With the Obama Administration trying to get a new housing bubble going, it's interesting to see that the construction industry has already announced that it will continue to use illegal immigrants. From the NYT:
Construction Groups Criticize Limits in Guest Worker Deal
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE
Several major construction industry groups are criticizing the agreement reached last week over how many low-skilled guest workers should be granted visas each year, complaining that the proposed limits were “unrealistic.” The trade associations, including Associated Builders and Contractors and the National Electrical Contractors Association, issued a statement late Wednesday highlighting their concerns about the proposal between the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the A.F.L.-C.I.O.
Many immigration experts expect that deal — or much of it — will become part of the immigration bill being developed by a bipartisan group of eight senators, and a representative of the trade associations stressed on Thursday that the statement was not an effort to jettison the immigration proposals but to suggest improvements.
The Chamber-labor deal calls for admitting 20,000 guest workers the first year, with the total climbing to 75,000 after four years, and future numbers adjusted according to the unemployment rate and industry needs as determined by a new federal bureau. The agreement caps the number of guest construction workers admitted each year at 15,000, and in a bow to labor unions, bars admission for any higher-skilled workers like electricians, crane operators or elevator repair technicians.
“We are deeply concerned with the size and the scope of the temporary guest worker program in the proposal now being drafted by the ‘Gang of Eight’ senators,” the groups wrote in a statement first reported by Politico. “Capping the amount of visas for the construction industry at only 15,000 in an industry that currently employs nearly six million workers is simply unrealistic and destined to fail.”
The trade associations added that a program that fails to provide enough visas to meet demand “will inevitably make it harder to fill critical labor openings and make it impossible to secure the border.”
Associated General Contractors of America, Leading Builders of America, the National Association of Home Builders and the National Roofing Contractors Association also signed the letter.
Union leaders pushed hard to minimize the number of guest workers allowed, arguing that they hold down wages and take jobs away from Americans, especially when including 1.3 million people in the construction industry who are unemployed. ...
On Thursday, Geoff Burr, vice president of federal affairs for Associated Builders and Contractors, tried to tamp down worries that some trade groups were trying to kill the legislation.
“The construction industry strongly supports comprehensive immigration reform, and the last thing we want is for current reform efforts to fail,” Mr. Burr said in a statement. “Our statement yesterday was an attempt to help improve the Senate reform package.”
In other words, go ahead and pass your law because it will help hold down construction wages, but we're just going to ignore the enforcement parts that we don't like.
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The worst in construcation is the city of Houston illegals buy money to get a construcation job and illegals are not just doing housing construcation but a lot of commerical construcation. Houston I think has attracted the most illegals in Texas because of lots of construcation work and some were not Mexican.
The trade associations added that a program that fails to provide enough visas to meet demand “will inevitably make it harder to fill critical labor openings and make it impossible to secure the border.”
So not allowing enough guest workers will make securing the border impossible. Why? The Gang of 8 are promising us that they will not proceed until the border is secure.
But apparently the construction industry has it backwards. The guest workers must be allowed in before the border is secured.
Do they mean to suggest that if we can't get enough construction workers then our border guards will have to drop their guns and rush off to join the construction industry to fill the void?
Or do they mean to blackmail us by threatening to not defend our border unless they get their way?
Guys you have to watch this video of the Tiger Stone machine. This machine was invented in the Netherlands and automatically lays paver style roads.
Why am I linking this? Because this post is on the construction industry and their demands for coolie labor. Look at what high labor costs do for innovation. If our lazy agriculture and construction industries did not have access to cheap coolie labor, maybe they would come up with machines like Tiger Stone. At least we used to in the past with great little labor savers like the Bobcat.
Another reason to stop mass immigration, it retards technological development
The North American Free Trade Agreement sure has benefited Mexican common folk:
Mexico hourly wages now lower than China's-study
UPDATE 1-Mexico hourly wages now lower than China's-study
Thu Apr 4, 2013 4:59pm EDT
(Reuters) - Mexico's hourly wages are about a fifth lower than China's, a huge turnaround from just 10 years ago when they were nearly three times higher, according to new research by Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Stagnant salaries in Mexico, fueled by strong population growth, will give Latin America's second-biggest economy an edge over China in the U.S. market, Bank of America Merrill Lynch economist Carlos Capistran said on Thursday.
