WGBH Radio; The Callie Crossley Show

I'm callin Crossley This is the Cali Crosland show. Assuming another person's life is the stuff of science fiction. But our guest Ron pro-ID got that chance by way of the CBS reality show Undercover Boss. The show could be the Upton Sinclair of the 21st century highlighting the stark contrast between the lives of assembly line workers and the executives who reap the fruits of their labor. As a CEO of a looming Tim based company karate left the comforts of the boardroom for the rigors of the stock room turning in his cufflinks for a custom that made him look more like a Deadhead than the decider in chief. This hour we'll get the lowdown on his undercover revelations. But first it's Representative Dan Winslow on his push to create a minority majority district and along the way we drop in on Rhode Island where Latinos are replacing our talons as the minority majority. Up next trading places from congressional redistricting to corner offices to thing. First the news from NPR News in Washington I'm Lakshmi saying carnage at the busiest airport in

Russia's capital where explosion tore through the international arrivals hall of the site. More than 30 people lost their lives and more than 130 were injured in what local media report may have been a suicide attack. NPR's David Greene who's on the scene tells us he attacked troops with condemnation from the Kremlin. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has now called this an act of terror. Because I'm a good airport it's a great year. There's one end of the building which is where international flights arrive that's where I would have made it close and have been that had been closed off. There are emergency response vehicles still surrounding it but much of the airport is built of business as usual the rest of the missiles have decided to try to get back to the working order as quickly as possible. So here taking off and as is the right thing that we go on trips that it's the real thing here. NPR's David Greene in Moscow the White House is also denouncing today's attack in Moscow. Spokesman Robert Gibbs delivered this statement from the president I strongly condemn this outrageous act of

terrorism against the Russian people at the dome of yet of an airport. I want to express the solidarity of the American people with the Russian people in the aftermath of this premeditated attack against innocent civilians. Gibbs says President Obama was briefed about the explosion this morning. He also said the U.S. will extend any aid Russia may need or want. Authorities in St. Petersburg Florida say two police officers have been killed after trying to arrest a suspect hiding in a house. They say a U.S. marshal was wounded marshal and the officers had come to arrest the suspect on aggravated battery charges. The northeastern U.S. will be in a deep freeze throughout the day. Diane Orson of member station w reports that in Connecticut temperatures are as much as 20 degrees below normal for this time of year. Bone chilling temperatures in the Northeast are among the coldest in two years. National Weather Service meteorologist Gary Conti says in Connecticut winds have been light. Except we are picking up winds at the northwest. So those wind chill values the coldest ones

right now ranging anywhere from six degrees below zero in New Haven on up to as much as 14 degrees below zero in Chester. The frigid weather has been linked to the death of a Connecticut woman whose frozen body was found in her driveway. Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy activated the state's severe cold alert system which has provided emergency shelter to more than 125 people. For NPR News I'm Diane Orson in New Haven. At last check on Wall Street the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up more than 80 points or more than half a percent eleven thousand nine hundred fifty four in trading of just over 2 billion shares. The Nasdaq composite index up 24 27 14 with the S&P 500 gaining six to twelve eighty nine. This is NPR. President Obama is announcing new government wide initiatives to back military families including programs designed to prevent suicide and eliminating

homelessness. President Obama says the government has an obligation to assist military families as they support loved ones fighting for the U.S.. Mr. Obama says he often meets with service members who say their top concern is making sure families are taken care of. The White House said government agencies will now coordinate on ways to enhance physical and psychological health insurer excellence in military children's education and develop career opportunities for military spouses. General Motors is now selling more vehicles in China than in the U.S.. Michigan Radio's Tracy Hamilton reports the automaker also came close to toppling Toyota from its position. As a global sales leader last year China is now the largest car market in the world in the U.S. General Motors increased its sales last year by a little more than 6 percent. But in China GM sales rose 29 percent. George Magli onno is an analyst with IHS Automotive. Years ago Jihad made a big took a big gamble with joy that's what a lot of people would

make the move or they wouldn't for the two weeks which is a great bet that Gable was paid off really for General Motors worldwide GM sold only 30000 fewer cars than Toyota in 2010. But Mag thinks Toyota's expected recovery from the U.S. recall crisis will keep the company number one in global sales for a long time. For NPR News I'm Tracy Samuelson in Ann Arbor. We continue to see gains in U.S. stocks the last check the Dow is up more than 1/2 percent eleven thousand nine hundred fifty two. I'm Lakshmi Singh NPR News. Support for NPR comes from us on college united to advance cancer research with more than 200 active clinical trials online at U.S. oncology dot com. Good afternoon I'm Kalee Crossley. This is the Calla Crossley Show. Over the months we've been interviewing some of the most interesting political leaders in the area from Lisa Wang the mayor of Fishburne to city councilor Matt O'Malley. Today we continue the conversation with

