Thread: Will Texas And Florida Really Need Immigrant Labor To Rebuild?

Posted By Will Racke On 3:28 PM 10/13/2017

As Texas and Florida begin the arduous journey of rebuilding in the wake of devastating hurricanes, immigration advocates and some business groups are insisting that a surge of immigrant labor will be needed to do the job.

The claim is based on a supposed nationwide labor shortage, particularly in the building industries. As evidence for the shortage, journalists frequently cite the National Association of Home Builders, which says that three-quarters of its members are experiencing moderate to severe difficulty in finding enough carpenters, drywall installers, framing crews and other construction workers.

In an editorial published Thursday, the Houston Chronicle picked up on those claims, arguing that bringing “undocumented [immigrants] out of the shadows” is the best way to furnish the city with the workers it needs to rebuild after Hurricane Harvey. The Chronicle quoted a local construction company owner, who worried if there would be enough immigrants to hire:

“Before Harvey, we were facing an extreme shortage of workers,” he said. “I don’t know where we’re going to get the workers, legal or undocumented, to rebuild our city.”

Houston won’t have to look very far, says Steve Camarota, the research director at the Center for Immigration Studies. As it turns out, Texas is home to hundreds of thousands of low-skilled, native-born men who are currently not in the labor force.

Camarota crunched data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ current population survey and found that, in the first half of 2017, there were 559,000 native-born men ages 18 to 29 without a college degree not working in Texas. The story was much the same in Florida, which had 367,000 similarly situated men.

These unemployed men constitute an enormous pool of potential workers that could be hired for building jobs in Texas and Florida without resorting to guest worker programs or illegal immigrant labor, according to Camarota.

“The large amount of federal funding that is likely to flow to these states for rebuilding efforts offers a real opportunity to retrain and draw some of these young men (and women) into the labor force,” he wrote Thursday in a blog post.

Groups calling for more immigrant workers in the rebuilding effort often emphasize the construction industry’s dependence on cheap foreign labor. The American Immigration Council (AIC), a nonprofit funded by the American Immigration Lawyers Association, reported last month that immigrants occupy about 40 percent of construction jobs in Texas and about 30 percent in Florida. As builders gear up to replace destroyed homes, offices and schools, they will have no choice but to keep hiring immigrants to meet the extra burden, AIC claims.

“Immigrants — documented and undocumented alike — will be desperately needed for these recovery efforts,” the group wrote in September.

Camarota disputed that assertion, noting that a total of 260,000 native-born Americans already work as carpenters or construction laborers in Texas and Florida, with thousands more that could be recruited from prime working-age men who are out of the labor force.

“Bringing in foreign workers is one of the main ways immigration lawyers make their money, of course, so it is not surprising that they would disregard the enormous number of Americans who could be put to work in these states doing hurricane cleanup and rebuilding,” he wrote.

‘The idea that no American does this kind of work in these states is simply wrong,” Camarota added.

http://dailycaller.com/2017/10/13/wi...or-to-rebuild/

This makes me angry. Years ago many young men went into construction and made lots of money. But then the illegal workers gradually took over so to be competitive soon all construction companies hired them. Gone on so long hardly anyone thinks anything of it. We have the workers but it's about cheap labor...simple as that.

Originally Posted by Jean

This makes me angry. Years ago many young men went into construction and made lots of money. But then the illegal workers gradually took over so to be competitive soon all construction companies hired them. Gone on so long hardly anyone thinks anything of it. We have the workers but it's about cheap labor...simple as that.

You're absolutely right. Back in the day I'd say the average wage for construction workers was around $15.00 to $17.00 an hour. Now I think most of the immigrant workers are earning around $ 9.00 to $12.00 an hour and the work is of a lower quality.

Undocumented (Illegal) Workers In Construction


by Michael Stone

It is estimated that 5% of the U.S. work force, and 14 - 25% of construction workers are illegal aliens. (It's politically correct to call them undocumented workers, but let's get real, they are undocumented because they are here illegally.)

The booming housing industry in the past few years has been cited as one reason so many illegals are in construction - and you frequently hear, "they are doing work that U.S. citizens won't do." Baloney. If you are in construction, you know that's not true.

Remember when most of our clothing was made in the U.S.? Manufacturers discovered they could find workers outside the country who would work for less. How about the automobile industry? Many cars purchased in the U.S. are either completely assembled outside the U.S., or parts are manufactured outside the U.S., because labor outside the country is cheaper.

In the construction industry (and other industries with a strong illegal work force, such as agriculture and janitorial services), it is impossible to send the work to other countries, so instead of exporting the work, we import the workers. Or rather, we look the other way when they come in the country.

Just like the textile and automobile industries, these workers are doing work that U.S. citizens are willing and able to do. In the construction industry, they are hired under the table by unethical contractors who can charge much less for their work because their labor costs are lower. Contractors who follow the law, who document all workers, pay all payroll taxes and worker's compensation insurance, are penalized.

This ain't the way it's supposed to be. Legal U.S. workers should have first shot at all jobs, and all employers should be required to follow the law. That's why it's called the law.

If you agree, call your lawmakers. They need to know what you think. Call, because allowing illegal workers to continue to work will hurt your business.

https://www.markupandprofit.com/blog...s-construction

Will Texas And Florida Really Need Immigrant Labor To Rebuild?

OH HELL NO!! Just advertise, recruit, put it on Fox and Friends, pay travel expenses, pay a good wage and Americans will show up in droves, and call the unions, they know how to get workers to the jobs!!!

No...every able bodied person on welfare and foods stamps needs to go to work.

Cut off the benefits.

More left wing propaganda.

10 years ago, construction was a middle class job earning $60 - $80 an hour.

No labor shortage at all. Today, illegal alien laborers have taken over the industry
at cheap wages $8 - $12 hr.

15 years ago, landscaping was a $25 - $30 hr job. No labor shortages. Today illegal alien laborers have taken over the industry at below minimum wage.

10 years ago; commercial painting was $50 - $60 hr job, no labor shortages. Today, illegal alien laborers have taken over the industry at below minimum wage.

My brother owned a commercial painting company and forced out of business because he refused to hire illegal laborers.

Even today, Democrats argue, we need illegal aliens to pick our crops and do the jobs Americans will not do. This is nothing but lies!

Today, illegal aliens are no longer picking crops as they have all moved up and taken over middle class jobs, leaving Americans unemployed.

Originally Posted by lorrie

More left wing propaganda.

10 years ago, construction was a middle class job earning $60 - $80 an hour.

No labor shortage at all. Today, illegal alien laborers have taken over the industry
at cheap wages $8 - $12 hr.

15 years ago, landscaping was a $25 - $30 hr job. No labor shortages. Today illegal alien laborers have taken over the industry at below minimum wage.

10 years ago; commercial painting was $50 - $60 hr job, no labor shortages. Today, illegal alien laborers have taken over the industry at below minimum wage.

My brother owned a commercial painting company and forced out of business because he refused to hire illegal laborers.

Even today, Democrats argue, we need illegal aliens to pick our crops and do the jobs Americans will not do. This is nothing but lies!

Today, illegal aliens are no longer picking crops as they have all moved up and taken over middle class jobs, leaving Americans unemployed.

Must have been California wages.

Originally Posted by MW

Must have been California wages.

CA, NJ and PA