ABSTRACT
The expanding global market challenges state capacity to control immigration, the competitiveness of highly regulated labour markets and traditional union organization, and in turn helps to shape the immigration policy preferences of Italian and Spanish labour leaders. Most labour leaders believe that restrictive immigration policies marginalize immigrant workers, undermining the wages and working conditions of natives. Therefore – contrary to the conventional wisdom that unions favour restrictive policies to protect native workers from cheap immigrant labour – most Spanish and Italian labour leaders reason that moderate immigration policies improve the stability of immigrants, which ultimately benefits both native and immigrant workers.