Representative Dan Winslow in 1995 he secured a lifetime seat on the district court which he left in 2002 to lead Governor Mitt Romney's legal team. He also served as Scott Brown's counsel during his successful run for U.S. senator and now he's among the wave of new Republicans who've been seated in the House of Representative. He joins us today to talk about his legal counsel for fair districts mass dot org. It's an organization aiming to create a Suffolk County minority majority district. Representative Winslow welcome. Thank you for having me Kelly. Just for people who are still trying to get their heads around what redistricting is. Let me put this context out there we we know without all of the official details that Massachusetts is going to lose a congressional seat. So redistricting becomes very important to a lot of folks trying to figure out well where will the leadership be. But from your perspective why should folks who have sort of have been paying attention to this now pay attention. Well the most fundamental right in a democratic society is the right to vote

without the right to vote no other rights really matter in our country or in our commonwealth. And every 10 years the state goes through this process of redistricting when the population is adjusted based on the descent census. The lines then have to be redrawn to achieve the one person one vote standard. And if a district is too large for example the people who live in that district their vote has less power than a people in an adjoining district whose who have less population. And so there's a really strict constitutional test in terms of population and what it involves racial disparities the Voting Rights Act as well so it's a core civil rights function from which all other civil rights flow. Now one of the things that seems to have become already is very politicized just the act of. And this is going on all over the country redrawing these districts it's a hot political button. Some states have elected to do an independent counsel that being a group of people not legal folks not legislators they're just

groups citizens groups if you will to oversee this decision making but here in Massachusetts the proposal put forth by Republicans in the state legislature was turned down by the majority Democrats. So it's going to be a decision run by the Democrats in the legislature and then in addition to that there are groups like the one that you're working with. So talk to me about a wide no independent counsel here in Massachusetts and then. How do we think this is going to work with the legislature moving in a direction and then groups like us moving in another. Sure fair districts mass dot org is a citizen initiated effort to have ferry district in Massachusetts for the state legislative districts as well as the federal congressional districts. And what I've said is that you know if the if the majority Democrats won't create a citizen's commission Well the citizens will because people are empowered to do this now with the advent of computer technology and the like so this particular group is a nonpartizan group that's led by Jackie

Robinson the third who is an African-American businessman went to Brown University Harvard Business School He's run for public office many times. But the reason that redistricting has been so politicized is that it really is the levers of power and people who are in power are oftentimes reluctant to pry their fingers off those levers of power and to share that power with others. And so in many respects redistricting has become not so much Republican or Democrat but really an incumbent protection act. And that's why the incumbents don't like to give up this power. And so the countervailing forces that are going to be at play this time from fair districts mast organ as well as other groups will be to try to make sure that the Constitution that the civil rights that are at stake are adhered to and that the people's will not the politicians will is done in this process. Now you could easily have worked with the Republicans in the latest legislature there too. And the rest of the legislators for that matter to try to figure this out. But you elected not to.

That's true. I mean I just watched the rules debate for example this past week. Pure party line votes the Republicans have a lot of good ideas for openness and transparency in government to make government more accountable to the people and yet time and again I watch votes go down on pure party lines and I really don't think that anything different will come from it this way. I'm a citizen legislator I'm not a full time legislator in the sense that that's the only job I do of course. When you work an 80 hour week a 40 hour job is a part time job I suppose but I also practiced law and received approval from the ethics commissions general counsel and in view of other advisory opinions from the Ethics Commission. I'm able to do litigation as part of my in my other job. My legal job and for the last 30 years almost I've been the lead counsel in challenging past redistricting. For example was the lead counsel in the first redistricting to create a Latino majority district in Massachusetts which we did through the federal court we won. And it actually resulted in the election of the first Latino representative in Massachusetts history. I believe that this redistricting particularly for Congress

has historic opportunity to give people of color in the city of Boston and Suffolk County generally the opportunity no guarantees of course but just the opportunity of empowerment to elect a person of color to Congress we have not at least in my lifetime and I think perhaps ever had a black congressman we've had a senator but not a black congressman never had a Latino Congress woman in Massachusetts Congresswoman. Well and yet our population growth in the last decade among these communities of color has increased relative to the non to the to the white population so much so that I think that the fair question to ask is in terms of civil liberties and opportunity. Why just why just you know have crumbs from the loaf of power why not just have a part of the loaf itself. And I think that that's the chance that we face here today. Now let's just go back and have you just revisit one part of this and that is you're working to make certain that there is a minority majority district for the reasons you just stated.

