"Americans don't want to do this work".

[SHRED]

Just saw an H-2B segment on CBS News.
Shrimp boat operators and a hotel chain looking for help.

The shrimp guy says, "Americans don't want to do this work".

I think if I hear that one more time I'll scream.
What they are actually saying is, "We don't want to pay a living wage".
People drive septic tank vacuum trucks and other nasty jobs. Why? BECAUSE THEY PAY!!

[Caliman73]

1. Agreed. It isn't about the work, it is about the pay and other things

People do dangerous and what we consider disgusting jobs, because they pay well, have good benefits, and are valued. Americans would work in the fields if it paid a living wage and had benefits, but that either cuts into the profits of the corporations, or it raises food prices too high (because the corporate growers won't cut into their profits).

[n2doc]

11. or....the boss doesn't want to treat the employees fairly in other ways

Some want to be able to force their employees to work 100 hour weeks for 40 hours of pay. Some want to force them to live in degrading, miserable housing. Some just want to be little dictators.

[LonePirate]

2. For once I would love to read/see/hear one of these journalists ask the pay question.

Yet much like the people they are interviewing, they are too cowardly to do so.

[SHRED]

3. I would too!

I don't know why an interviewer would be afraid of asking that though.

[LonePirate]

4. I'm guessing they are afraid of antagonizing or insulting their interviewee.

[SHRED]

5. The segment also said...

...that the shrimp industry would lose millions.

They are willing to lose millions rather than pay people decently.

[PoliticAverse]

6. The shrimp guy says, "Americans don't want to do this work"' - He must never have watched...

_Deadliest Catch_. For the right price Americans will want to do it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadliest_Catch

[kerry-is-my-prez]

7. We are screwed here in Florida. A lot of talented/good people got deported to Mexico. I think they

and maybe some South Americans are one of the few populations who can stand up to the heat - being from even tougher climates. I moved here from the north and have had heat stroke several times just from standing outside in the sun for maybe an hour. If I had to do roofing or work in the fields, I really think I would soon be dead. My blond hair and freckles don't help much either. Being from Northern Europe, I really think we are meant for those colder climates. People from Scandanavia eventually adapted into blondes with fair skin for a reason. We are not really meant to be baking in the sun in 90-100 degree weather. My family gets skin cancer and has to get lesions, etc, burnt off constantly. Most of my darker skinned friends don't need to.

My old boyfriend with blond hair and blue eyes died of melanoma in his 20's.

[reggaehead]

8. In Cali

Restaurants are having a hard time because ppl are going to work the fields. Crops rotting is boosting pay. And soon prices

[SoCalDem]

9. reminded me of this blast from the past

https://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3555870

SoCalDem Donating Member (1000+ posts)

Wed Apr-27-05 05:51 PM



Would YOU pick peaches for $10 an hour? Babysit for $8 an hour?

The little troll on Lou Dobbs' show today flatly stated AGAIN (for the umpteenth time) that "there are just some jobs that Americans just WON'T do".. He claimed that "the 18 yr old at Starbucks would NOT pick peaches at ANY pay rate"..

I disagree. there are always people who WILL do menial labor, stoop labor, and repetitive type labor. They cannot AFFORD to do it at $5 an hour though.

The dilemma we have is this..

IF we assume that fruit/vegetable pickers are at the bottom of the wage-ladder, and prices have escalated to the level of today, is it because the workers have started to get MORE in wages, or that the companies HIRING them have just taken a larger and larger cut of the money generated from the sale of that fruit?

Oil companies have presented us with the same issue. Last year when oil was $50 a barrel, and prices climbed to "near $2.00", they raked in PROFITS up 50-60% over previous year levels...and now that oil is considerably higher, they are making even MORE OBSCENE profits.

Higher prices seem to have little if ANY connection with supply and demand. The only demand, is that the CEOs DEMAND more money.

But I digress...

Are there jobs that Americans won't do??

We have had septic tanks cleaned before..by Americans..

We have had plumbers crawl into spidery-filthy crawl spaces..Americans again

We have had concrete work done in August..by Americans

We have had babysitters..Americans

In fact, I personally, have NEVER hired a non-American to do ANY job I have ever needed done.. and I have never had ANY trouble finding someone to do whatever job we needed done..

I just wish that more people would call these guys on their coded diatribes.. There are jobs to be done, and there are people who would do them..but they expect to be paid..

How many CEOs take NO compensation for their work??

[maxrandb]

13. ReTrumplicans have so fucked our country with their Ray-Gun Walmartinization of the Economy

In 1981, I was Head Stock at a Grocery Store chain based out of Columbus, OH. All I had was a High School Diploma at the time, but this job was a "choice" job. It was a job that could put you solidly in the Middle Class. It was a job that you could support a family with, afford a home and have your small piece of the American Dream.

In that job, in 1981, I was making $12.60 and hour, time-and-a-half for overtime, double-time on Sundays and Holidays. The executives that ran the company made about 4-5 times more than the highest paid district manager.

Do this experiment. The next time you are in your local Grocery Store, ask someone stocking the shelves how much they make per hour. It's about $14.

In almost 40 years, the wages for that job have increased by about $1.40...IN 40 FUCKING YEARS!!!

Now, look up the compensation for that Grocery Stores CEO.

[greyl]

10. But they'll mine coal or cry if they can't. nt

[ProfessorGAC]

12. Yeah, They Leave Out The "For This Kind of Money" Phrase

I readily admit, i'm not going to pick lettuce for $4 an hour. But, i bet there are plenty of folks who would do it for $12 or $15.

[Blue_Adept]

14. These jobs often pay too, but it's hard backbreaking work that Americans don't want to do

https://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2012/05/17/the-law-of-unintended-consequences-georgias-immigration-law-backfires/#49ff1e32492a

"Workers are paid by volume, with skilled workers typically earning $15 to $20 an hour. Unskilled workers earn much less, which is why most locals don’t want the jobs."

It takes time to become a skilled worker at any job. Americans are unwilling in general to put in the hard work at this kind of job.

[Nay]

15. Don't forget -- there are other considerations, even besides pay, that cause

people to reject jobs. I forget what thread it was in, but just recently on DU some employer was whining about this same thing. Then you find out that he wanted to hire someone part-time, 10 hours a week, and the job was basically 2 hours a day, for 5 days!! WTF?? Who can afford to do this?? Not anybody who needs money.

[ProfessorPlum]

16. Here's an important post on just this topic

http://cepr.net/blogs/beat-the-press/lessons-on-labor-economics-for-the-owner-of-a-roofing-company-in-nebraska

read the comments too, some really excellent points made