Increasing American Wages Act
October 10th 2007 06:52
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the only socialist in the U.S. Senate, introduced the “Increasing American Wages and Benefits Act” on September 26, 2007. The Act requires employers to hire American workers at higher wages before hiring guest-workers under what is called the H-2B program, a temporary program allowing foreign workers who are less-skilled to work in the U.S. in non-agricultural roles.
The Act also gives the Department of Labor the “explicit authority” to enforce labor law violations “pertaining to the H-2B program,” according to statements Sanders made while introducing the Act.
During Sanders introduction he read letters from several labor organizations. The Act has widespread support among U.S. labor organizations, including the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the United Food and Commercial Workers’ (UFCW), the United Farmworkers of America (UFA), and the Farmworkers Support Committee (FSC).
The letter from the AFL-CIO stated that the Act would “strengthen necessary labor protections within the H-2B seasonal non-agricultural guest-worker program.” The letter pointed out that “employers and recruiters who seek to import seasonal workers through this program have all too often engaged in questionable tactics and subjected workers to exploitation. This exploitation often goes undetected because the investigative and enforcement mechanisms of the H-2B program are largely non-existent."
“It is clear that the current temporary non-immigrant programs have not worked as intended and it is long past the time for reform,” the UFCW declared. The letter went on to say that “many of the workers have been subjected to exploitation.”
Research the Farmworker Justice organization conducted led them to “conclude that substantial reforms of the program are needed.” The organization supports the Act as a result and hopes “that Congress enacts it immediately.”
The Farmworkers Support Committee pointed out in its letter that the Act does not “address the portability of jobs to eliminate worker vulnerability under the current law,” or develop a “mechanism for H-2B workers to achieve permanent residence.” However, they support the Act as “decisive step forward for human rights.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a civil rights law firm based in Montgomery, Alabama, supports the Act. The SPLC released a report in March titled “Close to Slavery” about guest-worker abuse. The report is based on interviews with thousands of guest-workers, legal cases, and research. According to the report, guest-workers are underpaid, forced to pay to work temporary jobs in the U.S., held as virtual captives by their employers, live in squalid conditions, and denied medical care for on-the-job-injuries. The report characterizes the guest-worker program as “a modern-day system of indentured servitude.”
“Close to Slavery” pointed out that guest-workers start out in debt ranging from $500 to over $10,000. In addition, many have to pay interest on their debt. Guest-workers are required under U.S. laws to be reimbursed for some of their travel costs, but “in practice it is rare…most struggle to repay their debt, while interest accrues.” When an employer does not offer the amount of work hours promised, the debt can be an insurmountable obstacle.
The “fundamental problem” with U.S. guest-worker programs, according to “Close to Slavery,” is that the decision whether the worker can come to the U.S. to work rests with the employer and not the worker. The employer also decides whether the worker stays or leaves upon arrival to the U.S.
The Act also gives the Department of Labor the “explicit authority” to enforce labor law violations “pertaining to the H-2B program,” according to statements Sanders made while introducing the Act.
During Sanders introduction he read letters from several labor organizations. The Act has widespread support among U.S. labor organizations, including the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the United Food and Commercial Workers’ (UFCW), the United Farmworkers of America (UFA), and the Farmworkers Support Committee (FSC).
The letter from the AFL-CIO stated that the Act would “strengthen necessary labor protections within the H-2B seasonal non-agricultural guest-worker program.” The letter pointed out that “employers and recruiters who seek to import seasonal workers through this program have all too often engaged in questionable tactics and subjected workers to exploitation. This exploitation often goes undetected because the investigative and enforcement mechanisms of the H-2B program are largely non-existent."
“It is clear that the current temporary non-immigrant programs have not worked as intended and it is long past the time for reform,” the UFCW declared. The letter went on to say that “many of the workers have been subjected to exploitation.”
Research the Farmworker Justice organization conducted led them to “conclude that substantial reforms of the program are needed.” The organization supports the Act as a result and hopes “that Congress enacts it immediately.”
The Farmworkers Support Committee pointed out in its letter that the Act does not “address the portability of jobs to eliminate worker vulnerability under the current law,” or develop a “mechanism for H-2B workers to achieve permanent residence.” However, they support the Act as “decisive step forward for human rights.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a civil rights law firm based in Montgomery, Alabama, supports the Act. The SPLC released a report in March titled “Close to Slavery” about guest-worker abuse. The report is based on interviews with thousands of guest-workers, legal cases, and research. According to the report, guest-workers are underpaid, forced to pay to work temporary jobs in the U.S., held as virtual captives by their employers, live in squalid conditions, and denied medical care for on-the-job-injuries. The report characterizes the guest-worker program as “a modern-day system of indentured servitude.”
“Close to Slavery” pointed out that guest-workers start out in debt ranging from $500 to over $10,000. In addition, many have to pay interest on their debt. Guest-workers are required under U.S. laws to be reimbursed for some of their travel costs, but “in practice it is rare…most struggle to repay their debt, while interest accrues.” When an employer does not offer the amount of work hours promised, the debt can be an insurmountable obstacle.
The “fundamental problem” with U.S. guest-worker programs, according to “Close to Slavery,” is that the decision whether the worker can come to the U.S. to work rests with the employer and not the worker. The employer also decides whether the worker stays or leaves upon arrival to the U.S.
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