The treatment of migrant workers has been highlighted during the World Cup in Qatar, where many temporary foreign workers reportedly died while building the event\u2019s infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Advocates for immigrant workers in the U.S. note that abuses aren\u2019t just happening overseas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe fact of the matter is that migrant workers in the U.S. are struggling with many of the same issues those workers were facing in Qatar,\u201d said Julie Taylor, executive director of the National Farm Worker Ministry, headquartered in North Carolina, speaking with VOA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those issues include \u201cbeing forced to work through extreme heat waves, wage theft, poor housing, lack of access to healthcare, a shortage of personal protection equipment,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cThe tragedy in Qatar shouldn\u2019t be tolerated, and it\u2019s also an important opportunity to remind Americans of the tragedies happening in our own backyard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In some states and local jurisdictions, government agencies and advocacy organizations can point to progress for migrant workers. Last year in New York, for example, farm workers \u2013 a large proportion of whom are foreign-born, temporary laborers \u2013 won collective bargaining rights that will allow them to better advocate for higher wages and better working conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And last month in New Orleans, the U.S. Department of Labor\u2019s Wage and Hour Division renewed an agreement with the Consulate of Mexico to provide Spanish-speaking workers in Louisiana and Mississippi with information on their rights in the United States, as well as access to training, such as worker safety training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBy partnering with the Mexican Consulate, we improve our ability to ensure both employers and workers understand their obligations and their rights,\u201d Troy Mouton, New Orleans, Louisiana district director of the Wage and Hour Division told VOA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The hope is the agreement will decrease wage violations against vulnerable workers toiling at the margins of society by helping those workers understand their employers\u2019 obligation under the law to pay them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite such steps, advocates insist much more needs to be done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Essential workers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n According to a 2017 study by the Pew Research Center, America has approximately 12 million migrant workers at any given time, some authorized and others not. America\u2019s current labor shortage, with millions of jobs unfilled, would be worse without the participation of migrant and temporary workers, say labor groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMigrant workers are contributing in nearly every sector in the economy,\u201d explained Shannon Lederer, director of immigration policy for the AFL-CIO, a union federation, \u201cand they\u2019re also being exploited in all of them \u2013 across all industries and across all wage levels. This is a full-blown crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mouton says temporary foreign laborers have played an indispensable role in New Orleans and across the Gulf Coast region in recent years. This, he said, underscored the need to renew an agreement with the Mexican Consulate to help to protect the rights of those workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn recent history, the single most significant event that resulted in an increased migrant worker presence in Louisiana was Hurricane Katrina in 2005,\u201d he said, recalling the infamous storm that flooded 80% of New Orleans and killed more than 1,800 people. \u201cMost of our migrant workers came from Mexico and elsewhere in Central America, and their efforts after the storm in debris removal, demolition, and eventually reconstruction have had a huge impact on our city.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similar efforts took place following later hurricanes such as Laura, Delta, and last year\u2019s Hurricane Ida, but Mouton said migrant worker contributions extend far beyond disaster recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe majority of migrant workers in Louisiana contribute to the construction, agriculture, and seafood processing industries, all of which are important to the economy of Louisiana,\u201d he said, adding that it is an ongoing struggle \u201cto protect the welfare of these workers\u201d and achieve \u201ccompliance with federal labor standards.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Appalling conditions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Amy Liebman, chief program officer for the Migrant Clinicians Network, headquartered in Texas, believes the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored just how essential migrant workers are to America and its economy. This, she said, should make the conditions these workers endure even more appalling to the nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn a 75-mile [120-kilometer] radius from where I live, we have 10 chicken processing plants, and there are many migrant laborers doing that difficult work,\u201d she told VOA. \u201cDuring the peak part of COVID-19, it was those workers \u2013 toiling all day in tight spaces \u2013 who were getting sick and dying from the virus, and they were getting their families sick.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Liebman added, \u201cBut there\u2019s a fear, and it\u2019s a fear founded in truth, that if you complain to your boss, you\u2019re going to not just get fired, but deported, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Immigrant advocates such as Liebman and Lederer say understanding why workers come to the United States in the first place can illuminate how desperate their situations are. It\u2019s often \u201cpush factors\u201d such as war, violence, political instability and natural disasters \u2013 or \u201cpull factors\u201d such as a demand for cheap labor in the United States \u2013 that draw people from their home country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen you have people who are desperate to leave home, or to come here so they can send money back home to family, you have a situation in which these workers can be exploited, and that\u2019s exactly what is happening,\u201d Lederer of the AFL-CIO said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou have recruiters in the United States who are finding workers in other countries and demanding payment from them for the right to work in the U.S.,\u201d Lederer continued. \u201cSo now those laborers are in debt when they arrive, making them more desperate for their job. And their visa is tied to one employer, so if they complain about subpar overcrowded housing, or if they say something about not getting paid on time, their employer can fire them and they\u2019ll be sent back to their home country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 21st century challenges and a need for comprehensive solutions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Liebman said a warming climate is adding to migrant workers\u2019 woes, as they often toil outdoors in increasingly hot, dangerous conditions. This can add to health problems and compound the struggles many face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGetting good healthcare as an immigrant is already challenging, but now add in the migratory nature of their work,\u201d Liebman explained. \u201cEvery time you move somewhere new you have to take the time to relearn everything. Who will take care of you and your family? Where is the community health center? How will you get there? How will you pay? In areas with large migrant worker populations, community health centers are often pushed beyond their capacity, so what then?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n While immigrant advocates hail incremental progress in some jurisdictions, they say federal action is needed to meaningfully improve conditions for migrant workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is an emergency, and we need to get serious about finding real solutions,\u201d Lederer said, adding that comprehensive reform of America\u2019s immigration system would be a good start. \u201cIf we\u2019re going to create a welcoming country for the labor our economy needs, the focus should be on longer term solutions that allow immigrants to come to this country permanently and with the ability to change jobs once they\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Source: Voice Of America<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"