But you know a lot of people are listening going well ha. You know why is this guy working on on behalf of this cause Can you talk to us about sure. Well I've got a 30 year history of doing it litigated and won civil rights challenges in the past. You know somebody once said to me you know beware of Republicans baring civil rights but the fact is that Massachusetts Republicans slightly different brand identity than the national Republicans. You know this is something when somebody asked me 20 years what are the Republicans doing this. Well we're doing it because it's the right thing to do and besides everybody wins. All minorities win political racial ethnic minorities win and the people win when there is fair redistricting. So the bottom line is just to make sure that we have constitutional redistricting state and federal that complies with the federal Voting Rights Act to the extent that it needs to. And if that happens whether in the legislative process as we all hope or if necessary by federal litigation as has been the case in three out of the last three redistricting in Massachusetts. But by either

path we believe that the power belongs to the people and not to the politicians. When would you know and by the way you have taken yourself off of any possible conflict of interest. Being a member of the legislature while working on this that should be said that you know you mentioned that you had spoken with the Ethics Committee to make sure was OK for you to do it right but you've removed yourself from the from the rest and I've refused. Not that a freshman Republican representative would have much sway but I have recused myself from anything specifically dealing with redistricting. The ethics laws in Massachusetts allow me to vote on general legislation but no special legislation or committee work things like that so I'm going to be very careful to make sure that I walk that path and part of the reason for that is as between the two roles as a legislator or as a lawyer with experience in civil rights and redistricting I think that I can have far greater sway and far greater influence on the redistricting process and I you know kudos to Jack Robinson for stepping up and funding this effort.

So fair districts mass dot org people who are interested in learning more about it can go online and actually sign up it's going to be nonpartisan it'll be open that is to persons of of all political stripes. And the reason for that again is that fair redistricting favors democracy fair redistricting favors minorities of all of all walks of life. Now your organization is set up to respond if need be. Do you think you're going to have to respond. Well if past is prologue three out of the last three redistricting have ended up in federal court you know. I would say if I were a pessimist Yes of course but of course I'm a Republican in Massachusetts which means genetically I'm an optimist so I'm hopeful I'm hopeful that the legislature will do the right thing and and to cede power to the people and if that happens that will be a joyous day for democracy in Massachusetts. What do you think might be the biggest issue coming up in terms of I mean and I would just draw on the lines in general but what do you think might send other organizations together because I don't think you're going to be the only one. I think there's going to be some others out here as well. Right. Well that's correct in the past the Republicans when they challenge for example would

form alliances with the black political task force with the Latino political action committee I think which is now is an Oist. Yeah yeah I stay I took French and I saw you completely useless useless but the. And then also the Asian political task force so there's been these alliances in the past I fully expect that. People of common interest and fair redistricting will join together again for this time but really for the Voting Rights Act for for empowering persons of color in the communities of color it's really a three part test. The first test is under the Voting Rights Act. Is there racially polarized voting which is. Does it matter what your race is. If you're a candidate for public office the first circuit found 20 years ago that there was a history of racially polarized voting and so we'll have to look at those data and see if they're updated. The second test is are there disparities in between people based on their race so for example you look at mortality or unemployment now in my district in the ninth Norfolk District we have one of our towns has almost 10 percent

unemployment I've seen firsthand the kind of fear that is generated by having 10 percent unemployment and some of the communities of color in Boston the unemployment rate for males for example 18 to 28 40 percent plus So quadruple the kind of fear and the hopelessness. You know our birth mortalities educational levels opportunities for education are there disparities that in my view and that's what I argued last time. Heck yes of course there are and I believe unfortunately these disparities continue today. And the last. Test the third test for the Voting Rights Act is either enough people now a voting age to comprise a majority of a congressional district or in our other cities a majority of state senate or state representative districts. Again I believe that there are particularly on the state side but I believe as well on the federal side so this is exciting. I think that that's why I've described this is an historic opportunity you know it's one thing to stand outside the sort of the power structure and look

in you know but it's another thing altogether to be at the table. And I think it's time. I think it's time that all people regardless of their political stripes or their ethnicity or their race all people or their gender terrible record on gender by the way Massachusetts for federal or felt federal delegation. But all people deserve a seat at the table and the voters the voters should be empowered to make those choices for fair competitive elections. So what do you say to somebody who says I'm with you I'm I'm I'm I see what you're saying and it makes a lot of sense. Is there no danger on the negative side of ghettoizing an area so that because what you said earlier which we should emphasize is that in creating a minority majority district gives people the opportunity to run. But you know some white guy living in the district could run and win too. So. It doesn't stop anybody from drowning from that district it just gives people the opportunity right. So is there a problem or a concern that this puts everybody you know persons of color in

one area and that's it. Yeah well there's actually two ways that there can be racial discrimination that is illegal redistricting. One is called Packing where you put too many persons of color into a district and therefore not give them a chance at other seats where they'd be competitive. That is candidates of their choice and the other is called Cracking where you take a population and divide it among districts so that there's not enough critical mass of voting power assuming a racially polarized voting to actually affect the outcome of the election. So you know it is a fine line dividing line. But the question for me in terms of ghettoizing a congressional district for example is. To whom is the congressman or congresswoman responsible. Can a congressman or congresswoman freely disregard a portion of their district because they have other constituents really who are their power base in that district. And I think that if you empower people I think that that empowerment is the antidote to ghettoisation because all

