Time To End Exploitation Of Workers

29th September, 2010

Time to End Exploitation of Workers

Dear Linda Chavez,

As much as immigration matters have always been controversial in the United States, the plight of people working as immigrant or undocumented workers cannot be ignored at all. You are a witness to the inhuman conditions immigrant workers are exposed to and I share with you my sympathies for these people whose only crime is being natives of another country. I condemn the idea that human beings have to be mistreated on the basis of race and capitalistic exploits. Ironically, all this happens under the watchful eye of the administration. I am writing this to expose and condemn the injustices immigrants are exposed to and to offer my opinion regarding measures to curb future exploitation of immigrants.

“Guest workers” is the term given to the people who leave their country in search of jobs in the United States. All those who have had the opportunity to toil in the cotton fields of the U.S have to agree that it is not a dance in the rain. This is occasioned by the insufficiency of the most basic welfare needs of the workers and low wages. Matters regarding health care have totally been neglected whilst this is an issue that deserves the highest priority. I fully agree with you when you state that when these workers were viewed “as units of production, employers worked them to their limit, knowing that the following season a fresh unsuspecting batch would arrive” (Chavez-Thompson).

Freedom and rights of the immigrant have also significantly been curtailed or denied altogether. This injustice has been put into effect through strange programs such as the one called ‘Bracero’. This is one program designed to control all the functions and operations of the persons who get an opportunity to live in the United States as immigrant workers. Bracero is a phenomenon that brings very painful memories to most people throughout the entire history of the world’s civilization. In spite of all this, the truth of the matter is that the exploitation that was experienced under the Bracero program still continues to exist in modern American today. This has manifested itself in fresh and more controlled immigrant worker programs such as the H2-A AND H2-B. Due to the existence of these newer programs, “guest workers” still continue to face so much trouble in fighting for their rights just as the undocumented workers did.

Those people who have worked under the H2 program have had to make great financial sacrifices just to get employment in the country of opportunity. It is common to meet some of them sourcing for financial assisting to cater for their transportation expenses as well as enticements to the authorities so that they can gain certain favors. This has always made such workers heavily bound with debts even before they start working. It is strange that much money is used to get low paying menial jobs. These are hard jobs mainly in agricultural and construction sectors. There are also some who work in the seafood industry. They are the kinds of jobs that do not deserve the huge investments that immigrants pay to get. It is pure manipulation of people who can not fight for their own rights in a foreign land.

Research conducted by the Southern Poverty Law Centre suggests that exorbitant fees are charged to those seeking for work opportunities in the United States. For example, it is common to encounter a Guatemalan parting with as much as $2,500 to get a temporary work opportunity. This is normally what an average worker in Guatemala earns in a full year. It was indeed surprising for me to learn that Thai worker pays “as much as $10,000 for the chance to harvest crops in the orchards of the Pacific Northwest” (Chavez-Thompson). Should the workers seek for loans from financial institutions they should be well prepared to pay back with very high interest rates. What is even more baffling is the fact that the collateral sought at times is too big for the small amounts that they receive. At times they have to part with their own cars and homes.

This mistreatment of workers deserves to be stopped. Why should undocumented workers face such tyranny their employers and the system that runs immigrant labor? Why do they have to suffer the consequences of their ignorance such as having to take up on loans that soon become a tall order to pay? What should really happen is an evaluation of the laws that protect the guest workers. This is because, in as much as these laws exist, they do little in protecting the rights of guest workers. The government has to be pressed to take up on its mandate and ensure the rights of immigrants are respected and upheld. Deportation is one of the worst fears for all guest workers and is always used as an intimidation tool to exploit them further. It causes them to fear fighting for their own rights. With the threat of deportation, employers continue asserting excessive force and dominion over their helpless workers. The final consequence is that the immigrant workers have no option than work in these very manipulative occupations.

It is important to come up with recommendations that will help solve these problems. If the problem continues to be neglected then such workers will continue to suffer in a modern society that should not thrive on exploiting other people. First, workers have to be allowed to form unions that would lobby for their rights without fear of intimidation. Employers who prohibit workers from joining unions deserve to be prosecuted. Secondly, the immigration department should stop deporting workers simply because they tried to fight for their rights. All non-governmental bodies working to stop the suffering of immigrant workers should be supported in totality. An example is the AFL-CIO that has strived for so long to bring to an end the abuse that guest and un-documented workers have had to endure for long. Perhaps the best way to achieve some of these goals would be by vetting and allowing such immigrants acquire citizenship. This will ensure that they get decent wages and enjoy their rights and freedoms.

Finally, one last suggestion to end these injustices is by the abolishment of the guest worker programs for good. This removes the burden of workers having to always depend on their bosses for livelihood at all times. Reconsideration of immigration rules and procedures is also urgently required. The ultimate goal should be the provision of permanent citizenry to everyone constructively involved in the labor market within the country. I fully concur with you in asking, “As a nation that prides itself on fair treatment and equality, how can we possibly settle for anything less?” (Chavez-Thompson).

Sincerely,

(Insert name)

Works Cited

Chavez-Thompson, Linda. It’s Time To End Worker Exploitation. 05 June, 2007. 29 Sept. 2010.< Commentaryhttp://www.forbes.com/2007/06/05/labor-immigrants-workers-opedcx_lct_0606labor.html>