CBS: Immigration policy lowers wages & hurts American employment.
CBS News reports that automakers (who receive hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. subsidies and tax breaks) are profiting from the use of foreign workers who are paid "far less than Americans - about $10 an hour."
"It's basically: sweatshop" says an American safety manager who has worked on the construction sites.
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Automakers are exploiting visa loopholes to bring in foreign workers at low wages when American workers are available. In a separate interview, visa watchdog Jay Palmer explains how immigration policy gives employers a deal they can't refuse:
"Why train an American as an apprentice or teach him how to do electricity or plumbing, {who} is maybe going to be unionized and pay $15-20 an hour when you can pay a foreign worker four dollars an hour, five dollars an hour, six dollars an hour? Why do that?"
Spread the word: The purpose of immigration shouldn't be to keep wages down. (twitter users can tweet directly at the president at @realDonaldTrump)
As is often the case, Americans who are harmed by these practices do not blame the foreign workers -- they blame the companies and the government policies. Daniel, a foreign-born American citizen and member of the sheet metal union tells CBS:
"I have nothing against those men, they work here...I would do probably the same to provide for my family. But that should go towards our pensions, towards our daughters future or sons...not some other country....
"....I'm angry. Angry. Angry. There's lots of guys out there still looking for work. In the United States. And now we have how many, thousands and thousands Eastern European workers working here? And they're abused, too? Who lets this happen?"
Daniel's anger is in the right place. The government lets this happen. It is the responsibility of our elected officials to reform immigration policy to once again serve American workers, including immigrants like Daniel.
Spread the word.
JEREMY BECK, Numbers USA
