We should be outraged: Guest worker programs mean slavery and exploitation

I keep hearing more and more horrible stories about these guest worker programs.  Any conscienable citizen of this country should be outraged about this.  After I read this editorial by David Bacon I heard two news stories illustrating exactly the concerns he expressed in his article.

A story on PBS' News Hour last night about the shortage of workers on the Gulf coast reported that a company called Signal International uses a guest worker program to import 300 workers from India.  From a press release on their website,

"to make up for chronic labor shortages, Signal has... turned to a US Government guest worker program known as H2B. Visas are issued by the overseas US Consulates after a comprehensive background check of each foreign worker who applies, by the US Department of Homeland Security.  Once visas are granted the guest workers may come to the US and work for 10 months"

The PBS report included this segment [please note that this wasn't even the main topic of the story, as outrageous and enfuriating as it is which meant I had a hard time finding it this morning].  I transcribed the following two paragraphs from the audio clip available on their website:

"The Indian workers live in housing inside the shipyard. They have to pay room and board.  The company wouldn't let us shoot there, nor would they provide a representative for an on camera interview but off camera a Signal vice-president told us they also use hundreds of workers provided by labor contractors including many guest workers from Mexico.

The Mexican workers about 300 of them live in a fenced in compound in a site that's near the shipyard.  When we started to interview the workers, the labor contractor that brought them in, Knights Marine and Industrial Services, told us to leave.  They refused to answer any questions.  The workers live in wooden sheds without windows, plumbing or insulation.  They sleep in bunk beds six to a cabin, where they store food.  These pictures were taken and provided to us by workers who asked to remain anonymous saying they feared retribution"

The second news story I heard that illustrated the terrible exploitation of workers under guest worker programs came on NPRs Morning edition.  Again the story was framed not as a story about guest worker programs but as an isolated incident.  The title of the NPR story is "Guatemalan Immigrants Sue over Job Switch".  As if this type of thing isn't inherent in a program that creates a modern day caste system. 

I am so outraged over this, that not only such programs exist as ways for companies to return to 19th century exploitation of labor but also that the mainstream media is not reporting on it like they should.

A Google news search for "guest worker programs" turns up mostly news stories about Bush's plan and only a handful of editorials on the subject, mostly from a few years ago.  The one recent editorial I found is from the Des Moines Register on why guest worker programs are a bad idea.  The Christian Science Monitor had an editorial in 2004, Past has cautionary lessons for guest worker programs, which provides some history on guest worker programs, and in 2003 David Bacon had another article on Znet Is a New Bracero Program in our future? Other editorials such as this one from the Washington Post don't even mention the human cost of such programs.

This is a perfect example of an issue where bloggers can play a role in raising awareness about a horrible social justice issue today.  We need to raise an outcry about this.  Demand that the media cover these stories explicitly.  It is outrageous that companies can use these programs to get around all the privileges and protections workers have organized around and struggled for since the 19th century. 

If you have a blog, please post about this.  If you have a local news paper, write a letter to the editor.  Write your local television and radio news stations; tell them to cover these stories.  People need to be informed.  If we let the people in this country know that this is what guest worker programs are that this is the kind of treatment that happens under guest worker programs, then we can make an informed decision about whether we want this country to allow such things.  How can we complain about people coming to this country illegally when this is what could happen to them if they come legally???  Is this the way to encourage legal immigration??? 

Until we get rid of exploitative programs such as these, I don't want to hear any right-wingers complaining about illegal immigration.  Bullshit.  This country is NOT about slavery and exploitation any more.  This country is supposed to be about freedom and opportunity and justice for all.  If you believe in that, then do something about this!  Say NO to guest worker programs.

Comments

[Margaret]

I haven't been keeping up on current legislation around immigration and guestworker programs. Is there a guest worker program being seriously considered right now? I know pres bush and friends have been talking about it but I am not sure where they are at at making it a reality. Do you know? Even if no legislation is being considered at this time, it is still a good idea to increase awareness on this subject. I have been planning to have lunch with my state's Hispanic Commissioner, I will make sure to bring it up with her. Know that I completely agree with you. I have spent enough time working and living with the undocumented in this country to know that guest workers programs are a bad idea. Thanks again for your posts on this.

[barb]

I haven't heard of any details yet. The most recent is Bush's reference in his state of the union address to supporting and wanting to expand guestworker programs in general (we already have SOME right now). If I find out any details on specific programs I'll be sure to post about it. I'd be interested in hearing what your commissioner's take on this is too.