ghetto is ation is is people who have been disenfranchised dis empowered and really cut out from the opportunities that go with political power economic power educational opportunity. And this is our chance we don't we don't only have this chance once every decade and this is the first chance in my view that we can seize the reins of power and hand them over to the people directly. And I think that that's that's a good thing. Now it's true in the past that the argument has been made and it may well be that the argument will be made again. Well no no no. It's good for Boston to have three congressmen in Boston instead of just one congressman but the reality is that those congressmen answer to a lot of different constituents who may or may not have the same interests in mind. Let me ask you to look nationally because. We haven't said again let me emphasize the official census data not out yet it's coming. But what we've seen already from just smaller reports is that there are our constituencies of persons of color that have just blown up I mean it's they're grown but growing

by leaps and bounds. So are we going to see this kind of shifting order or concentration on minority majority districts across the country. We should we should the Voting Rights Act is a federal law but let it begin here in Massachusetts let us lead the way let us show people we can do this as quickly as the summer by having the initial district incoming coming I won't be debated in the legislative process till the fall in all likelihood. But we can have a public transparent process. Fair districts mastoid org is going to post all of their plans online for public comment until those those plans are put into final play so that anybody can weigh in by email. And that's why I encourage people to sign on to that website so they can just keep posted on these things. And really that's what it should be with the in the age of the Internet. There is no excuse for backroom deals because we have to get the backroom deals out into the public and let the citizens have their say. Do you have a sense that down the grassroots that people really are beginning engaged around this conversation about redistricting in general and certainly minority majority districts

and I ask that because both you and Jackie Robinson are not political novices so you know you're sophisticated in the way of understanding what this means and and moving toward making something happen. But you're your average person out here. You know your regular voter are do they get this and are they engaged in this conversation. We're at the quiet end of a political crescendo. And I think that particularly as district proposals are made that people can actually see a lot of people have a hard time envisioning districts and envisioning what power would look like but as is actual proposals start to take shape over the summer and into the early fall. I think then people will see the press interest of course will pick up. So at the very early stages but I think there will be a crescendo of interest a crescendo of perhaps crescendos a good analogy because there's going to be a lot of noise about this I think come the fall. And my job for as counsel for Fed just ticks masted org is to make sure that if if and it's a big if because we still hold out that hope that the right thing will be done but that if federal civil rights litigation is

necessary that people are engaged that they care and that they are aware that the outcome affects them and their children from the next decade to come. Question When is this process supposed to be at an end or near an end. Well the the district that is the data from the Census Department will be coming out as early as the beginning of next month or generally within the next 30 days we expect we'll actually have data and then the legislative legislature has decided to keep this in-house that is to have legislative redistricting committees. The house generally focuses in the House districts the Senate focuses on the Senate district and they combine forces for the federal districts and the governor's council districts. But you're you're going to see a process that really starts to pick up in May June you probably start to see some public mapping in August-September and public hearings I would hope and expect September October with a final vote probably in October. OK. Well thank you very much for giving us a lot to think about Representative Winslow.

I am impressed by your passion about voting. I'm a passionate voter myself that comes across very clearly so however this comes out. We know that you're very interested in that making certain that we voters pay attention to this. Thank you for having me on. I've been speaking with Representative Dan Winslow a Republican based in Norfolk. He's also a senior counsel in the litigation department at Proskauer law firm. We've been talking to him today about his work with fair districts mass dot org an organization that's working to create a minority majority district in Suffolk County. Next we go to Rhode Island for a look at the minority majority there the growing Latino community. We'll be back after this break. Stay with. Us. Support for WGBH comes from you and from Weston financial

providing comprehensive financial tax estate planning and asset management services for high net worth clients in the Boston area and nationally for more than 30 years. Weston financial dot net and from Somerset Chrysler Jeep Dodge featuring the year end event on 2010 Chrysler vehicles with safety tech technology on all models. You're invited to stop in for a test drive Route 195 in Somerset Somerset auto group dot com and from the growing number of WGBH sustainers who manage their contributions to public radio with the help of monthly installments and automatic renewals. Learn more about sustaining membership at WGBH dot org. On the next FRESH AIR a multitude of parallel universes. Brian Greene explains how that's possible in his new book The Hidden Reality. Green's a theoretical physicist who says it's like a cosmic bubble bath of universes our universe is one bubble in this big cosmic bubble bath. Join us for a conversation on the cosmos on the next FRESH AIR. It's afternoon at two on eighty nine point seven The.

Downton Abbey the captivating tale from Masterpiece Classic is now one of the most popular DVDs in the world. And I've given my life to Downton and when you support eighteen point seven with a gift of seventy five dollars right now WGBH was saying thanks for the copy of the entire series on DVD. Make a gift of one hundred fifty dollars and WGBH will send you to complete Downton Abbey collections one for you. I want to pass on to a friends school or library details online at WGBH dot org. I'm Christopher Campbell joined me and my co-host Bridget Lancaster on an all news show America's Test Taking calls to cooking questions share recipes and this Saturday at 8:00 right here on eighty nine point seven. Good afternoon I'm Cally Crossley. This is the Kelly Crossley Show. According to a new Census Bureau survey Latinos are the fastest growing demographic in Rhode Island.