Average hourly wages are now 19.6 percent lower in Mexico than China whereas in 2003 they were 188 percent more costly, according to the Bank of America study.
Mexico can maintain that competitive advantage for at least five years, thanks to a growing labor market that puts downward pressure on wages, Capistran said.
...
According to forecasts by the International Labor Organization, Mexico's economically active population will grow by 20 percent from 2010 to 2020, compared to a 2.9 percent increase in China over the same period.
...
Mexico's wages as a proportion of economic output are lower than those in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, South Korea, Hungary, Poland and Brazil, where labor costs have risen dramatically.
...
It's all good for middle class white Americans. We'll be able to afford household servants and nannies and yard boys. Food prices and house prices will be cheaper, because cheap Mexican workers will do all the dirty hard work. Cars and household appliances will be cheaper when most of them are hecho en Mexco.
To make things even more perfect, all we need to do is specify find that Mexicans cannot vote in American elections and that their children can never become US citizens.
Why should we have "guest" carpenters in the country? That is most certainly not a job that Americans won't do. Outrageous, really.
re "Mexico's hourly wages are about a fifth lower than China's"
I seriously doubt those China figures. The authorities in China love to lie about what their workers really get paid.
We should go whole hog and start importing "Guest" Senators, Congressmen, and business leaders. Preferrably from Japan, Korea, and Israel.
You know, to fill the "shortage" of Americans who want to be politicians and CEOs.
I would get behind that.
When discussing Mexican immigation, a worthwhile question to ask is, "Why are most Mexicans still so poor?"
THE TEN YEAR TRACK RECORD OF THENORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT
THE MEXICAN ECONOMY, AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT
THE TEN YEAR TRACK RECORD OF THENORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT THE MEXICAN ECONOMY, AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT
...
The vast majority of Mexican workers have not benefited from NAFTA. Instead, the minimum wage, which approximately 25% of the country’s 40 million workers
earn, has declined 20% and hovers at around $4/day. Half of
the workforce makes less than $8/day.12 The huge influx of
migrants from the collapsing rural economy and weak economic growth under NAFTA has helped keep wages stubbornly low, and failing to keep up with inflation, let alone productivity gains. ( Many Mexican small farmers have been ruined because corn imported from the north became cheaper than locally grown corn. ) Attempts by Mexican workers to unionize have been harshly — often violently — countered.
NAFTA’s empty shell of a labor side agreement has proved useless.This reality, combined with the 1995 peso crash —caused in part by the currency being artificially propped up as part of the campaign to get NAFTA approved — has meant real wages for most workers are well below their pre-NAFTA levels.13 The Mexican government recently estimated that over half of the population earns less than
what is required to cover the basics of food, clothing,
housing, health care,public transportation and education.14
...
Now, ten years later, it is clear that NAFTA-related business activity has increased air and water pollution and generated tons of hazardous waste which is being dumped. Instead of industrial development becoming more dispersed throughout the country, it intensified along the border, inflicting still more environmental degradation on already heavily-polluted areas. During the NAFTA era, the number of maquiladora factories nationwide more than
doubled from 1700 plants in 1990 to 3600 in 2001 — with 2700 plants located along the border by 2001. ...
Indict for treason, convict and punish old-skool style some of these traitorous construction CEO's--that is one of the most necessary actions we have to take in order to set this nation a-right.
Mass immigration, especially illegal immigration, is economic warfare, terrorism. And those citizens who aid and abet the invaders are traitors and need to be treated as such. This is war. Forget North Korea. There is a war going on right here in America. The invaders themselves must be driven from our soil with a righteous fury, and their treasonous american allies must be made to pay the ultimate price.
