FAIR

Big Business & Labor Unions Sell-out American Workers Strike Backroom Deal on New Foreign Worker Program

Yesterday, an outline of the AFL-CIO and Chamber of Commerce's deal on a new "guest worker" program was leaked to the public. The deal, which sells out U.S. workers, shows the lengths to which special interests will go to craft an immigration deal on the backs of unemployed and struggling Americans. Specifically, the deal creates a new W immigrant visa program that: Allows employers to bring in 20,000 to 200,000 foreign workers each year in "lesser-skilled" occupations, including hospitality, janitorial, retail, construction, etc. Creates a loophole allowing businesses to exceed the 200,000 cap by paying a "premium" Allows foreign workers to petition for green cards after only one year, making them a permanent part of the U.S. labor force and NOT guest workers Allows professional recruiters to market jobs to foreign nationals, risking steep fees and abuse (while the requirements for recruiting American workers for those jobs remain unknown). Most importantly, however, Americans need to know that while the Chamber of Commerce and AFL-CIO are selling this new foreign worker program as necessary to fill "shortages" in the U.S. labor market, the deal allows workers to change employers and then stay in the U.S.  By definition, this means that the new foreign worker program is not designed to fix any claimed shortages in the labor market. Instead the AFL-CIO and Chamber have designed it to simply bring more foreign workers into the U.S. Click here to read the deal as reported b the Washington Post.  This deal was negotiated as part of the Senate "Gang of Eight's" immigration reform plan. Call Senate Leadership NOW and tell them you oppose bringing in more foreign workers when 22 million Americans are either unemployed or underemployed! Tell them: 1. U.S. immigration policy should prioritize the needs of Americans first. 2. The U.S. doesn’t need more guest workers—the government already admits over 800,000 guest workers each year—REGARDLESS OF UNEMPLOYMENT. 3. Americans need jobs, not new foreign worker programs that create unfair competition and drive down wages.  4. Jobs in the construction, hospitality, retail and other industries are good jobs that Americans will do for a living wage. 5. Congress shouldn’t even consider expanding immigration until the federal government has fulfilled its duty to secure the border and ensure that those who come to the U.S. to work follow the law and aren’t a drain on public resources.  Contact Senate Leadership TODAY and tell them Americans need jobs, not increased competition! Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: 202-224-3542 Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell: 202-224-2541 Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin: 202-224-2152 Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn: 202-224-2934