More Thoughts on Bush’s Immigration Plan
While I’m on the subject of Bush’s immigration plan, lemme just say my initial impressions of it leave a bad taste in my mouth (figuratively, of course). Leaving aside the military stuff and my general distrust of anything that George Bush does, this feels like a subversive way to legalize something that really should be illegal.
And by that I’m not referring to immigration. Although I sympathize with the conservative “cutting in line” argument, I really think that if somebody is willing to bust their ass doing manual labor for criminally low wages, then they’ve earned their entry. Hell, they’ve worked much harder to achieve the “American Dream” than I ever have and will. Besides, if they’re already here and working, why not make them pay taxes and such?
No, what I’m afraid of is that this is a sneaky attempt to legalize a whole segment of the labor market that should be illegal. When conservatives harp about illegal workers, they always act is if it’s the workers who are the bad guys here, when the real bad guys are employers who have been working around the system of worker protections that have been getting put in place for the last hundred years. These workers are making below minimum wage, aren’t getting benefits or overtime pay, work in hazardous environments, aren’t allowed to form a union, etc. Is this what Bush wants to legalize?
Y’see it’s a simple supply/demand thing here. The only reason there are so many illegal workers over here is because there’s a tremendous demand for their services. Bush said as much when he announced the policy :
- Allowing undocumented workers, who make up an unknown percentage of the approximately 8 million illegal immigrants now in the United States, to work legally here would benefit all Americans, Bush argued. He said it would make the nation’s borders more secure by allowing officials to focus more on the real threats to the country and would meet U.S. employers’ dire need for workers willing to take the low-wage, low-skill jobs unwanted by many Americans.
Of course, the reason these jobs are unwanted is because it’s nearly impossible to make a living off a low-wage job.
I’m convinced that if businesses were forced to adhere to the labor laws that are already on the books, this wouldn’t be a problem. Instead, we’ve got a domino-effect where one employer breaks the law (ie. Wal-Mart) and is able to undercut the competition so much that the business community makes the argument that the need to break the law in order to stay competitive. This is the “dire need” that Bush is referring to.
Maybe we really are living in Bizarro World. Where else would a government respond to rampant law-breaking by loosening the laws instead of enforcing them?
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I think you’re confusing cause and effect here. Wal-Mart success is what led to their exploitation of migrant workers, not the other way around. Their ability to work with enormous volume is what led to their ability to charge low prices, and their need to perpetuate and build on their successes is what led the company to seek out cheaper labor. You’re right, thought, that management does need to be reined in. The biggest worry we should have is that employers would exploit their migrant workers, using the threat of revoking their work visas as blackmail. Now that migrant workers will no longer need to fear going to the cops, the government should make it illegal for employers to use an employees’ immigration status as any kind of bargaining chip. Further, charges of that nature should be overseen by the Equal Opportunity Employment Comission, and victims should be able to seek punitive damages.
In a large number (probably a majority)of these cases, money these employees make is going to Mexico whether we have immigration reform or not. Let’s not imagine that it isn’t. This immigration reform will just make it easier for many of our neighbors from Mexico to improve their lives there, and maybe, in the long run, it’s better in terms of immigration to have a healthy, vital Mexico from where fewer people will feel it necessary to immigrate.
Comment by Earnest — January 9, 2004 @ 12:19 am
If Bush’s efforts were paired with meaningful Minimum wage increases and enforcement of labor standards, then he might have something. As it stands he’s just legitimizing cheap, non-union labor for corporate consumption.
Comment by Darth Jittery — January 9, 2004 @ 4:57 am
There need be no minimum wage reforms– California’s is already at least a third higher than most of the rest of the country’s minimum wage. You just have to increase purchasing power, and if Californians allow Wal-Mart in, then that will happen automatically. Between 99 Cent Stores and Wal-Mart, California’s immigrant labor force would be pretty well off. The 99 Cent Store’s most profitable location is its Beverly Hills location. The rich already know how to maximize their purchaisng power– it’s time for the poor to figure it out.
Comment by Earnest — January 9, 2004 @ 6:35 am
so, let’sget this straight. employers have a fresh crop of labor every three years? no one can legally stay long enough to get any tenure or demand serious pay raises or benefits? and i dont have to worry about ins breathing down my neck?
sounds like a winner.
Comment by josh — January 9, 2004 @ 8:27 am
Earnest,
I don’t think it’s as easy as you state for the poor to maximize their purchasing power. The sad thing is that it takes money to maximize your purchasing power. Lets say for instance I want to buy a gallon of milk. I have a car, I can go to any store in seattle to buy milk. I probably won’t drive 10 miles to buy one gallon, but I will drive 10 miles to do all my grocery shopping if it does save me a good amount of money. Now lets say I don’t have a car. Most likely I’ll be living in a neighborhood with many other people who don’t as well. We’re limited in the places that we can shop. It seems silly that things would be more expensive in poorer neighborhoods, but that’s the way it works. You can also combine this with my ability to buy things mail order, over the internet, etc that some one of lower finacial means just don’t have. The result is that it’s hard to maximize your power unless you have the money to do so, or can organize a large group of people to work together.
Comment by andrew — January 9, 2004 @ 9:29 am