Not only in Qatar: Migrant workers are also exploited in America, activists say

The treatment of foreign workers has been in the spotlight during the World Cup in Qatar, where a number of temporary workers have reportedly died while building the infrastructure needed for the World Cup.

Activists for the rights of migrant workers in the US point out that such abuses do not only occur in other countries.

"The fact is that migrant workers in the US face many of the same problems as workers in Qatar," Julie Taylor, executive director of the North Carolina-based National Farm Workers Ministry, told VOA.

Among those problems are "forced workers to work in extreme heat, pay freezes, poor housing, lack of access to health care, and a lack of protective equipment," says Taylor. "The tragedy in Qatar must not be tolerated, and it is also an important opportunity to remind Americans of the tragedies happening at home."

In some states and municipalities, government agencies and activist organizations can point to progress when it comes to foreign workers. Last year, in New York, for example, farm workers - many of whom are migrant workers - fought for the right to collective bargaining, which will allow them to more successfully push for higher wages and better working conditions.

And last month in New Orleans, the Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division renewed a contract with the Mexican consulate to provide Spanish-speaking workers in Louisiana and Mississippi with information about their rights in the United States, and access to training such as protection at work.

"Thanks to the partnership with the Mexican consulate, we have improved the capacity for both employers and workers to understand their obligations and their rights," Troy Mouton, district director of the New Orleans Department of Labor, told VOA.

The agreement was made in the hope of reducing abuses against vulnerable workers, who perform jobs on the margins of society, to help them understand that their employers have a legal obligation to pay them. Despite such steps, activists argue that much more needs to be done.

Essential workers

According to a 2017 study by the Pew Research Center, there are approximately 12 million migrant workers in America at any given time, some of whom have the necessary documents and others who do not. America's current labor shortage, where millions of jobs are unfilled, would be worse without the participation of migrant and temporary workers, labor rights groups say.

"Migrant workers contribute to almost every sector of the economy," explains Shannon Lederer, director of immigration policy for the AFL-CIO union federation, "and they are also exploited in all of those sectors - in every industry and every wage category. It's a crisis of massive proportions." .

The Secretary of Labor's Trey Mouton says temporary migrant workers have played an indispensable role in New Orleans and across the Gulf of Mexico in recent years. Therefore, the need to renew the contract with the Mexican consulate to help protect the rights of these workers was evident.

"In recent history, the most significant single event that led to an increased presence of migrant workers in Louisiana was Hurricane Katrina in 2005," he says, recalling the storm that flooded 80 percent of New Orleans and killed more than 1.800 people.

"Many of those workers came from Mexico and other parts of Central America, and their work after the storm, clearing up, removing debris, demolishing and then rebuilding, had a big impact on our city."

Similar things happened after Hurricanes Laura, Delta and last year's Ida, but Mouton says the contribution of migrant workers is far greater than helping to recover from natural disasters.

"The majority of migrant workers in Louisiana contribute to the construction, agriculture, and seafood industries, all of which are important to Louisiana's economy," he says, adding that there is an ongoing fight to "protect the welfare of these workers" and achieve "compliance with federal standards in the domain of work."

"Terrible conditions"

Amy Libman, program director of the Texas-based Migrant Physicians Network, believes the Covid-19 pandemic has shown how crucial migrants are to America and its economy. That is why the nation should be even more shocked by the conditions under which these people work, she adds.

"Within a 120-kilometer radius around my house, we have 10 chicken processing plants, where many migrants do this hard work," Libman told Voice of America. space, and they were the ones who got sick and died from the virus, and transmitted the infection to their relatives."

"However, there is a fear, and that fear is based on facts, that if you complain to the boss, not only will you be fired, but you will be deported," adds Libman.

Migrant rights activists like Libmanu say that looking at the reasons why these workers come to the United States in the first place can contribute to understanding the difficult situation they found themselves in. There are factors that encourage them to emigrate from their home countries - such as war, violence, political instability and natural disasters, and then there are factors that attract them - such as the demand for cheap labor in the United States.

"When you have people who are desperate to leave their homes or come to work so they can send money to their relatives, you have a situation where those workers can be easily exploited and that's exactly what's happening," says Shannon Lederer of the AFL. - CIO.

"You have recruiters in the United States looking for workers in other countries and asking them to pay so they can work in the U.S.," Lederer adds. "Because these workers are already in debt when they arrive, they're desperate to work. And their visa is tied to one employer, so if they complain about poor and cramped accommodation, or mention that they were not paid on time, the employer can fire them and they will be returned to their home countries."

Challenges of the 21st century and the need for comprehensive solutions

Libman says the warming climate is contributing to the migrants' woes, as they often work outdoors in increasingly hot and dangerous weather conditions. This can cause health problems and increase the difficulties that many face.

"Getting good health care is complicated enough for migrants, but add to that the nature of their work," explains Libman. "Every time you go to a new place, you have to take the time to learn things. Who will take care of you and your family? Where is the local health center? How to get there? How will you pay the doctor? In areas with a large number of migrant workers, local health centers often work beyond their capacity, so what then?"

While immigrant rights activists welcome incremental progress in some jurisdictions, they say federal action is necessary to truly improve conditions for migrant workers.

"This is a crisis situation and we need to get serious about finding real solutions," says Lederer, adding that comprehensive reform of the US immigration system would be a good start.

"If we're going to create a country that welcomes the workers our economy needs, the focus needs to be on long-term solutions that allow immigrants to come to this country permanently and have the ability to change jobs once they get here."