User:Sjl02012/sandbox
Controversy
[edit]Pros of a Guest Worker Program
[edit]While the American guest worker programs do not explicitly focus on any specific nationality, such plans "undoubtedly target labor from Mexico," [1] due to the shared border between the countries, the economic disparity between the United States and Mexico[2], and the history of programs between the countries.[3][1] Proponents of guest worker programs note several benefits such programs could have on the parties involved.
- Workers
Arguably, the greatest benefit to migrant workers, as cited by scholars, is the economic gain they receive by participating in guest worker programs. Participants in the Bracero Program earned more while working in the United States than they would have been able to in Mexico.[1][2][4] This is particularly true of the agricultural industry, which hosts a large number of migrant workers through the H-2A visa program.[3] Laborers in the U.S. fruit and vegetable agriculture industry can make ten to fourteen times the amount that they would in Mexico.[2] While poor working conditions have been an issue for migrant workers[3][1], formal guest worker programs "ha[ve] the possibility of markedly improving human rights standards."[5] Guest worker programs also allow migrant workers to legally cross the border in a secure manner.[5]
- United States
Experts have argued that a guest worker program is necessary for American employers to make up for labor shortages within the United States,[5][6][7] particularly in "agricultural labor or services of a temporary or seasonal nature."[8] Guest worker programs "promote a healthy agricultural market in the U.S."[1] by keeping supply levels up,[1] prices for consumers down,[5][4] and wages for workers down.[4][5] It has also been argued that guest worker programs can help control immigration.[1][5] In 2009, over 80 percent of agricultural workers in the United States do not have the proper legal documentation necessary for employment.[8] Guest worker programs can help cut down on elimination by allowing the Immigration and Naturalization Service to "secur[e] the cooperation of growers who were hiring workers illegally."[1]
- Mexico
Scholars suggest that a guest worker program also has the potential to be beneficial for migrant sending countries by reducing poverty.[4] In a study of the effects of the Bracero Program, Mexico's Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare found that over 96 percent of workers had send back money to their families in Mexico.[1] This not only reduces the poverty of the families,[4] but also stimulates the Mexican economy. Further analysis of the Bracero Program revealed that exporting workers to the United States alleviated the strain on the country's resources and helped combat domestic unemployment by encouraging citizens to seek work.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Morgan, Kristi L. Evaluating Guest Worker Programs in the U.S., 2004
- ^ a b c Martin, Philip L. & Teitelbaum, Michael S. The Mirage of Mexican Guest Workers. Foreign Affairs, 2001
- ^ a b c Congressional Digest Worker Program Overview., 2005
- ^ a b c d e Martin, Philip & Ruhs, Martin. Numbers vs. Rights: Trade-Offs and Guest Worker Programs. Center for Migration Studies of New York, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f Palmunen, Aili. Learning from the Mistakes of the Past. Harvard Kennedy School Review, 2005.
- ^ Jamieson, Dave. Immigration Reform: Guest Worker Program Considered As Part Of Deal Huffington Post, Jan 2013.
- ^ Davis, Julie Hirschfeld Unions, Business Reach Accord on Guest-Worker Visa Needs Bloomberg, Feb 2013.
- ^ a b North Carolina Growers Association