amnesty

In the early 1940’s the country was in need of laborers and an agreement was reached between the United States and Mexico which allowed for guest workers and was know as the Bracero Program. This guest worker program ran from 1942 until 1964 and sponsored some 4.5 million Mexican workers.

During the 60’s a number of labor leaders tried to organize farm workers but every time they called for a strike the management would hire Mexican guest workers to replace them and thusly broke the strike. It was only after the Bracero program was cancelled that the United Farm Workers organized.

President Bush tried to reinstitute a guest worker program but it failed in congress.





by James Parks, Apr 10, 2007


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In today’s Los Angeles Times, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and Pablo Alvarado, executive director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, describe how temporary worker programs will negatively impact immigrant workers—and the nation.

Today organized labor faces a dilemma. They do not want immigrants since they lead to lower wages, but they want immigrants since they vote Democratic.

One way to solve this problem is to legalize all and then they can join the union since temporary workers cannot join.



June 25, 2009, 4:55 PM

Guest Worker Program Poses Obstacle for Obama on Immigration Push

President Obama said on Thursday that he was committed to passing a comprehensive immigration plan, but Republicans attending a bipartisan meeting at the White House expressed skepticism a deal could be reached unless Mr. Obama endorsed a guest worker program that Democratic-leaning labor unions oppose.

The best thing that could happen to the president and his party would be amnesty.