Word: cofferati
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...good news traveled fast. As a leftist, Bologna's incoming mayor Sergio Cofferati was sure to be a friend to the city's most marginalized. And so an illegal encampment of Roma refugees on the city's outskirts began attracting new residents. "Word was spreading," recalls Bologna immigration chief Fausto Amelii, "that the new administration was going to take care of them...
...Cofferati was indeed a friend, he turned out to be the kind who tells you what you don't want to hear - in this case, "Camp closed!" In 2005, nine months after his election, the mayor ordered the swift dismantling of the encampment, plus checks on the legal status of its 120 occupants and an inspection of all unofficial housing in Bologna. The city of 373,000 helped families find temporary accommodation, but made legalità a top priority...
...tough stance shocked longtime allies of Cofferati, 59, a rising star of the Italian left after 12 years leading the country's biggest labor syndicate, CGIL. But he says demanding that immigrants obey the law is simply part of his job. "Some people seem to think that legality and security are only issues for the right," Cofferati tells TIME. "But, in today's society, governing means helping create the best conditions for different people from different backgrounds to live together without conflict...
...locals seem to agree, with a recent poll putting the mayor's approval rating at 56%. That's because Cofferati's get-tough approach is coupled with a progressive policy toward legal immigrants. For its foreign residents, the city provides housing assistance, Italian-language courses, psychological counseling and walk-in help desks in native languages for bureaucratic questions. But the greatest boon to new arrivals is plentiful work - Bologna's 2.6% unemployment rate is among Italy's lowest...
...bothered by his conflicts of interest. A graver threat is the imminent showdown with CGIL, the country's largest labor union, over the government's efforts to trim Italy's job-protection benefits. While two more moderate unions agreed to a labor-reform package Friday, CGIL chief Sergio Cofferati wants a referendum on the issue and vowed to call a general strike in the fall. But Berlusconi might prevail here too. His party and its allies in the National Alliance have an overwhelming majority in the ruling coalition that shields them from the whims of smaller, less predictable partners...