Joining us to talk about what this means for the future of the Ocean State is Rosa Marie put there us. She's an associate professor of Latin American history at the University of Rhode Island. She joins us from Hippo Studios in Warwick Rhode Island. Rosa Maria welcome back. Hi Kelly how are you. Fine. Now let's be clear because I just finished talking with my first guest about how the official census bureau data is not out yet so this is a separate from the official census bureau this was a survey that was taken which demonstrated that the numbers of Latinos have grown exponentially. Tell us about that. Well the report is from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey program and one of the things that it showed was that the population of Latinos in Rhode Island has grown exponentially in the period between 1970 and 2000 and then again to the to the 2009 survey

that they're talking about. They say that Latinos are now nearly 12 percent of our population and growing from 1970 where there were seven thousand five hundred ninety six to this current survey where there are a hundred twenty five thousand eight hundred five which is an increase of more than 15 hundred percent. I personally have seen it because I came to the state in 1903 though I didn't realize at the time that that was just the beginning of the boom and things were starting to explode. But there was enough of a boom then that even a newcomer could notice it because I saw that there was a Latino newspaper that's not going to be there unless there's already of a population to support it. One of the articles I read said that in Rhode Island Latino is the new talian. Tell us about what that means. Well they're saying that the Latino population is following very much in the steps of the Italian

pop population. The formula is that a small number of pioneers come into a place then their families follow and that that's where it goes over a course of several generations. And that particularly with the Latinos and the Italians that Providence is Federal Hill neighborhood which traditionally has been Italian is now. Now the Latinos are outnumbering them. Not yet in large numbers but they said Here are seven thousand nine hundred sixty two to thirteen hundred forty three and Federal Hill. They describe as being a neighborhood that has kind of an old and old world feeling to it. I'm a San Franciscan in the old world that I hanker banked back to is North Beach and it actually does remind me of North Beach that with all the businesses and and restaurants and all of that stuff. And that's when you first enter Federal Hill. Right off the freeway right off

95. But as you go deeper into Federal Hill you're finding the Latin restaurants a lot and what we call a mexican TASM and other businesses like that and you're really beginning to see a very strong influx of Latinos in that wider Federal here in the neighborhood. I am speaking with Rosa Maria Garros. She's an associate professor of Latin American history at the University of Rhode Island. And we're talking about today the growing demographic in Rhode Island which is the number of Latinos that have grown in large number. Now there is one difference. This survey makes plain between the because so many comparisons have used as you've just talked about with the Italians and the Italian neighborhoods between the Italian immigrants of the early 20th century and the Latinos today and that Italians came from a single nation. But Latino Rhode Islanders are coming from many different countries. Talk about that. Well Latin America is really comprised of 20

individual countries if you include Puerto Rico Puerto Rico of course of course being a commonwealth of the United States. But the Puerto Ricans were actually the first Latinos to come into Rhode Island they came in large numbers in the 1920s when they were brought to Newport to pick vegetables. But in the meantime there have been. Surges of people coming from other parts of Latin America from the islands from the Dominican Republic and actually and Haiti from Central America Central Americans came in the wake of the civil wars that were taking place from 19 60 to middle of the 1990s and especially in the last part of the civil wars when you had terrible repression in Guatemala El Salvador that pushed people out of those countries and many of them landed here. Now we're seeing more Mexicans and

there are also older communities of Colombians Colombians came here to work in the textile factories in the 1960s. And so you know Italy is one little small country like Latin America is one immense region and a lot of people from that region are finding them their way into our little state and it's made for tremendous wonderful cultural diversity. The other thing it's made for our growing political power. I note that this survey notes that Latinos are concentrated in cities. Some of the other immigrant publications may have moved in different parts of Rhode Island but but Latinos are in Providence and Central Falls in Woonsocket in Newport and credited with of course getting on health a virus as the new mayor of Providence to begin with. So we're seeing that. Yes. And that's sort of natural for Latinos because Latin American culture Spanish culture was very urban and so everything was

around a kind of city state in Spain. And then when they came to the new world you have these vast cities now Mexico City is one of the biggest cities in the world with something like 20 million people and Guatemala is again around a big urban center even little so adore is around two big urban centers. So yes they tend to be an urban people whereas if you look at some of the other people who have come here the Irish and the French and French Canadians and Portuguese well less of the Portuguese but the others tend to be more. Really oriented I think. And one of the things that's happening too is that because of this explosion in puppy in the Latino population there are the kind of resentments arising between the older residents of the state against this insurgence of of of Latinos coming into

to Rhode Island and part of that is being played out now with some of these some of the ice related orders and having to do with immigration. I note that Governor Chafee one of his first acts was to rescind an executive order that was put in place by his predecessor. About having to do with illegal immigration so that one's out of the way but the one that's coming up is causing some consternation is the Secure Communities which is a federal initiative and even Governor Deval Patrick has said to the Latino leaders here in town he's going to have to sign that by 2013. But right now there's there are some back and forth going on in Rhode Island right. Yes there is and in fact when I saw ice being referred to the first article that I saw that had that didn't tell explain what it was and I had to look it up because I was accustomed to reading about the ins and they've changed it now to this.

