DeSantis’s immigration law is leading to worker shortages

[Anonymous]

There are labor shortages in a bunch of sectors in the US but work visas are available in only a few of them. A lot of hospital ICUs depend on immigrant nurses, especially Filipino nurses who were a disproportionate share of healthcare worker deaths from Covid.

[Anonymous]

I’m ok with the e-verify program. Is there a reason why these workers can’t use it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s very interesting to see how it plays out. I am in CA and I see an influx of presumably legal newcomers from Ukraine looking for odd jobs. Hopefully some or many of them will move to Florida and get a perfectly legal job with protected wages. Then there are Russian asylum seekers who eventually get a work permit. They can do some jobs as well.
However it may just not play out that way. It remains to be seen if Florida’s law is a success. I don’t think any politician ever supports any law that is not being lobbied by someone. So who are the ones pushing for the new law in Florida and what is their plan to deal with the fallout? It remains to be seen!

Is there a diaspora population where you are? SF, West Hollywood I know have many Ukrainians and Russians

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m ok with the e-verify program. Is there a reason why these workers can’t use it?

Sure, for the ones who are here legally, but the legal route is for people with money, degrees, and connections. Not for poor workers even though there is a demand for their labor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are labor shortages in a bunch of sectors in the US but work visas are available in only a few of them. A lot of hospital ICUs depend on immigrant nurses, especially Filipino nurses who were a disproportionate share of healthcare worker deaths from Covid.

Before this is misinterpreted, the Filipino nurses are here legally with visas sponsored by the hospitals. I mentioned them to refute the nonsense that there is no such thing as a labor shortage. There are shortages in many sectors, some professions can get visas, many others can’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m ok with the e-verify program. Is there a reason why these workers can’t use it?

Sure, for the ones who are here legally, but the legal route is for people with money, degrees, and connections. Not for poor workers even though there is a demand for their labor.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s very interesting to see how it plays out. I am in CA and I see an influx of presumably legal newcomers from Ukraine looking for odd jobs. Hopefully some or many of them will move to Florida and get a perfectly legal job with protected wages. Then there are Russian asylum seekers who eventually get a work permit. They can do some jobs as well.
However it may just not play out that way. It remains to be seen if Florida’s law is a success. I don’t think any politician ever supports any law that is not being lobbied by someone. So who are the ones pushing for the new law in Florida and what is their plan to deal with the fallout? It remains to be seen!

I suspect it is because they need to set up the stage for doing things like slashing safety net budgets. If someone wanted to squeeze the low wage labor market, they could cut things like food stamps and healthcare. Businesses want the wages to stay low, so they aren’t going to offer a higher wage that someone would accept.

I think this runs the risk of causing serious supply/demand inflation. It seems more likely to backfire than to succeed.

Could DeSantis just be throwing his own constituents under the bus so he looks like he’s strong on immigration? Seems likely.

[Anonymous]

It would be fascinating if DeSantis almost wins the presidential election, but loses by margin and less than Florida's EV.

[Anonymous]

Business owners don't want to pay living wages to anyone. The GOP makes unions the bad guy, for daring to expect living wages and worker protections. The right claims that if businesses had to pay living wages, costs on everyday goods and services would rise. Yada, yada, yada, right? We all know this spiel.

BUT the reality is that prices don't have to go up. Instead, wait for it, our society could demand that CEOs/CFOs/etc. be paid normal wages. Shocking idea, right?! We could rise up and stop accepting the bizarre salaries and benefits that come on the backs of the workers as acceptable in an advanced society. Wealth would be more evenly distributed, which should be a goal of any properly functioning society. I'm just. so. tired. of hearing that better wages for the little guy automatically equals higher costs when there's a giant elephant in the room being stroked by most politicians but especially the GOP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Business owners don't want to pay living wages to anyone. The GOP makes unions the bad guy, for daring to expect living wages and worker protections. The right claims that if businesses had to pay living wages, costs on everyday goods and services would rise. Yada, yada, yada, right? We all know this spiel.

BUT the reality is that prices don't have to go up. Instead, wait for it, our society could demand that CEOs/CFOs/etc. be paid normal wages. Shocking idea, right?! We could rise up and stop accepting the bizarre salaries and benefits that come on the backs of the workers as acceptable in an advanced society. Wealth would be more evenly distributed, which should be a goal of any properly functioning society. I'm just. so. tired. of hearing that better wages for the little guy automatically equals higher costs when there's a giant elephant in the room being stroked by most politicians but especially the GOP.