Now, ten years later, it is clear that NAFTA-related business activity has increased air and water pollution and generated tons of hazardous waste which is being dumped. Instead of industrial development becoming more dispersed throughout the country, it intensified along the border, inflicting still more environmental degradation on already heavily-polluted areas. During the NAFTA era, the number of maquiladora factories nationwide more than
doubled from 1700 plants in 1990 to 3600 in 2001 — with 2700 plants located along the border by 2001. ... I don't know if you can blame Nafta for the lack of development of the South since rural areas even in the states have with development, take the Miss river valley. in MS
Believe me, just put a squeeze on student loans and academia in general and you will see tens of thousands of various youngsters from those majors we discuss so much ready to start hammering nails. There's only so many barista jobs to go around.
Why should we have "guest" carpenters in the country? That is most certainly not a job that Americans won't do. Outrageous, really.
Give them time, and it will be. Yes, it's outrageous.
When I was nearing adulthood 25 years ago and thinking about what to do with myself, one thing I considered was forming a crew to put up drywall. I had done some of it part-time and it wasn't bad work, but not easy either. It seemed to be in demand as subcontract work, and paid pretty well considering it didn't require any college or licensing.
Fortunately I went a different direction, because I'm told that most drywall work today is done by dirt-cheap Spanish-speaking crews, even here in a 93% white town in the rural Midwest. A job that looked like a good way to make a living if you were willing to work hard, would have actually led me right into a buzz-saw of falling wages and competition from off-books, cash-basis crews.
It can't be said enough: immigrants don't take jobs Americans won't do; Americans can't afford to keep doing the jobs immigrants take.
White Americans used to embrace appeals to citizenship, especially the one saying that we should give 1960s "Civil Rights" a chance.
But now - when it comes to securing the borders - the reaction is, "Screw the country, I'm gettin' mine." The US construction industry is not run primarily by Jews, blacks, Eskimos, and Kurds. Is it primarily run by small companies, if you ask any of those construction industry groups (Associated General Contractors of America, Leading Builders of America, the National Association of Home Builders, the National Roofing Contractors Association, et al.).
I.e., Joe Normal, looking for a buck and to hell with everyone else.
What will the construction industry be like for Mr. Normal once America becomes Mexico North? Mr. Normal doesn't care about that. He will be long gone by then.
Some Mexicans make 3 per hr, there not as poor as you make them out and now Mexico is exporting a lot of food to us. The 8 bucks an hr is for the bottom group, there are just as many that make 3 per hr. I made 2.90 per hr in 1979 so the bad Nafta was exggerated. A lot of our food is now coming in from Mexico.
A lot of our food is now coming in from Mexico.
Such as?
A lot of our food is now coming in from Mexico.
If true, this is one more danger of mass immigration. As our population swells, we necessarily become more dependent on foreign countries to supply us with food.
White Americans used to embrace appeals to citizenship, especially the one saying that we should give 1960s "Civil Rights" a chance.
But now - when it comes to securing the borders - the reaction is, "Screw the country, I'm gettin' mine."
Collective action problem. And recent research indicates people have a harder time overcoming such problems under conditions of "diversity."
Tomotes for example are coming in from Mexico, if you looked at where your food is coming from a lot of it is Latin America not California and so forth. Probably its easier now to get a farmworker job in Mexico than California. Mexico, Chile and so forth if you look at where you food is coming from. Its just that California pays a higher wage. And a lot of illegals don't come up as much since its the lowest paying job for them, even working in a hotel pays better.
Mexico has become a major exporter of fruits and vegetables from Latin America. Products such as tomato, avocado, broccoli, mango, pineapple, lemon, asparagus, eggplant, peppers, squash, exotic fruits are the most prominent in Mexico's supply.
"New Mexico will break a agri-food export record. Mexico is exporting about 20 billion dollars in agro foods of which 10 billion are from fruit and vegetables. Of these 10 billion dollars, which we distribute globally, between 5 and 7 billion dollars are for the United States. We are leaders in the U.S. by geographic location and quality of our product." says Gabriel Padilla Maya, General Coordinator of Trade Promotion and Export Promotion Aserca-SAGARPA.
Despite the global economic crisis, Mexico has been able to consolidate the fresh sector as a specialized niche market. "We give a guarantee to the buyer and the consumer by our work towards safety and quality." Ensures Padilla Maya
In addition, Mexico is looking at countries which produce the same products in other hemispheres as complementary. "Today we are becoming more coordinated with the production of South America and Asia so Mexico's output is additional to the supply requirements demanded by buyers." Gabirel Padilla said to FreshPlaza.
