What’s fair at the bottom of the labor market in these economic times?
One recent Saturday morning I took the freeway to the Westside of Los Angeles. At the foot of the off ramp there was a gathering of men, maybe two dozen strong. They were hanging out waiting for someone, anyone, who had work for them. I drove another block and noticed more men scattered throughout the parking lot of a tiny restaurant. It’s no secret these are informal hiring locations where illegal labors tend to congregate.
1930 unemployment line (aka bread line)
The recession has hit LA County particularly hard. According to the California Employment Development Department, as of the end of August, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 12.3 percent compared to the national average of 9.7 percent. Southland unemployment is a nearly 27 percent higher than the country as a whole.
Under these dire circumstances, it seems wrong for citizens or documented workers to miss out on jobs, even the menial ones. It has been argued that illegal workers perform the jobs that others refuse to do. The truth is these men (and women) are part of an underground or shadow society; and, therefore, they are forced to work cheap, or at least cheaper when performing unskilled jobs. Employers, both businesses and individuals, simply want to pay as little as possible for low-level workers.
Is it the greedy bosses who caused this to happen, the politicians who pander to a new and growing constituency, or the lack of regulation and law enforcement? The answers are: yes, yes, and yes! I don’t blame those seeking jobs. They want to work and provide for their families, here or in another country. However, if this means Americans are denied equal access to employment opportunities, I have a problem with that.
Citizens, if they are willing and able to do the work, should get the first crack at a job without regard to the color of their skin or country of origin. These folks can be found through local churches, AA club houses or the Salvation Army, to name a few. But, those who are here illegally simply should not be eligible for work. Whether it’s day work or something more permanent, employers must not be allowed to skirt the law and keep from paying payroll taxes or making contributions to Social security. This puts business people who do what’s right at a disadvantage and denies federal, state and local governments from much needed tax revenues. The notion that illegals should be covered under health care reform will only encourage more people to break our immigration laws; unless, of course, the folks in Washington have plans to institute a blanket amnesty plan.
As a pre-boomer, I know the United States is the land of opportunity, because I’ve seen it work since I was a kid. That’s why I believe our citizens must be given the opportunities to be productive members of this society. In tough times, we have an obligation to take care of our own first — it’s what’s fair.
Finally someone is calling it like it is. It is illegal labors not undocumnented workers or any of that other stuff The left likes to call illegals undocumented workers. The myth is the illegals are working at jobs Americans won’t do. Wrong. The major coporations want to use illegals so they don’t have to report this income to the IRS. They want servants. It is called a tax write off.