But that's anti-capitalism. It's very anti-old school R, and more like the western European model, and you know Rs think the European model is a dirty word -- socialism.

I find it funny how populists are anti-regulation, want living wages, companies to stop hiring foreign workers and offshoring jobs ... and yet call themselves capitalist.

Regulating CEO pay and where a company can hire labor is not capitalism.

But, I do agree with you, PP. Unfortunately, MAGA don't get that you cannot want capitalism and force companies to regulate CEO pay and where they can hire.

I recall years ago when Rs were talking about tax cuts for businesses, Dems want to add a provision in there to ensure that companies use those tax breaks to hire Americans, but Rs were against it because, of course, companies know how money should be better spent. Even when the CEOs told the Trump administration that they would not be hiring more American workers, and even when some people stated (myself included) that these companies would be using the tax breaks to buy back stocks, MAGA and Trump chose to ignore it. He was not too happy when those jobs didn't appear like he thought they would. That's because he's a moron who's never worked for a publicly traded company, and clearly doesn't know much about how they operate. Pretty dumb businessman, not to mention all his bankrupt businesses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Business owners don't want to pay living wages to anyone. The GOP makes unions the bad guy, for daring to expect living wages and worker protections. The right claims that if businesses had to pay living wages, costs on everyday goods and services would rise. Yada, yada, yada, right? We all know this spiel.

BUT the reality is that prices don't have to go up. Instead, wait for it, our society could demand that CEOs/CFOs/etc. be paid normal wages. Shocking idea, right?! We could rise up and stop accepting the bizarre salaries and benefits that come on the backs of the workers as acceptable in an advanced society. Wealth would be more evenly distributed, which should be a goal of any properly functioning society. I'm just. so. tired. of hearing that better wages for the little guy automatically equals higher costs when there's a giant elephant in the room being stroked by most politicians but especially the GOP.

But that's anti-capitalism. It's very anti-old school R, and more like the western European model, and you know Rs think the European model is a dirty word -- socialism.

I find it funny how populists are anti-regulation, want living wages, companies to stop hiring foreign workers and offshoring jobs ... and yet call themselves capitalist.

Regulating CEO pay and where a company can hire labor is not capitalism.

But, I do agree with you, PP. Unfortunately, MAGA don't get that you cannot want capitalism and force companies to regulate CEO pay and where they can hire.

I recall years ago when Rs were talking about tax cuts for businesses, Dems want to add a provision in there to ensure that companies use those tax breaks to hire Americans, but Rs were against it because, of course, companies know how money should be better spent. Even when the CEOs told the Trump administration that they would not be hiring more American workers, and even when some people stated (myself included) that these companies would be using the tax breaks to buy back stocks, MAGA and Trump chose to ignore it. He was not too happy when those jobs didn't appear like he thought they would. That's because he's a moron who's never worked for a publicly traded company, and clearly doesn't know much about how they operate. Pretty dumb businessman, not to mention all his bankrupt businesses.

I mean, all the nondocumented immigrants drive down wages for everyone, so republicans get to complain and get brownie points with conservative voters, while driving down their wages and laughing all the way to the bank.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m ok with the e-verify program. Is there a reason why these workers can’t use it?

Sure, for the ones who are here legally, but the legal route is for people with money, degrees, and connections. Not for poor workers even though there is a demand for their labor.

So why are the Dems not loudly, repeatedly calling for reform to This. One. Particular. Point?? Dems need to create a platform and talking points about immigration that (a) solve the walking across the border claiming asylum but really you're an economic migrant looking for work $hitshow that we have now --- which is horrible for economic migrants and even more horrible for true asylum seekers whose lives are in danger and they get thrown into this mix.

We need a system where lots and lots of people can apply to come here and come here legally as highly educated workers, workers in every industry er have that needs foreign born and educated additional labor (medicine, nursing, computing, engineering, whatever), PLUS an updated farm worker program, construction worker program, elderly aide worker program. Identify the areas, create the visas, and spend the subsequent $$ enforcing the coming and going within the program (going Ie not overstaying your visa and be staying here forever). This is truly one of the areas where government NEEDS to work properly and efficiently and in a well funded manner. All parties have been failing at this since the last massive immigration reform in 1965, but dems could so easily make so many more policy decisions and take so many more policy positions that that they have inexplicably failed to take, even when they have controlled Congress and the White House. Moderation and sanity in this realm would go so far in bringing American voters to their side too. Instead each party is so dug in on their respective RW/LW side that no one is proposing actual policy reform that addresses American workforce needs and appeals to business and the American middle class. Ridiculous.