This is cool acronym if you want to say Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But one of the things that's that's playing out here is that there's sort of a political sub subtext to this because. Governor Chafee came in and rescinded that order that had been put in place by former governor to Cherry. But Peter kill Martin who was supported by the unions and who is a Democrat. Immediately the practically the first thing he did when he came into office was to sign this the Secure Communities Act. And his justification for doing so is that he sees it as being a way of protecting the Rhode Island population from the criminal element in Latin America. Now you mention that Governor Patrick has said that he's going to have to sign this by by 2013 because it is a federal mandate. Apparently every place is going to have to sign it and so even

though there are challenges to it there was some ambivalence for a while there about if you were going to have to or not. But it's becoming clear too that the federal mandate is the people that the governments are going to have to sign on to this and so that creates a problem of. For the immigration advocates of how to deal with. With this and the problems with the Secure Communities Act are that for one thing it makes racial profiling more likely. And by that because what it calls for is that when people are arrested if the police suspect that they could be illegal then their names are run through the FBI and this and the Homeland Security. Computer basis to see if they have any kind of criminal record against them. And and to see if they're here legally and if they're here legally they can be deported.

Well if they can be deported just on reporting the arrest they're doing it on the report of an arrest not on the report of a conviction. So if they can do it on the report of an arrest that means that people who are even on fairly. Arrested can be deported based on just an accusation. Yeah this is it's a politically charged here in Massachusetts and I. People were already demonstrating in Attorney General Ken Martin's office in Rhode Island so I know that we will not be hearing the end of this anytime soon. No no. And I think it's also creating a base a power base for kill Morton already he's gotten you know a lot of letters on his website saying you know you're the real thing and Governor Chafee doesn't know what he's doing. And he's also gotten the support of Representative Peter Palumbo who's a Democrat from Cranston who's trying to pass a bill reinstating could Cherry's executive order.

At the same time though professor is this not helping to organize the political community among Latinos. Oh of course yes. Whatever whatever that we can use to do that. And this is certainly an issue that's going to get people riled up. You have to ask if they they the other side want that that kind of of riling up because with the growing population and a growing number of people who have who have their citizenship here what was just showing to be in this last election. A small but growing power supporting Governor Chafee in the next election is going to be a much stronger one because you have that basis. And right now I have this additional incentive. Well we'll have to leave it there. I thank you so much for your thoughts that you have been speaking with Rosa Maria Paris and she is an associate professor of Latin American history at the University of Rhode Island. We've been talking about how the Latino community community is

the fastest growing group in Rhode Island. Up next we're off to Wilmington Massachusetts for this week's Local made good. Stay with us. Support for WGBH comes from you and from Harvard bookstore and their author event series. You can find more details online at Harvard dot com. Harvard bookstore. Probably supporting writers Allman AKh weekday evenings at 7:55 on WGBH. And from Skinner auctioneers and appraisers of antiques and fine art you might consider auction when downsizing a home or selling a collection. 60 auctions annually 20 collecting categories Boston in Marlborough online at Skinner Inc dot com. Next time on the world concerns about the break up of Africa's largest nation and how

Northern Sudan might react to an independent South it will be very important what the reaction is in court to Rome for Bashir and his party leaders. We traveled to northern Sudan where many have mixed feelings about the break up. That's next time on the world. Coming up at 3:00 here on eighty nine point seven WGBH. Hi I'm Brian O'Donovan host of the Celtic soldier and WGBH inviting you to join singer songwriter Robbie O'Connell and Me this spring for an Irish soldier and we'll explore island's best of the West with stops in Galway. And the gifts of more we took more Abbie stopped for a pint at the famous McAfee's bar in West Cork and each night we'll sit down for a session with some of the area's based musicians spaces limited. Sign up at WGBH dot org slash learning tours. I'm Michele Norris from NPR News and you're listening to eighty nine point seven. WGBH radio. Stay with us for the bigger picture behind the day's news on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.

Coming up at 4:00 here on Boston's NPR stations for news and culture. Good afternoon I'm Kalee Crossley This is the Calla Crossley Show. It's time for our regular Monday feature local made good where we celebrate people who bring honor to New England. Joining me today is Ronald Crotty the CEO of the Wilmington based Yoona first corporation based in Wilmington Massachusetts. It's one of the country's biggest uniform manufacturers. He went undercover in his own company on the CBS reality show Undercover Boss to give out an idea of what he went through Here's a clip from the show's trailer right. I get your old car Yanks to meet you. The boss will trade in his luxury SUV and model train set. For a soon. See just real washer there you go. Welcome Ron karate. Pleasure to be here I have to say I'm a fan of this show for so many reasons and I enjoyed your episode very much it aired on

January 9th and people with on demand can go and look at and I courage them to do that. What do you think when they first approached you. Well when they first approached us we were a little concerned. But after giving it some thought I thought well you know when you're the boss and you go down to a location you get the dog and pony show they sweep the corners and all of that and we have a family culture. We have a lot of policies and procedures and systems that we have in place to turn out a quality product. And I thought well here's a great opportunity to go down and really see what is going on. Where to. Going about a 75 year old company started by your grandfather continued by your father now did you. I mean this is this is a company with roots here in Massachusetts. We are definitely a Massachusetts company as I said numerous times it started by four little immigrant Italians and it developed all the way up the line and that we're very proud of our company we went public in 1983 and we have grown every year ever since.

