Thread: Miami Moves To Block Foreign Workers

At least this is a start now if they would include illegals it would make an even bigger difference.

http://cbs4.com/defede/marc.sarnoff.wor ... 44812.html

DeFede: Miami Moves To Block Foreign Workers(CBS4) ―

The Miami City Commission Thursday said it would hold employers accountable if they try and hire foreign workers under the H2B visa program.

The move comes in response to a CBS4 News investigation that showed how foreign sheet metal workers were brought into the country for a major construction project in Bal Harbour, even though there are more than a thousand unemployed sheet metal workers in South Florida.

"It seems to me it would be an easy discussion to say City of Miami projects should absolutely limit or preclude the use of H2B visas," said Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, who asked for the item to be discussed. "It seems to me we were elected here and we are obligated first to find Floridians jobs, South Floridians jobs and City of Miami [residents] jobs."

Added Commissioner Tomas Regalado: "We should boycott places that use this kind of employment just to send the message."

The H2B visa program has been around since the mid Eighties. It allows companies to bring in foreign workers for temporary, non-agriculture related jobs but only if there are no Americans available to do the work. Congress caps the number of visas at 66,000.

Unfortunately, as CBS4 News discovered, the rules governing the program are rarely enforced and even when they are, they are still written in such a way as to favor employers.

For instance, employers are required to try and find American workers by advertising the jobs in the local newspaper. But the federal rules don't say when the ads need to be run and can come at the end of a narrow ten day recruitment period – leaving the American worker with no time to apply. This was the case with the St. Regis project in Bal Harbour where the company, CYVSA International, waited until the final days of the recruitment period to notify the union and place their ads. By the time the American sheet metal workers submitted their resumes, the deadline passed and the job was closed off to them. Click Here to read: Jim DeFede's exclusive investigation .

"Let's put it frankly," said Fred Frost, president of the South Florida AFL-CIO, who, along with more than 100 unemployed construction workers attended Thursday's hearing, "it's about maximizing profits for corporations at the expense of the American worker."

Larry Stewart, head of the local sheet metal union, thanked CBS4 News for exposing the problem. "I would like to publicly thank Channel 4 and Jim DeFede for bringing this to light," he told commissioners.

Commissioners were told how foreign workers are recruited in their home country and forced to pay fees to the companies to come to the United States. And once here, they are unable to complain about conditions or wages for fear of having their visas revoked.

Some commissioners, however, were uncomfortable weighing in on a federal immigration issue.

"The issue is a federal government issue," said Commissioner Angel Gonzalez, "But I do think we can pass a resolution urging the Congress to initiate an investigation on the misuse of this visa also to reduce the amount of visas that are being issued every year."

As CBS4 News has reported, Congress is expected to take up the issue of H2B visas in the coming weeks.

"I think this problem with H2B visas is something that the federal government should be addressing and should be addressing very quickly," agreed Commission Chairman Joe Sanchez. "Now what can we do as local government?"

Sanchez said the commission should demand fair employment language in all of its contracts

The danger for the city is that barring firms that use H2B visas could be too sweeping. Even critics of the H2B visa program acknowledge there is a need in some communities and in some industries for H2B workers. Sarnoff said the city has every right to oversee how it spends taxpayer money.

"We as a City of Miami when we contract to spend your tax dollars we the same freedom to contract rights as anyone else," Sarnoff said. "We can chose who we contract with. We can insure that American workers get American jobs. That's our obligation to the citizenry. That's our obligations to the taxpayers and we better be held accountable to do that."

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

GOOD FOR THEM!!! Now if the rest of the states would follow suit.

Now if more would follow.

No ... you people are confused.. When you think Miami ~ Think Cuban's with Wet Foot Dry Foot Policy

They are talking about Cuban's that want to Ban Illegal Aliens

Many Americans of Latino ancestry do not support illegals.

Go Miami, more power to you for gving your jobs to hard working Americans!