On the list today of no-brainer questions and answers: If you are an undocumented immigrant, would you trust the Chamber of Commerce or the AFL-CIO to look after your interests. Ok, on to a tougher question…
The attempt to rewrite immigration laws to, from my perspective, to be more humane and allow people the right to work and live in the country without fear, is running into an obstacle, mainly over wage formulas. This is via The Wall Street Journal:
Wages for those workers have proven more difficult to negotiate. The Chamber said it would support the formula government agencies currently use to calculate wages for low-skilled workers who come to the U.S. under a temporary visa program. That would ensure that immigrants were paid similar wages to their American colleagues, according to the Chamber.
Under that formula, employers who use guest workers are required to pay them the highest of four different rates, which include the federal and state minimum wages, as well as wages calculated based on the industry and location.
Wages for those workers have proven more difficult to negotiate. The Chamber said it would support the formula government agencies currently use to calculate wages for low-skilled workers who come to the U.S. under a temporary visa program. That would ensure that immigrants were paid similar wages to their American colleagues, according to the Chamber.
Under that formula, employers who use guest workers are required to pay them the highest of four different rates, which include the federal and state minimum wages, as well as wages calculated based on the industry and location.
Organized labor was pushing for an alternate calculation that would yield higher wages. On Friday the AFL-CIO said on Friday it attempted to offer a compromise with language that said,“visas will be issued only when the employment of foreign workers will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly situated workers in the United States.” It was rejected by Republicans in the bipartisan Senate group, according to a labor official. [emphasis added]
What the AFL-CIO is recognizing is simple: minimum wages are not living wages. In fact, in many respects, the minimum wage is a poverty-level wage when people are trying to make ends meet because, certainly for the federal minimum wage, it’s far lower than what it should be based on productivity increases over the past 30 years. The Chamber’s position simply tries to impose more economic robbery.
