Why do we keep repeating the myth that “immigrants are willing to do
the jobs that Americans (citizens) don’t want to do, or are unwilling to
do?”
That’s a complete lie and distortion.
The reality
is, immigrants are desperate enough to work for starvation and poverty
wages, under substandard conditions that Americans (citizens) are unable
to due to their acculturation; and the basic labor and wage laws.
Citizens couldn’t work for the starvation and poverty wages, and under
the substandard working conditions if they wanted to because an employer
is liable under civil and criminal laws if he subjects citizen workers
to the same low wages and unsafe conditions that they can get away with
subjecting non-citizens, and illegal immigrants to.
So, it’s total bullshit to say the illegal immigrants are doing work we are unwilling to do.
Just look at the meat processing and packaging industries as a perfect
example. Meat packers used to be high paid, secure union workers, with
full health and retirement benefits, and citizens were eager to take
such jobs. Meat packers had such standing and respect in the society
that a professional football team was named for them; the Green Bay Packers!
Today, meat processing is low paying job with little security and no
benifits and is still one of the most dangerous jobs in the nation. The
meat packaging industry and corporations found that they could generate
more profits, and ignore many safety and labor standards by hiring
illegal immigrants. There was a time when a meat packer made enough to
allow his wife to say home, buy his home, buy a car, and save for his
child’s college education; now meat packers don’t make enough to pay
rent in slum apartments in many areas.
The same scenario is
repeated in many other industries across the nations, the few industries
that have not been moved to the 3rd World for direct exploitation of
desperate workers.
I have a childhood friend who was charged and
convicted of a felony. When he got out of prison his only option was to
work as a Day laborer.
He’d go to the worker selection site and see the bosses show up and
gather all of the Mexican, Ecuadorian, Panamanian, and other immigrants
from the 3rd World and never pick him and the few other Black men who
showed up. He thought it was Racism, even though the Latino workers
were non-White as well.
He confronted a few of the bosses, or men
who showed up to gather the workers and called them on their “Racism.”
The almost laughed in his face. They told him it had nothing to do
with Race, it’s just that they can’t hire “Americans,” even convicted
felons because they were protected groups, that organizations like Occupational safety and health Administration (OSAH for short) would come down on them. With “illegals,” they just send in Immigration Enforcement
officers and clear out the workers, and they could come and gather more
“illegals” without missing a beat. My friend and the other Black men
seeking day work eventually gave up and returned to the streets.
So all that “immigrants willing to do work…” BS is just a lie.
It’s also ass backwards to fight the immigrants on this issue, they are
not problem, never were; but that’s a whole different discussion. I’m
just tired of hearing Blacks and the working-class in general repeat
myths about immigrants and the job market.
I would encourage people to study Labor history, if you don’t you will not understand Capitalism or the erosion of workers wages and political power that’s going on today.