[Tony]

hello Barbe..Margaret.. I am from Romania..and I am currently legally working on an H2B extension status.
what this means is that I came to the united states with an H2B visa from Romania. and upon it's expiry...our so called "contractor" that takes in thousands of dollars just to submit my paperworks to the INS..filed in a new petition in collaboration with one of the hotels they do business with.I am working currently now in Florida..and the exploitation of foreign workers at hotels..(like me) are simply outrageous. The simple reason why foreigners especially from eastern Europe like me love America..is that we view America as a land of opportunity and a place of cultural diversity. and believe it or not..all US embassies very easily approve visas for such work programs.I have tried applying for H1B(professional work) visa based on my training i received at the university ,which is Industrial management. My application wasn't accepted. BUT the moment i applied for an H2B guest worker visa..I was immediately approved.Of course after spending almost $2000 to the contractor here in the states.there is no H2B worker from Europe or south America or the other "famous" h2b countries coming here..coming here with the intention of terrorism.But yet I am terrorized by the hotel i work for. I do housekeeping. me and my friends. We are being yelled at like goats everyday every morning. We do perfect jobs everyday...but still we make $7 per hour! and can hardly make ends meet!.this is a 4 diamond hotel!I really don't know who to turn to for help.I love this country and simply want to be treated normally ...not even perfectly..but just normal.I am ready to start gathering evidence..pictures and audio pretty soon. I would love to get out of this cesspool.I want to stay legal here and work something professional..but I simply can't apply. i am not allowed to submit my resume anywhere here.The regional manager here rides the latest BMW ..while we suffer and labor for the profit of this so called hotel and resort lol. he never comes to ask us..how are we doing? how is work? just to show some little friendliness..he even can't do that cos of his arrogance. We are tied by the law here. and its because of that people quit and remain illegal here and stop paying taxes, engage in crime and leading to other unnecessary misdemeanors. if anyone knows any lawyer here that deals with these cases..please let me know.

[Patrick]

We currently use guest workers from South Africa at our company. We are a seasonal business and have gone this route to try and attract a better class of people. The Carnival Industry needs this program and with out it we can not provide a safe environment for our guests.

We decided to use this program because we have grown to need a much larger staff then we did just a few years ago. I know most people think carnivals will hire anyone but that is not the case with our company. We are very strict and will not take anyone with a criminal record other then traffic violations, they must pass regular drug testing and must have graduated High School. Last year we were short 10 people all summer long. Many weeks we used places like Labor Ready and Day Labor. We were told last fall that these companies would no longer supply us with any staff because of the liability issues. We even ran into a few problems where they sent out people who were registered sex offenders. We luckily caught this with the background checks we run but it just proved to us that this was not even a short term solution to our problem.

We wish we could fill these positions with American workers but for many reasons people do not want to work for a carnival. It is very expensive to use a guest worker program. This year to get 16 workers here from South Africa cost us a little over $40,000 dollars before they worked one day. That is a very large amount of money but I am happy to tell you it has been worth every dime. Each one of them is very polite, clean, and best yet very hard workers who have a great attitude. The customers at our events notice the difference as well. We have received more compliments this year then we have since we started our company in 1994.

We house them and they do pay rent. If they stay for the full length of the contract we give them all of the rent money back. They are housed in RV style trailers with air conditioning, heat, running water, electric and toilet facilities are provided. We purchased enough trailers so that each person has his or her own room.

As far as pay goes they start out at the same exact base pay that our American workers start out at. We pay new people just over the minimum wage amount for our area.

Minimum wage may sound like a bad deal to all of us living here but you have to also take into consideration that even at this amount each one of them are making in a week what it takes them a month to earn at home. If they come back next year they will get a raise just as we do with our American workers. They will also get a performance based bonus at the end of their contract.

I don't know how other companies treat their people but we treat ours like they are a part of our family. It is a very large investment and we go to great lengths to make sure they are happy. We have taken them on multiple trips into Chicago, Great America, Blarnies Island in the chain of lakes, and even held a birth day party complete with a sponge bob cake for one of the guys who turned 21 in Aug. We take them to doctor appointments, dentist appointments and shopping for the things when needed. If we didn't treat them good they would leave and we would be out not only some of the best employees we have ever had but out of a very large amount of money.

I know this is a hot topic these days but please don't tank an entire program based on some bad companies. I think these companies treat their American workers the same way and is maybe the reason why they need to go to this type of program to begin with. I think the better answer is to monitor the program and the companies that use it. If conditions are found like you have listed above the employer should have heavy fines levied against them and banned from utilizing the program in the future.

This program has been a blessing for us and I am so very great full to have each and everyone of these young men and women working for our company. They have become part of our family and I am going to be very sad to see them go home in just a few short weeks. My wife and I have already talked about taking a trip to South Africa this winter to visit them.