Workers' Rights: May 2008 Archives
I just saw a video on the plight of Indian guest workers working for Signal International in New Orleans. This just goes to show that we're fighting for more than just rights here. We're fighting for migrant freedom.
The Postville raid was the largest in the history of the U.S. and I'm going to keep posting on it. The other side often claims that "migrants bring wages for U.S. citizens down". Harvard economist George Borjas is often their citation of choice. I tend to see this in the same light as everything else migrants are blamed for -- healthcare, education, etc. -- migrants are straw men people hold up because they don't want to ask themselves the hard questions with all these issues.
The solution for increasing wages in the U.S. is not kicking every single migrant out, it is unionizing and collective bargaining. That's why most labor unions, like the AFL-CIO, are supportive of legalizing undocumented migrants. They know they can unionize undocumented migrants when they're legalized, and raise wages for everyone. In the meantime, they see the way U.S. immigration laws are being enforced as being counterproductive to labor. Raids are often used as a scare tactic, and employers are almost never punished for exploiting undocumented workers.
The solution for increasing wages in the U.S. is not kicking every single migrant out, it is unionizing and collective bargaining. That's why most labor unions, like the AFL-CIO, are supportive of legalizing undocumented migrants. They know they can unionize undocumented migrants when they're legalized, and raise wages for everyone. In the meantime, they see the way U.S. immigration laws are being enforced as being counterproductive to labor. Raids are often used as a scare tactic, and employers are almost never punished for exploiting undocumented workers.
Continue reading The Truth About Declining Wages Exposed in Postville.
