The bill seeks to help people learn English by providing incentives for companies, schools, and organizations engaged in this work. Its goal is similar to that of the AS/COA Hispanic Integration Initiative: engaging the business community and mobilizing a new generation of private-sector leaders in integrating the Hispanic population. The House bill has 11 cosponsors and a Senate version has gained supper from Senator Hillary Clinton (NY). In his remarks, Honda called attention to some of the misinformation about immigrants, saying that immigrants do not drain U.S. resources but provide essential services and pay taxes.

Private Sector Integration Programs

Companies speaking at the Capitol Hill launch reflected the diversity of private sector participants in the AS/COA Hispanic Integration Initiative. John Ozburn of Tecta America—the country’s largest commercial roofing firm with 3,500 employees in more than 50 locations—emphasized that the Hispanic workforce is extremely important to the construction industry and to his company’s success. Bob Merchent of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, which employs over 120,000 workers worldwide, noted that the cost of ships built for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps would be much higher without immigrant labor. These high costs would then be passed on to the U.S. taxpayer.

Both Tecta America and Northrop Grumman emphasize worker safety and productivity as part of their integration programs. For example, the companies offer Spanish and English-language training programs. Northrop Grumman’s safety program includes orientation videos in Spanish, language cards, translation devices, and a "Command Spanish" as well as English as a Second Language. To date, “Command Spanish” has taught interactive shipbuilding terms to approximately 160 ship construction managers. Tecta America emphasizes workplace communication as well as language training so that employees can interact with customers and eventually move up the corporate job ladder.

Beyond employees, the private sector can play a key role in integrating Hispanic customers. Tim Daly of Western Union, a company with 355,000 agent locations in 200 countries and territories, drew attention to the company’s direct outreach to local communities. In the United States, integration programs seek to foster personal growth, financial stability, and economic development. Through “Our World Learns”—a pillar of its 5-year, $50 million “Our World, Our Family” program—Western Union focuses on education, offering a financial literacy curriculum to annually help up to 40,000 high school students in low-income, migrant, and minority communities.

Combining the experiences of these companies, Sodexo—the leading food and facilities management service in the United States, Canada and Mexico with over 10 million customers daily—works to improve both community and workplace integration. Using the Sed de Saber (“Thirst for Knowledge”) English-language program, Sodexo promotes learning English by linking success with pay raises and promotions. At the same time, employees are encouraged to bring materials home so that families can learn English together. Sodexo also partners with Hispanic-serving organizations to offer scholarships, internships, and mentoring programs.

Next Steps

As the AS/COA Hispanic Integration Initiative moves forward, we will continue to offer a non-partisan forum for companies to share best practices and obtain information about successful initiatives adopted in related industries. This provides an unprecedented opportunity to bring together companies that recognize their responsibility in promoting the full integration of the country's Hispanic population. Public-private cooperation and corporate partnerships with community groups and religious organizations will continue to be explored as we reach out to new companies and work in new cities across the United States.