A few more words about the Postville raid

[Bluzmann57]

I think we all agree that when the ICE raided the meat packing plant in Postville, the powers that be should have been charged with immigration crimes as well as the workers, who were only trying to make a decent living.
But one question remains; where are all the "red blooded Americans" who scream about illegal (and legal) immigrants stealing their jobs? I imagine there are plenty of openings in the plant at this time, so why don't these people apply for them? Could it be that they are accepting of Hispanics and other non-USA born people doing this hard physical work? I say we should encourage all the unemployed American patriots to apply for a job there. It is fairly certain that they will get hired.

[Sal Minella]

1. ...

========================
It is fairly certain that they will get hired.
========================
I wouldn't be so sure. American workers tend to expect union representation and negotiations over wages and benefits and working conditions, and I would guess the management will pretty much lay low until things cool off and then arrange for more vanloads of vulnerable (therefore docile) workers to be smuggled over the border and tricked out with faked legal documents.

I don't expect old-fashioned American-style Decent Working Conditions to crop up in these places anytime soon, and I can't imagine born-in-the-USA workers putting up with the conditions the "illegals" put up with.

[Bluzmann57]

3. I respectfully must disagree with you

You state that "American workers tend to expect union representation..." Only around 23 pct. of the workforce is Unionized. I am Vice President of our local and as such, wish every blue collar worker was Unionized. It just simply isn't so. And as far as born in the United States workers putting up with adverse working conditions, when I was unemployed, I most certainly would have taken a job in a slaughterhouse if need be. Of course the major one in this area is represented by the UFCW. Yes, it is hard back breaking work, but if one needs a job, one will usually do what it takes to get by. The ones who refuse to take these types of jobs are usually people who think theyy are "too good" for work like that and they are normally sissies, imo. They likely have never worked hard a day in their lives.
And now here's the idealist in me. Perhaps if that packing plant needs workers bad enough and knows they can no longer get away with hiring illegals, they will hire legal citizens and start to pay a decent wage and provide benefits. And to be fair, I really don't know what the job pays. Likely not a lot.

[rurallib]

4. based on wages at our local packer it is be pretty low

which will cause few but the most desperate to apply. @$8/hour I think which is slightly above minimum.

[CornField]

5. There are reports

in the affidavit that was used to grant the search warrant of some workers being paid $5 per hour -- others being paid in cash (who knows how much an hour).

Given the documents I've read and the people I've spoken with -- not to mention that Agriprocessors CEO Sholom Rusbashkin stepped down Friday -- I'm thinking there may be charges against the company and/or management yet. Nearly every day I make the call and am told, "No charges have been filed. The investigation is continuing."

There are so many people, including those who want all undocumented workers immediately deported, who now understand that the way these raids have gone are basically the equivalent of tossing a smoker's cigarettes into the river. Yeah, it's an inconvenience, but pretty soon that smoker is going to find some more tobacco. In other words, the laws we have now will never bring about real change until we begin to address those that not only hire undocumented workers but build their business plans around such exploited and cheap labor.

[Sal Minella]

6. Yes, this is the ideal --

============================
And now here's the idealist in me. Perhaps if that packing plant needs workers bad enough and knows they can no longer get away with hiring illegals, they will hire legal citizens and start to pay a decent wage and provide benefits.
============================

But so long as management can get by with hiring vanloads of illegals, that's what they'll do. We will not begin to see changes in this high-profit slavery until the Des Moines Register is running front-page three-column photos of the management suits themselves being hauled off in ankle-shackles. Breaks my heart.

I benefited from union efforts without ever belonging to one -- the hospital where I worked kept giving us across-the-board raises regularly because they kept an eye on what surrounding hospitals were paying, so whenever a vote was offered on "Do we want to unionize?" the tally came back "No" because we were already getting the benefits of union efforts statewide without paying the individual dues out of our paychecks, and we were afraid of creating a confrontational atmosphere where none existed.

But at at the newspaper (where, God knows, we desperately NEEDED a union!) we didn't have one, because apparently somehow the newspaper business managed to get itself excluded from any and all labor laws that might benefit employees. I consistently worked 12- and 14-hour days for eight hours' pay because I had no other recourse and nowhere to file a grievance.

You heard about the Wal-Mart store in Canada that closed down and obliterated itself rather than allow the meatcutters to unionize after they voted to do so?

[DU9598]

2. Enforcement

It will truly be a shame if the ICE raid at Postville ends up obstructing justice in the state's investigation of child labor, wage payment violations, and indentured servitude. The first subpoena should have gone in after the bosses who allowed this to happen.

You are also right, there will not be a stampede to obtain these Postville jobs. Perhaps Lou Dobbs could be asked to read the job posting on his show until we have enough hard working, white people to fill the jobs in this rural community. Why do I think Lou will pass up this challenge?