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PrintSeptember 12, 2013
Companies lay off workers and then ask for immigration reform?
My guess is that most immigration reform supporters went home singing "See you in September." However, no one is talking immigration in September.
Syria has slowed down everything, especially all of the hysteria about Congress voting or not voting. My guess is that the last 2 jobs reports" are hurting a great deal.
At the same time, it hurts when you see this in The Washington Examiner. It does not help when US companies are lobbying for immigration reform (signing a letter to Congress) after they've laid off US workers:
"For example, Hewlett-Packard, whose Executive Vice President for Human Resources Tracy Keogh signed the letter, laid off 29,000 employees in 2012.
In August of this year, Cisco Systems, whose Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Kathleen Weslock signed the letter, announced plans to lay off 4,000 -- in addition to 8,000 cut in the last two years.
United Technologies, whose Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Organization Elizabeth B. Amato signed the letter, announced layoffs of 3,000 this year.
American Express, whose Chief Human Resources Officer L. Kevin Cox signed the letter, cut 5,400 jobs this year.
Procter & Gamble, whose Chief Human Resources Officer Mark F. Biegger signed the letter, announced plans to cut 5,700 jobs in 2012.
Those are just a few of the layoffs at companies whose officials signed the letter. A few more: T-Mobile announced 2,250 layoffs in 2012. Archer-Daniels-Midland laid off 1,200. Texas Instruments, nearly 2,000. Cigna, 1,300. Verizon sought to cut 1,700 jobs by buyouts and layoffs. Marriott announced "hundreds" of layoffs this year. International Paper has closed plants and laid off dozens. And General Mills, in what the Minneapolis Star-Tribune called a "rare mass layoff," laid off 850 people last year.
There are more still. In all, it's fair to say a large number of the corporate signers of the letter demanding more labor from abroad have actually laid off workers at home in recent years. Together, their actions have a significant effect on the economy. According to a recent Reuters report, U.S. employers announced 50,462 layoffs in August, up 34 percent from the previous month and up 57 percent from August 2012.
"It is difficult to understand how these companies can feel justified in demanding the importation of cheap labor with a straight face at a time when tens of millions of Americans are unemployed," writes the Center for Immigration Studies, which strongly opposes the Senate Gang of Eight bill and similar measures. "The companies claim the bill is an 'opportunity to level the playing field for U.S. employers' but it is more of an effort to level the wages of American citizens.""
Maybe this is all a terrible coincidence. However, it stinks to have US based companies laying off workers and then signing letters calling on Congress to legalize foreigners.
I'm all for facilitating the hiring of high skilled foreigners not available in the US, or students in our universities. I'm even willing to give some here illegally a conditional path to legalization, or work visa after a background check and penalties paid.
The bottom line is that US companies should not lobby for immigration reform after they've laid off US workers. It smells very bad.
You can hear CANTO TALK here.
