Report: More protection needed for foreign guest workers in U.S.

Foreign guest workers are in need of more job protection because they incur big debts to travel to the United States and can face threats of dismissal or deportation if they complain about low wages or harsh working conditions, says a report being issued today. The report was prepared by Penn State’s Dickinson School of Law and the New Orleans-based National Guestworker Alliance, an advocacy group for guest workers. As The Times-Picayune reports, widespread use of foreign guest workers in the seafood, service and timber industries has cost Americans jobs, while the wages paid fall far short of the livable wages promised by groups that arrange travel and visas for foreign workers from their home industry, according to the report. The foreign workers, unlike American citizens or those with legal status, can’t change jobs if they are dissatisfied with working conditions. Supporters of the foreign worker program—including the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board—say most employers provide decent pay and working conditions, and that many guest workers return year after year to the same companies, indicating satisfaction with working conditions. “Many seafood processors in Louisiana depend on the H2B program [for temporary or seasonal, nonagricultural foreign employees] to supply a significant portion of the workforce for their businesses, and we support those companies who adhere to the rules and regulations of the program and treat guest workers fairly and with respect,” says Ewell Smith, the seafood board’s executive director. More Louisiana-specific details from the report can be found in the full story here.