Well I think you should be proud given what you learned when you were undercover and when you were undercover You did not look like yourself which is a very dignified CEO looking man sitting across from me. Describe for our audience what your disguise was. Well the disguise was because of my age they said well let's go be a hippie you could think about during the 60s. So I said Oh sure. So they went and got a long haired wig and put a mustache on me and. You know it became a hippie really a Woodstock follower really that's probably the best definition I give people and it was really good I mean that we started at 3:30 or 4:30 every morning what make up. And we went to seven o'clock at night. I mean it was a long work episode and it was very enjoyable like the people I met were tremendous. I want to give our listeners a chance to hear a little bit from some of the people that you met. This is Dee Dee. She's the one SEAL cut and him operator and she's talking about how the policies make it tough to balance outside responsibilities like children and going back to school.

You're only allowed. Six tardy. In a year. And that includes if you go home early. Even though they know you've been here all day. Because you stay and you're working and you still want to party. You know I've been here for two years until I know what it why you know to feel like if you're going to be tardy one more time you're going to lose your job. Now your reaction was so strong in the show when you when you when she told you that. Yeah yeah yeahs old surprised to buy that whole thing number one when people are tardy we got a eight minute roll that you know what. They certainly get paid from the moment that they're supposed to start even though they are like I think you know I think there was a little confusion of bad weather or situations like that. We don't count anything we're just happy that you show up. So I think there was a little confusion and we went back to that location what are each our group and had meetings and sat down with people and we think we got everybody on the right track

right now. See that's the whole beauty of this because you're hearing stuff you would just never hear unless you were right there in disguise. Oh no no no question about it I mean part of the role was to get to know these people get to know their innards and what they were all looking for in life. And it was really a pleasure. I mean there that's were great people. One of the things that you said coming out of this experience is that you want your people who who regularly go and observe what's going on that you want him to get in there more and not just observe to do. I have seven vice presidents and we call it putting on the greens. They've all had to put on the greens are going to put on their greens and been assigned specific tasks to get out and look at. And there's a major difference I think this is one of the things I found out Kelly I have all these engineers and these managers doing things and they observe. And there's a big difference between doing and observing. And that's probably one of the

primary things we got out of that rather than our culture is alive and well and I think the show demonstrated the quality aspect. But our people have a goal in all that and I think that's the difference that I think you know you've got to do the job to really understand it. These people develop little nuances to do it right to do it quicker to do it here and we don't pick up on those and pass them to plant to plant. One of the things I was very impressed by was the scene that when you were dealing with a gentleman named Tony because when the dirty laundry comes and your company deals with uniforms when it comes in comes in bags and it has a knot attached on the bag and you and Tony were wrestling trying to get those knots undone. And I just want to give our listeners a little sample of what you heard from Tony he's an unloader and a sorter and he's talking about these knots which are his biggest biggest headache on the job.

So I wish I could come away. Design for New didn't have to be tied. One of my biggest headaches is getting knots out. Got to be a better way. I love that and I know you went back and said hey we got to do something because it just took you. We saw you try to unknot those bags so you knew what was the real deal was. I want you the way it starts is the customer who put your stuff in these bags around salesman pulls up from the account. He dots it then he throws it over his shoulder and those knots become so tight from him throwing it over the shoulder they become knots from hell you know and we looked at it and we've had a lot of suggestions. We currently have Velcro. We're trying that and we currently have a little plastic strap we're currently trying and that fellow Tony is going to be history metal and determining which way we go. He also helps you understand that you could he couldn't sort on the table because the bit was too much in the bag so he sort it on the floor.

KELLEY That's exactly what I was saying when I my engineers go down and write the systems and policies. You know they were looking at using a 25 35 prob bag here this guy gets a hundred pound bags you know you got to lift our problems all day up to a table. See you later. So you know that that's one of the points that there's a dirty tweet observing and doing absolutely. I'm speaking with Ronald Roddy he is the CEO of the Wilmington based Universe Corps. It's one of the country's biggest uniform manufacturers and he went undercover for the CBS reality show Undercover Boss. Here's the thing that I take away from watching you guys on the show. Boy there are some really hard workers in this country who love their jobs. I was just so impressed by that. Most definitely it's all. And that goes back to our family culture we try to bring people in like I'm part of the team. I keep a post that I watch going on a lot don't get down to that level that we'd like to see it stops.

