WASHINGTON - Many Louisiana business groups view the recently passed Senate immigration bill as a big plus. But there were some criticisms. For instance, the construction industry testified it needed more than 200,000 temporary guest workers a year. But under the legislation it is limited to 15,000. High unemployment in the construction trades led the Senate to resist pressures...
WASHINGTON - Many Louisiana business groups view the recently passed Senate immigration bill as a big plus. But there were some criticisms.
For instance, the construction
industry testified it needed more than 200,000 temporary guest
workers a year. But under the legislation it is limited to 15,000. High
unemployment in the construction trades led the Senate to resist
pressures from the usually strong building trades lobby.
And the timber industry, while pleased that the bill, which was approved 68-32 last week by the Senate, gradually expands guest worker programs, now faces more scrutiny when it seeks to hire temporary workers.
An amendment approved by voice vote requires that a forestry company filing a petition to hire guest workers must actively recruit American workers and that process must get the approval of its state workforce agency.
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, pushed the amendment after revelations that firms advertised for forestry jobs in Oregon using small out-of-state newspapers. It was easy to say that there were no Americans interested in the jobs, when there was no way for workers in the state to know about the openings, Merkley said.
C.A. "Buck" Vandersteen, executive director of the Louisiana Forestry Association, said the industry is paying the price for a "single bad actor that abused the system."
Still, he said, the Senate bill, which gives temporary legal status to the nation's estimated 11 million illegal immigrants, is a big advance both for people "who have been here, working hard" for quite some time, as well as for businesses that need workers.
Vandersteen said the forestry industry in Louisiana needs temporary guest workers for about 3-1/2 months a year, starting each December, for tree planting. He contends that American workers aren't interested in the work, though critics say more Americans would do the work, and other jobs deemed "unacceptable," if employers would pay better wages.
Overall, the immigration bill is viewed favorably by some of the state's biggest business groups, though prospects in the GOP-led House remain uncertain at best. The bill contains these provisions helpful to business:
- Eleven million illegal immigrants would get temporary legal status under the bill, allowing businesses to hire previously undocumented workers without fear of penalties. The bill sets up a new e-verify system sponsors say will make it harder to companies to hire people who enter the United States illegally after the bill is enacted.
- For Louisiana farmers, the bill creates a new visa category for farm workers. It authorizes the secretary of Agriculture to adjust the flow of workers upward, when more farmers are needed.
- For companies that need high-skilled workers, the legislation increases the H-1B visa program from 65,000 a year to 110,000, with 25,000 reserved for people with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering or math from U.S. universities.
- For companies seeking low-skilled workers, the bill offers 20,000 visas the first year, increasing eventually to 75,000, and perhaps higher, depending on how the government views the labor market
The Center for Immigration Studies, which opposed the Senate bill, said it would double the number of guest workers in the United States. But Think Progress, which supported the bill, said the center's estimates are grossly exaggerated as a result of double counting and false interpretations of the legislation.
Still, the bill's effect on American workers, particularly African-Americans, remains a major contention. "The obvious question is whether there are sufficient jobs in the low-skilled labor market for both African-Americans and illegal immigrants," said U.S. Civil Rights Commission member Peter Kirsanow. "The answer is no."
But Susan M. Weishar, a migration specialist at Loyola University's Jesuit Social Research Institute, said undocumented workers often are hired at artificially low wages, which has an overall negative effect on wages. By giving workers temporary legal status, as the Senate bill does, they will be in a stronger position to ask for fair wages, she said.
"This will positively affect our economy because immigrants are not just workers, but also taxpayers, consumers and entrepreneurs," Weishar said. "The increased consumption will boost business sales, expand the economy, generate jobs and increase earnings for all Americans."
Some Louisiana business groups say the bill would be a big boost for their operations.
"The United States needs standard comprehensive immigration reform to provide consistency and avoid creating an unnecessary burden for employers," said Stan Harris, president of the Louisiana Restaurant Association.
Farm groups praised a provision that would enable illegal immigrants who worked on U.S. farms for at least 100 days in the past two years to qualify for a Blue Card, which would let them obtain legal status in as little as five years -- half as soon as other undocumented workers.
"For agriculture, Senate Bill 744 permits farmers to keep their experienced labor with the Blue Card program and provides availability of legal labor for agriculture," said Ronnie Anderson, president of the Louisiana Farm Bureau. "It also increases border security with border fences and twice the number of border enforcement agents."
Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La, joined all 52 Democrats and two Independents in voting for the immigration bill. Sen. David Vitter, R-La, joined 32 Republicans out of 46 in voting no.