It should be noted that Mexico has consolidated the organic market in the United States. This has prompted the European market and has achieved an export growth of organic products in the range of 20% to 27% in Europe.
In the 90's Mexico exported 94% of their products to the United States. Today, although there is increased production and exports to the U.S. market, product exports to the United States are 76%. Mexico has diversified its markets.
It is sending its export products to European and Asian markets with the greatest potential.
"We have consolidated our presence in Germany, Holland, UK and Spain. The intention of reciprocity has been opened for stone fruit imports from Spain and we have accepted the intention. We expect to start shipping directly from the ports of Veracruz directly to send tropical fruit to Europe." stated Gabriel Padilla when referring to the new export markets and new opportunities to position Mexican products abroad.
For more information:
Gabriel Padilla Maya
Aserca-SAGARPA
@: gabriel.padilla@aserca.gob.mx
Mexico has become a major exporter of fruits and vegetables from Latin America. Products such as tomato, avocado, broccoli, mango, pineapple, lemon, asparagus, eggplant, peppers, squash, exotic fruits are the most prominent in Mexico's supply.
It may actually be in Americans' interests to be importing food from abroad for the time being--we preserve our soils and ecology for a rainy day. We should be doing the same thing with fossil fuels.
"White Americans used to embrace appeals to citizenship, especially the one saying that we should give 1960s "Civil Rights" a chance.
But now - when it comes to securing the borders - the reaction is, "Screw the country, I'm gettin' mine."
That's what balkanization does. It kills all the synergy you get from people being prepared to chip in for public goods.
The gap between America's carrying capacity with and without that synergy bonus will be immense imo.
But now - when it comes to securing the borders - the reaction is, "Screw the country, I'm gettin' mine." The US construction industry is not run primarily by Jews, blacks, Eskimos, and Kurds. Is it primarily run by small companies, if you ask any of those construction industry groups (Associated General Contractors of America, Leading Builders of America, the National Association of Home Builders, the National Roofing Contractors Association, et al.).
I.e., Joe Normal, looking for a buck and to hell with everyone else.
That's what happens when the country is changed from a cooperative going concern into a "commons" (in Garrett Hardin's terms). It wasn't their idea to change things; they're just adapting to the change.
Steve,
One reason they need to push immigration "reform" now is that beginning January 1, 2014 the exchanges and tax credits will begin to kick in under ObamaCare. Only legally lawful residents will be able to participate in the exchanges and it is the only place a low income buyer can get a government subsidy. That means in eight months and 24 days, employers who hire illegals will be at a strategic disadvantage to where they are now. Many illegals who are currently working on a payroll will lose their health coverage and will not be able to purchase replacement coverage because the cost is estimated to go up (I have seen one estimate that individual health insurance rates could go up as much as 80% in Ohio!). This will probably reverberate through the rest of these crooked businesses because they are over 50 full time equivalent employees (FTE) they will be required to pay a tax (thank you Justice Roberts) of either $2,000 per employee per year, or more likely $3,000 per employee due to the thresholds in the law. Many companies that do not insure their employees will mysteriously begin to have higher worker's compensation claims because it will be an easy way for the uninsured to access health care thereby screwing their workers comp premiums.
That's what happens when the country is changed from a cooperative going concern into a "commons" (in Garrett Hardin's terms). It wasn't their idea to change things; they're just adapting to the change.
The big change happened decades before most of us iStevers suspect. I will point to the "Dummy Revolution" of 1945-1955 as the straw that broke the camel's back 60 years later.
Historians tell us that Stalin defeated Trotsky, who was later even murdered by Stalin's agent.
But if Trotsky inspired the very people who would later become Neocons who came to dominate much of foreign policy and control one of the two major parties in America, didn't Trotsky really win in the end?
But if Trotsky inspired the very people who would later become Neocons who came to dominate much of foreign policy and control one of the two major parties in America, didn't Trotsky really win in the end?
He is winning. The Fat Lady hasn't sung yet, but it's not looking good for the home team.
"didn't Trotsky really win in the end?"
Depends if you're an American or a Russian.
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