And we work and what our supervisors to get better communications. But you know we try to build a family culture. Treat everybody fairly. Just like you would in your own family. And these people really enjoy their work. We try to instill that and make them part of a family. Now one of the things that you didn't have to fix right away that you learned about one of the other employees there had created just made up a way to do a task faster on the floor and I guess for supervisors or whatever approved that and she put it in place and showed it to you. And I was impressed by the fact as I got to tell you I worked in some places where somebody would have stolen my idea and never gave me the credit it never would have been implemented. So I'm given high praise to him ever as our supervisor because I thought that was impressive. That was my little girl Julie she was very creative a good very good person very focused on her work came up with that idea. You know obviously we wanted her for that. We took that idea we've already put it in another

place. So we really appreciate that. It's true the supervisor was a good person put it up the line the way it should be done. And that's what we want that's part of the family you know everybody wants to be recognized and everybody wants to be treated fairly. Had you watched the show before you were on it. I watched a couple of episode episodes. And you know I guess my whole motivation was to get out there about our culture and our systems and you get out there nothing is scripted and everything is off the cuff and you're flying. It's really different. But once you start working with the person you get involved with it. You don't know there's a camera there. Your focus is trying to do the job the best you can which many of my fail that means sewing I would never pass when life. Well one of the things that because you're undercover and you're all into it and you're not thinking about it you're just doing the job. It was a little scary we learned in the show that your grandfather was actually killed

in being sucked into one of these washers and you had as part of the thing you had to put some clothes into this washer and you almost got your arm caught in their head that this is true is my own stupidity I slipped and did up my arm. I let go of the sling quick enough so that my own stupidity that actually this can happen. You didn't seem you seemed a little freaked out but not totally I don't know. It wasn't as bad as it looked believe me. OK. We always like to always like to ask people what they knew before and what they knew after I mean I don't think you can go back to the job after having this experience and be kind of the same person. You know you're really can't you get appreciation. For all the people is not to say we didn't have it but you get appreciation for the communication factor that is going on within the company that we are reaching that level and that we are making that family culture and you get appreciation for all the people I mean we have 10000 people who are so dedicated working hard

and you know it's really a pleasure to the heart that these people are so honest hardworking and care about the company. So it's very pleasure. What would you say to another CEO if they are considering doing this. I think I would if I told the crew this if anybody ever called me that you know it was it worth it I would be a great advocate for it and I just can't tell people enough what a great experience it is to get down there and do it meet people in and see what's really going on in your company. Now what did you hear from your cohort of CEOs after they saw you in the show and really if they've even watched the show and seen other people go through what you did. Well I talked to a few people last time I knew before and they all kind of thought I was nuts at first. Oh really. We're going to do this.

You know after the show when they saw tonight you know you know we had a lunching or something together. He complimented me for do I call him you know really you know if you're high then you get down to your own company. You really see the difference. You know appreciate more what's going on. You know people are so concerned about the customer. And that's a culture that you build. And without that you know I could be a success down there in your own company and see what's going on it'll help you improve and do a better job with your customers. Now what about the rank and file not just the DVDs in the Jewel is in the people that you directly interact with but then you've got the rank and file members of the université. What's been have you heard from some of those in your family have gotten many e-mails and we have gotten so. Many little cards and so forth from the rank and file and some of the route people and they can't compliment me enough for going down to doing

this and the exposure the company is getting and they're so proud to be part of the company and that you know they just go back and bring in that whole team family together. One of the things I now know is what the company behind those trucks I've seen those trucks and I don't know what they were so I learned something has to do with this. Do you think that this is something your experience and you know just look at the workers and all that you experience there says something about America. Yeah it certainly certainly does I think it sends a clear message that you know if people are happy at their job they'll stay at their job they'll do a good job try to benefit the company. And then the same time benefit themselves to move up the line. We have great opportunity in our company. Plus America there's great opportunity and I use an expression to every all my people you

know if you don't love what you're doing get the hell out. And then you know what. You know these these people you know you could see and we have a very long tenure in our company. You know people are happy they love what they're doing. They take pride in what they're doing you know. You know I think one of the people I was with well I would send that out my husband would wear that garment you know that kind of attitude is prevalent and I think the American worker has great pride if they love with their doing. It's the difference between a job and loving what you're doing is not work. It's the companionship that you have the social atmosphere at work the pride you take in your work. It's not a job becomes a pleasure because part of your life. I think you know people can do that American I think a lot of people do believe that and do do it. Well Ron I think you're a pleasure. I was delighted to see your episode and I

encourage people to go look at it again if they can online. Well I appreciate it I appreciate your time with it. Pleasure being oh thank you. Thank you. I'm so proud to have been speaking with Ronald karate He's the CEO of the Wilmington based Universe Corps one of the country's biggest uniform manufacturers. He went undercover for the CBS reality show Undercover Boss. The episode aired earlier this month to learn more visit our website or log on to universe dot com. You can keep on top of the Calla Crossley Show at WGBH dot org slash Cal across Lake follow us on Twitter and become a fan of the Calla Crossley Show on Facebook. Today Show was engineered by Alan Mathis and produced by Kelsey Myers an all white knuckle baby and Abby Ruzicka. This is the Calla Crossley Show where production of WGBH radio Boston the NPR station for news and culture.