Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Report From the MA-05 AFL-CIO Debate

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It’s late, I’m beat as hell, but I managed to finish fixing up my notes from tonight’s AFL-CIO debate in Lowell with the MA-05 candidates, including independent candidate Patrick Murphy.

Lowell Telecom. taped the event, I’ll find out if they are putting it online. Still working on the other debates, the Chelmsford one is forthcoming, I promise.

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  1. Thanks to Lynn for posting debate report for those of us who could not be there. One question in particular addressed the most controversial bill being debated this week in the Senate. The Immigration Reform bill. Polls indicate that over 60% of the public is opposed to this bill…for a variety of valid reasons. At last night’s debate the question was posed regarding the Guest Worker program that most threatens the future of American construction and trades workers.

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    FROM LOWELL MA 5 CD LABOR DEBATE:

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    Q: Immigration system is broken, Currently there is a debate on an Immigration bill in Congress with many compromises.
    Your position on Guest worker programs?

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    p>  ED: The guest worker program is of great concern, in the sense that I think we are permanently creating underclass.  JE: Firmly opposed, as Eileen said it creates second class citizens but also hurts jobs, when employers hire cheaper labor. This bill also removes the law that helps families who are split to unite.  BF: I think bill has serious flaws, affects families, can?t have people paid underneath the table, need to hold employers responsible.  JM: Do not support guest worker program, opposed to bill in totality.  PM: There?s something in bill to offend anyone! Parts of it valid, with emphasis on security. But have to look at Mexican government to take on responsibility, look at our trade policy and how it affects the ability of Mexicans to prosper in their own country.  NT: Not quite for eliminating it. Have to make sure no American loses a job because of it, but those jobs that Americans don?t want, a guest worker program might work.

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    I am heartened to see that these candidates are skeptical about this bill…they have good reason to be…John McCain says there are jobs Americans don’t want and won’t do…He’s wrong….Americans will do any job if the job pays what it is worth…I have a plumber who is up to his knees in crap half the time, but the pay rate makes it worth it. My garbage collector gets paid a decent wage with benefits, that’s why he wants the job. If you ask a man or woman to work on a construction site, to have the skills to scale steel beams and construct elevators, you should pay them a fair wage…if there are not enough skilled American workers to do those construction jobs needed and you have to import temporary workers, then the temporary workers should be paid the going rate for the job…

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    A guest worker program without a hard and fast wage floor that protects ALL workers, will sound the death knell for American construction workers…the same unscrupulous employers that exploit immigrant workers now by paying them sub-standard wages without benefits will continue to do so as long as the Fed. govt. looks the other way by not enforcing the already too-low penalties…this bill marginally ups the fines for employer infraction but what makes anyone believe they will be enforced any more vigilantly than the ones ignored now?

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    I’m afraid our good Senator Kennedy has himself caught in too many compromises for the sake of getting his bill passed …so he’s trying to placate the building and construction trades workers and their unions who know they are getting screwed royally by the loophole language in the Guest Worker Provision of this bill…they say we’ll fix it later…that is NOT good enough…there may not be a later for the American construction industry…

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    Senator Kennedy, please fix it now…or dump this flawed bill and start over.

    • Nicely laid out arguments. I agree, the guest worker program is just another way to chip at and undercut the middle class wage earners.

      • Thanks, Lynn…unfortunately regardless of what the American public thinks of this cut and paste bill that hurts both American workers and immigrant workers…they are hell bent to ram it through this week or early next…before anyone knows what has just hit them.

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        The building and construction trades will not forget this sleight soon. 2008 Congressionals will look a bit different…they will sit on their hands for Senators who abandon them now…abandonment is a two-way street.

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