Thread: Illegal labor splinters nation

I posted all the related articles in one thread to make them easier to find.


www.tennessean.com

Sunday, 11/27/05

Illegal labor splinters nation

President's call for guest-worker status draws varied support, while others urge tighter borders


With the nation's borders leaking and the illegal population count bursting at the seams, Americans of all political persuasions agree: U.S. immigration policy is not working.

"This is a system desperately in need of repair," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff recently told a Senate committee.

President Bush has proposed a plan to let foreign workers, in his words, "come and work on a temporary basis if an employer can't find an American to do the job." The president â€â€

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll ... /1006/NEWS

Sunday, 11/27/05

We need the workers, and we need a legal way to manage the situation

By LINDA ROSE


Aside from fact that "guest-worker visa" is a misnomer, the notion of a temporary work visa for foreign workers is misunderstood by many Americans. Our immigration laws already provide thousands of temporary work visas for professional workers, for international transferees and for extraordinarily skilled workers. And U.S. employers rely heavily on those foreign workers.

But there is a void in our system. The immigration laws lack any meaningful temporary visa category for the workers performing lesser skilled jobs. Now, I'm not saying these are "unskilled" or unneeded workers. These are the workers with essential skills that keep the wheels of our economy rolling.

I'm referring to the workers in a four-star hotel who change your sheets every day, the workers in the Mexican restaurant who cook your food and clear your table, the workers who laid the bricks to build your beautiful home and the workers who scrub the floors and other facilities in the hospital to maintain a safe and healthy environment. You'd be surprised to know that much of that work is performed by undocumented workers.

The reason is that we have a shortage of U.S. workers willing to perform this type of work even when employers offer the going rate of pay. There simply are not enough workers to meet the demands of the workplace and the economy. So employers often rely on undocumented workers to get the work done that is essential to running a business. And when this happens, we all lose. The employer is breaking the law and risking monetary penalties, the worker is at risk of deportation, and the population at large is losing valuable tax dollars.

Now's the time for Congress to enact legislation such as the guest-worker visa. Indeed, the demand for workers is on the rise. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that by 2012, this country will create 21.3 million new jobs. And the U.S. Department of Labor predicts that the largest job growth will be primarily "essential skills" jobs â€â€

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll ... /1006/NEWS


Sunday, 11/27/05

Second-generation immigrants are young people anxious to contribute

By ITZEL BUSTAMANTE


I am a sophomore in high school who will graduate in two years without the opportunity to attend college or find a good job. There are many others like me who will have to go through this, whose dreams of higher education are truncated because of our legal status.

We, as students, try to do our best in school; we are part of this community already and would like to help even more. But because of our status, we do not have the opportunity to attend college, have a legal driver's license or work legitimately.

I have already lived in the United States for four years and would like to make my living here. I would like to have the opportunity to help in the growth and development of this country that has provided me a better life.

Being an immigrant in this country has taught me to work harder for my dreams, for my pursuit of a better life, and to study harder and do well in school. It has been a challenge for me to learn about a new culture, in a new country and with a new language. It has also been a challenge for my parents because they have had to work very hard. They are willing to learn the English language and to learn more about the responsibilities we have for living in this country.

We have come to this country in the pursuit of a life without violence, corrupt government, discrimination, loss of rights, limited opportunity for jobs and educational growth and the poverty that our home country faces today.

A good portion of our immigrant community consists of a new generation of young, talented people who have come to this country at an early age, not even knowing what was happening. Not every immigrant in this country is illegal, indigent or uneducated. There are an increasing number of students seeking an opportunity to attend college, but their dreams are cut short because of their legal status in the country.

I sincerely believe that immigration reforms could make a great difference for thousands of lives, immigration reforms that are beneficial for everybody. We have the same responsibilities as any other citizen, but we do not have the same privileges or rights; we pay taxes and help in our community. We are also willing to learn English and the lifestyle of this country, but we are restricted from going to college.

Youth and adults both are facing a cruel reality in the form of discrimination, prejudice and oppression against our culture. And the reality is that immigrants will not go away. We belong here, and are willing to serve this country and work towards a better future for the good of this nation.

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll ... /1006/NEWS


Sunday, 11/27/05

Worker program is a necessity

By STEPHEN FOTOPULOS


The current immigration system is failing all Americans. The evidence is everywhere around us: exploited workers, divided families, deaths in the desert, criminal smugglers, undocumented immigrants and increasing public frustration.

