Bid for visas raises doubts Congressman, union question effort for 6,000 unskilled workers

Houston Chronicle ^ | L.M. SIXEL

[Dubya]

The request by Baystone Contractors was pretty simple. The company wanted visas to bring in 6,000 foreign unskilled workers to build and repair ships for four big oil refining companies in Southeast Texas.

The only problems were that the refiners didn't need the work, weren't in the market for unskilled foreign labor and never asked for Baystone's help. Besides, a Texas union chief says there would have been plenty of American applicants for the jobs — if they existed.

[Dubya]

Yet the request appeared to be cruising past state and federal regulators until it was smothered in a union-backed avalanche of U.S. job applicants for the positions that Baystone hoped to fill with unskilled foreign workers.

"I don't think anyone is paying attention," said U.S. Rep. Gene Green, the Houston Democrat who has been meeting with union officials over their concerns that temporary staffing firms have been using the so-called H-2B visa program to import foreign construction workers to Texas for substantially below-market wages.

[Dubya]

Even the lawyer for Harvey, La.-based Baystone says the company's claims weren't true in the request it submitted under the federal visa program that allows companies to import temporary workers for jobs they can't otherwise fill.

[domenad]

Sometimes unions do their job. These were jobs Americans can do. Maybe it’s time to start restricting the doling out of these visas a bit.

[Brad from Tennessee]

I wonder what kind of kickback Baystone gets from each foreign worker. I wonder if Baystone could simply sell the visas once they were obtained.

[businessprofessor]

The trouble with unions is that they drive down labor demand by their outrageous, government endorsed labor demands. I strongly support market wages for American workers. I strongly oppose prevailing wage laws that provide cover for union compensation demands. Outrageous union labor demands are fueling the demand for foreign labor.

[domenad]

Having studied organized crime on a scholarly level, I’m no stranger to the problem with unions. However in this case, a union was a necessary check to what was essentially onshore outsourcing. Unions would be far less powerful if companies operated above board in their doings, and I’m sad to say that in my experience they generally don’t.

[meadsjn]

I've never been pro-union, but your opposition to prevailing wages is quite out-dated, considering that union labor is currently such a small percentage of the non-government work force.

On the other hand, brokered labor, as described in the article, is the biggest economic crime against American workers and American businesses ever.

Labor brokers (i.e. recruiting firms, temp firms, etc), whether for unskilled, skilled, engineering, or professional positions, drive up the costs of labor to companies and drive down the wages earned by the providers of the labor. The labor brokers want the foreign workers because they can get them to accept a lower hourly rate, but the rate charged the client companies rarely is decreased. The extra margin boosts the labor broker's profit for providing what is usually less qualified workers to the client companies.

Instead of using the union strawman, let's work to abolish the IRS rules that strongly discourage companies from negotiating with and directly employing independent contractors. That is what has created the corrupt contracting practices such as the article describes.

[bpjam]

I’m sure there is a different interpretation in every state but here is what ‘prevailing wage’ means in English in the State of Nevada.

Prevailing Wage - The highest wage paid for any similar work during the past two years.

Is that definition in law? No. Is that how the unions require the state operate? Yes.

And in Nevada, it is required (back when the Dems ran everything) by law that all public construction jobs pay the ‘prevailing wage’. And somehow, they all end up being union contractors who get the bids. And subsequently we end up paying 40% extra to build the dozen schools in Las Vegas each year.

Unions may be a small percentage of the entire workforce but they derive their power from the fact that they are attached at the hip to the government and the government controls the largest contracts. I’d be happy to be in any business where I’m only a small player but I have a lock on the largest client in the state.

[ricks_place]

Prevailing wage, including fringes, is published by feds and state according to labor catagory and is usually tied to the union scale.

[Ben Ficklin]

"the biggest economic crime against American workers"

Talk about being a drama queen.

This is the H2B. The quota is only 66,000. While it may be under a temporary increase and there may be some that can be re-captured, the total number is certainly well below 150,000. Compare that to 12 plus million illegals.

You union boys masquerading as conservatives are a big joke. We know you want to replace these temporary visas with permanent visas.

[businessprofessor]

Well stated reply. Prevailing wage laws are abominations. These laws aid and abet union strangleholds on government contracts at all levels. In addition, these contracts impact many quasi public sector projects in which local politicians collude with businesses on major projects. Conservatives have tried to change these laws for many years without success.

[meadsjn]

You don’t read so well.