Thread: Firms watch migrant bill

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Firms watch migrant bill
Employers worry about effects on local businesses

Jonathan J. Higuera
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 4, 2006 12:00 AM

With Congress set to hammer out a new federal immigration bill starting next week, some local business owners welcome the effort but remain wary that any bill will meets their needs.

For employers who rely on immigrant labor, the most sought-after provisions are a guest-worker program and providing a path to legalization for millions undocumented residents already here. They also cited the need for stronger border security and fraud-resistant identification cards that would allow them to verify who is authorized to work here.

"There's an awful lot that has happened in the last few months to make this as poignant an issue as it has become," said Steve Chucri, president of the Arizona Restaurant and Hospitality Association, referring to the past few months of immigrant marches and boycotts and a prime-time address to the nation by President Bush. "In an election year, to walk away and do nothing would be a disservice."

"We're at a crossroads," added Ken Ward, director of human resources at Eurofresh Farms, the largest grower of hothouse tomatoes in the U.S. with most of its operations in southern Arizona.

"It (immigration reform) really needs to be done."

The Senate bill passed last week includes a guest-worker program and an earned legalization provision. But the House bill has neither and requires all undocumented workers to leave the country.

"There has to be some negotiation on the idea of earned citizenship," said Dan Prochaska, who owns a local landscape firm. "I don't consider it amnesty if they have to pay a fine, back taxes and go to the back of the line."

He added his workers are fine with provisions that require them to learn English, U.S. civics and other provisions noted in the bills.

"These guys want nothing more than to learn English and civics and make a life here," he said. "Many have kids here. It's unrealistic to ask them to go back."

A guest-worker program would allow workers to come and go and not give up their ties to Mexico, which would be a good thing, said Candice Nagel, co-owner of bar and restaurant Aunt Chilada's at Squaw Peak.

She recalled her childhood living in government camps in Avondale where bracero workers also lived during seasonal stints picking crops. From 1942 to 1964, more than 4 million Mexican citizens participated in the bracero program, sanctioned by the U.S. and Mexico governments. It allowed Mexican citizens to legally come to the U.S. for temporary work in agriculture.

"The immigrants wanted to come, work and go home," she said. "It was a good thing."

It would be far better to be able to allow undocumented immigrants to come out of the shadows so the government knows who is here and give credit to those who have contributed to the U.S. economy, Eurofresh's Ward said.

"If people have proven by their performance that they have been model guests, it's to the country's benefit to go with someone who essentially has a track record," he said.

Employers in both the construction and restaurant industries say they are facing labor shortages and foreign-born workers, both legal and illegal, have helped fill those labor needs. The National Association of Home Builders expects the need for new construction workers to grow by 200,000 annually. They also estimate that foreign-born workers make up at least 23 percent of the industry's workforce nationally.

The Pew Hispanic Center estimated earlier this year that Arizona had 400,000 to 450,000 undocumented immigrants living here as of March 2005. No reliable statistics exist on what percentage of the state's workforce they represent. But certain industries seem to have a larger share than others: construction trades, restaurants, hotels, landscaping and janitorial positions.

The state's rapid population growth has led to it being among the nation's top job creators during the past decade. The home-building industry has been particularly robust, with nearly 65,000 new homes built in the Valley last year.

The restaurant industry in Arizona employs more than 200,000 people and there's an ongoing need for more workers, Chucri said.

"You can't go a mile down the road with seeing a help-wanted sign in a restaurant," he said.



Contact the reporter at jonathan.higuera@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8831.

How did they survive 20 years ago? The fact that they are LOW WAGE EMPLOYEES should DISCOURAGE ANY BILL.

They COST MORE THAN THEY PAY OUT IN TAXES !!!!!!!!!!

GRRRRRRRRRRRRR


At the very least, no CITIZENSHIP (no SSI, SCHOOL etc.......)

NO FREE HOSPITAL COVERAGE.