Immigrants come to this country to work â€â€

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll ... /1006/NEWS

Sunday, 11/27/05

As we seek a solution, the American laborer has got to be protected

By JACK IRBY


Virtually any day I pick up The Tennessean Business section, I find another company has announced its having either a major layoff or the total closure of a plant. I see the same announcements when viewing the local TV news. On line, the wire services usually give more details about these disappearing jobs. From this, how could anyone not be aware of what is happening?

The cold hard facts: Tennessee is loosing its good jobs at an alarming rate.




Those unemployed are then forced into competing with "guest workers" for the low paying jobs that are still available. Arriving (many illegally) from foreign countries, guest workers are hired under "temporary guest worker programs." Major barriers these workers face is the fact that most are poor and uneducated.

Recently, it was in the news that many guest workers could be found daily near Murfreesboro Road and Thompson Lane. Employers drive by early, load them in their pickup trucks and rush them to the worksite for a long, hard day's work. They are exploited by the fact that they are only paid a minimal wage and are provided with no health care. Instead of trying to help these workers, employers invest in lobbying the programs, not in labor-saving or back-saving alternatives.

For these reasons, organized labor has opposed temporary (there is nothing more "permanent" than temporary workers) guest-worker programs. John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO recently said, "Our country has a long history of failed temporary guest worker programs that hurt immigrant and domestic workers alike."

I would be remiss if I did not allude to the fact that organized labor is opposed to the guest- worker programs but is not opposed to the guest workers themselves. We believe all workers should be treated equally in the workplace.

Here is a case in point. I had a recent conversation with a worker who had just lost his job. He had worked for a man who owned a small business. His wages had been $15 per hour plus benefits. Angrily, he told me, "Can you believe that my boss actually had the nerve to ask me to train the two immigrants who were taking my job?" Later, he found out the two new guest workers were to receive $7.50 per hour. Let's see now; isn't that "two for one?" I believe it is.

This reminds me of the first time I saw the "blue light special, two for one sale" in Kmart. I was almost trampled and run over by customers pushing shopping carts, trying to reach the blue light. These employers are doing basically the same thing, only this time they're trying to get two workers for the price of one worker. This is greed at its highest level!

Why should anyone be expected to accept half of what the job pays? $7.50 per hour is not even a living wage for anyone trying to support a family. Subsequently, we see the guest workers forced to live within the multifamily concept in one house, just to be able to pay the rent. And what about their health-care costs? With no health insurance, these folks end up in hospital emergency rooms, costing all of us dearly.

Purely and simply, guest worker programs increase illegal immigration, displace Tennessee workers, and depress wages and working conditions. The availability of these foreign workers distorts the entire economy.

I'm sure we don't want to continue to see our way of life eroding before our very eyes. But if the good middle-class jobs continue to leave this country, eventually we all will be living just like the guest workers. Why should Tennesseans give up their good wages and benefits and move down to the lowest rung of the ladder? Why should the guest workers continue to be exploited and abused? We should not, and they should not.

The burden is on us all to establish and enforce guest-worker programs which will protect both foreign and domestic workers alike. If we fail to do this, our destiny will then be to become a third world country.

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll ... 5511270327

Sunday, 11/27/05

Americans would pay dearly for it

By THERESA HARMON


Guest workers are, supposedly, non-immigrants who are admitted to the U.S., often for a considerable amount of time, to work for specific employers. Most often, these workers are legally or practically unable to change the terms of employment or to switch employers and are, in effect, captive workers.

Whenever the topic of another guest-worker program is brought up in conversation, someone invariably trots out the old adage about a head of lettuce being $5 without these workers. Farmers perennially claim that if they do not have either illegal aliens or captive guest workers, American agriculture could not function, however the artificial inflation of the low-skilled agricultural labor market has encouraged farmers to plant more labor-intensive crops and has retarded the technological progress of American agriculture.

In March 2003, there were 8.8 million native-born adults without a high school education who were employed and 1.3 million unemployed. There is a good deal of evidence that these Americans are in direct competition with Mexican immigrants â€â€

Not every immigrant in this country is illegal, indigent or uneducated.

They STILL don't GET IT! We are not WORRIED about THAT SMALL group of people. They are welcome to avail themselves of the opportunities provided by our country. It is the ILLEGAL variety that we have a problem with. This student says he has been here for four years and he just wants to contribute to our country. What he DOESN'T say is that he is here availing himself of OUR LARGESSE ILLEGALLY. So, if he wants so badly to contribute to our country, there is a simple way to do so--go back to his country of origin and start the LEGAL process. VERY SIMPLE. VERY EASY!