Illegal immigration doesn't drive down wages? What do you think?

Question

http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060830/OPINION/608300308

"His boss told the young man he could hire all the people he needed -- specifically, Hispanic people -- at much lower wages.
It's simply supply-side economics, but it's not a level playing field. There is an abundant supply of workers -- mostly Hispanic, legal and illegal -- in New Orleans who are willing to take jobs for lower pay. This isn't a race issue. It's an immigration issue that's now an economic issue.

It's also an issue of greed as Americans of all races are being sent to the back of the employment line in New Orleans.

It is doubtful that these employers who are cutting wages and hiring other people for less are passing that savings on to their customers.

Last week, New Orleans city officials complained that many public buildings were yet to be restored because of the high cost of construction.

In 2004, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median hourly wage for drywall and ceiling tile installers was $16.36. The middle 50 percent earned between $12.59 and $21.82. At $400 a week, the drywaller is now making $10 an hour for a skilled job."

escapegrl - VERY well put. By Buchanan, I guess. Still, very well put.

billnickie - in California employers who don't hire illegals are suing employers who do for unfair business practices. In a case like yours, putting together a trade association to do it, to split costs, might be better. However, it should very quickly call attention to those who hire illegals and with ICE enforcement stepping up, they might well change practices. You'd have to see if you have this cause of action in your state, though.

bunt - your education in languages may be stellar, but your education in political science and economics is flawed. When there is not an unlimited flow of cheap labor, wages stabalize at a higher level. This had been done in our history, but the gains have been lost. This is why Caesar Chavez was so violently against illegal immigrtion - it undermined the living wage. Most of us here don't WANT to be a slum with an upper class crust.

Answer 1

Not only wages but quality of life.
One of the most immediate effects of the overly high immigration level our country has today is the growth of groups of people who are not well assimilated into our larger national culture. This exacerbates ethnic separatism and related problems.
The civic involvement upon which our free society is founded is weakened:
“Inability to speak English impairs the capacity of a citizen to digest political speech, to serve on juries, to participate in judicial proceedings, to serve in the armed forces, and to participate in a military mobilization. From the viewpoint of society, the fact that some citizens will escape the obligations and miss the opportunities of America will only enhance the prospect for isolation and ethnic strife.
Business and social transaction costs rise, as time, effort, and money are spent overcoming language and cultural barriers. Communication becomes difficult, often due to language barriers.
“But as more and more commerce is fouled by fast-food clerks who mistake orders, taxicabs drivers who misunderstand directions and telemarketers who can’t explain why they called, sociologists and consumer behaviorists detect a palpable, collective complaint that’s evolved into one of the most politically incorrect questions of the ’90s: Can’t anyone here speak English? ... Poor English skills among foreign-born residents cost more than $175 billion a year in lost productivity, wages, tax revenue and unemployment compensation, says Ohio University economist Lowell Gallaway.”
Furthermore, in today’s economy, notes Cornell University labor economist Vernon Briggs:
“it’s accentuated because 80 percent of the workforce is employed in service jobs. A lot of these jobs are filled by immigrants. But by definition, service means communication. If workers can’t communicate, it certainly effects quality of life.”

Answer 2

When I visited the UK, I heard talk in pubs in 4 cities from citizens there complaining about wage depression, rising debt among citizens, increased unemployment. Concern for their poor being denied needed assistance or facing long delays in receiving assistance due to the rising immigrant and illegal immigrant numbers. It surprised me how aware many of them were of the problems in the US as well. While there, I saw an expose' on subsidized housing shortages for citizens, and abuse of the system by illegal aliens. Rising homelessness among the citizens. The UK has it's problems as well.

Answer 3

bllnickie: I feel sad and sorry for you and your hubby and what the illegals do to companies like yours. I hope you get together with other employers such as yourselves who refuse to hire illegals and report your competitors who do and keep on reporting until those employers are put out of business with the fines and jail sentences they get hit with!! I'm also glad that you refuse to do the repairs for customers who cheaped out in the first place and had illegals do their work. When you advertise for your company, I hope you specifically state that all your employees are qualified and that you do NOT hire illegals EVER! I bet that word would spread and if you stick it out, you will find your business picking up again. Good luck to you!!

DAR: Yes, we do know that the illegals drive the wages down for legal citizens. I'm certain that even the pro-illegals know this, too, but they refuse to acknowledge it and rather continue to spout out about how much harder illegals will work, even at much lower pay. Well, as bllnickie said here, they also often do shoddy work that doesn't hold up to the standard of work done by a qualified worker. I do wish and hope that all honest employers such as bllnickie and her husband will report all their competitors whom they know are employing illegals and that if they persist in reporting, eventually employers will stop hiring illegals and competition will get back to a fair and level playing field and wages will return to their previous fair levels for legal citizens.

Answer 4

This is what the political leadership, Republican and Democrat, want. Big business is telling congress and the Bushies "hands off" illegal immigration that affects their bottom line. Make no mistake about it Americans are getting screwed by Washington politics on this one. Watch what happens as the labor market heads into the coming recession and Americans are being laid off while the cheap labor remains.

Here is the complete study.

http://www.nationalpolicyinstitute.org/pdf/deportation.pdf

Answer 5

we own a roofing and remodeling company, i see this all the time and it sucks..its bull sh*t...a roof that would normally pay $3000 is given to the illegals to do for $800 and that's a little high for them..they cut bids so low we cant compete with them prices..
You know a good business to start up would be repair work on the illegals work, they mess things up so bad because they are in a hurry to finish the job,,, we get phone calls all the time asking to repair their work but we turn them down..because if they would of hired a professional company in the first place they wouldn't be needing repair work done..A new roof should last for years depending on the weather, but if an illegal done the roof then you are guaranteed a new roof in a years times and in between you will have your roof repaired countless times..i only speak the truth...Husbands been in the business for 20 years ..

Answer 6

Legal immigrants drive down wages the same way. If your job can be done by someone unskilled, shouldn't you be trying to get more skills?
Also, allowing corporations to pay illegals less than minimum wage also drives down wages.

Answer 7

I live in the upper mid west. I haven't been able to get the job I was looking into because I was not bi-lingual. Why do I have to be passed over because illegals refuse to learn our language??? The lady who got the job could barely speak English! Have we no standards anymore????

Answer 8

thank you dar and yes it does drive down wages

a meat-packing job paid $19 an hour in 1980, but today that same job pays closer to $9 an hour, according to the Labor Department

Answer 9

ILLEGAL ALIENS do drive down wages and place a tremendous burden upon America... Corruption at some level is behind the INVASION.... maybe at more than one level.

ILLEGAL ALIENS are CRIMINALS... They STEAL from America...

Those who hire ILLEGAL ALIENS should be put in prison for 5 years first offense and assessed a $250,000 fine.... second offense: 20 years and all their possessions...

ILLEGAL ALIENS: first offense: should have all of the stolen property they have illegally accumulated during their criminal enterprise in the USA, confiscated and they should be DEPORTED along with their children.... second offense: death penalty....

This criminal activity must be stopped.

The jackasses in New Orleans aren't fooling anyone.... they are corrupt.

Answer 10

Yes, it leads to significant economic issues and it also leads to identity theft. Think about it... These illegal immigrants often need social security numbers to work in the U.S. and where do you think they get them? You'd be surprised how many people there are each year who find out their identities have been stolen by an illegal immigrant.