Guest Worker Plan Slap In the Face to Black Unemployed
Black America Web.com, News Analysis, Judge Mathis , Posted: Jun 04, 2007
Editor's Note: The commentator takes issue with the proposed guest worker plan as black unemployment continues to soar.
Plenty of media and political attention has been placed on America’s current shortage of skilled workers. According to USA Today, utility companies are especially in need of staff. This includes welders, plant operators and engineers. If staffing needs aren’t met, sections of the country may be prone to blackouts and electricity shortages. Several law makers have suggested that an immigrant guest worker program could help with the worker shortages and help the country control illegal immigration.
While illegal immigration is a pressing issue, it is not the only issue this country is grappling with. America is also dealing with -- or should be dealing with -- rising unemployment rates in the African-American community. Our people want work. Too bad the opportunities aren’t always open to us.
Eight percent of African-Americans are unemployed, twice the rate of whites. More African Americans are unemployed than any other ethnic group. Gone are the days when the majority of workers could find a blue collar job -- at an auto plant, for example.
In Chicago, for example, the number of manufacturing jobs decreased by 49 percent between 1991 and 2006. The remaining jobs are more complex than those of years past, often requiring much technological skill and experience. Add to that drastic cuts in trade and job training programs, and it has been difficult for blacks to get the training they need to access these types of jobs, despite the desire and the will to work.
So it comes as a slap in the face that many believe a guest worker program is the solution to the country’s current worker shortage. A proposed guest worker program would allow immigrants, including the 11 million or so illegal immigrants already in the U.S., to apply for three-year work permits. Each would then be matched with an employer (illegal immigrants would have to pay a fine prior to joining).
The thinking behind the program makes sense; the U.S. wants to give those who come to our country an opportunity to earn a living and provide for their families. But what about African-Americans, on whose backs the wealth of this nation was built?
Much of this shortage of skilled workers can be blamed on the government’s inability to provide an adequate public education system that equally prepares young people for the college and the workforce. We got ourselves into this mess. And we need to get ourselves out of it. The guest worker program is one way. But African-Americans should not be excluded from the solution.
If you or someone you know would be interested in a program that trains low-income individuals in the inner city, write your legislators. Share with them your personal struggles with unemployment and your job search. Encourage friends and families in similar situations to do the same. It’s these types of stories and outreach efforts that will bring about change.
Judge Greg Mathis is national vice president of Rainbow PUSH and a national board member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Related Articles:
New Bill Tackles Guest Worker Dilemmas
Guest Workers Fired After Protesting 'Slave' Conditions
Which Side Are You On? Advocates Must Decide on Temporary Workers
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User Comments
Jabbar on Jun 21, 2007 at 09:01:29 said:
See, this is the type of things Al Sharpton and other so called Black Leaders should be talking about. No disrespect to Al. He is the only one who is even trying these days. Black Men want to work and feed there family's. We really don't care about much else. Just like most Americans.
Senor Guapo on Jun 07, 2007 at 05:50:35 said:
I too applaude Judge Mathis for his suggestion to train low-income people. The fact is that we are competing against millions of Americans and millions of immigrants and truth be told billions of workers in other countries. The only true way to improve our own standards of living is to increase our own earnings potential.
Dave/Mills on Jun 06, 2007 at 09:24:56 said:
The writer starts off with a false statement. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for African American people in this country has been FALLING, not rising. With the exception of the boom of the late 1990s, the statistics of 2007 are so far lower than during any year since the BLS started publishing the figure).
-->I do have to applaude Judge Mathis for his comments at the end of the article where he encourages training programs for low-skilled workers. Increasing one's productivity is really truth be told the only way to increase one's earnings potential.