AN ECONOMIC ASSAULT ON AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND OTHERS IN THE US

Dennis Cuddy Ph.D.

February 7, 2004

NewsWithViews.com

On January 7, the Bush administration announced a proposal allowing even more guest workers from other countries to come to the U.S. to fill jobs for which American workers aren’t available (more than 8 million undocumented workers are already here). Obviously, if high enough wages are offered, an employer can find American workers to do any job. So the critical point will be whether employers can designate salary levels for which they can’t find American workers.

Most guest workers have and will come from Mexico and other Latin American countries. While Mexicans and other Hispanics are fine, hard-working people, guest worker programs are already resulting in hardships for lower income Americans, a disproportionate number of whom are African-Americans. And these programs impact industries in cities and even small towns all across America.