The poultry industry has developed a Task Force to Prevent Child Labor following revelations that contractors were employing minors to clean plants and to work on portioning and deboning lines.
Recently a roundtable with a decidedly partisan orientation considered child labor. The event was entitled “The Exploitation Crisis: How the U.S. Government is Failing to Protect Migrant Children from Trafficking and Abuse”, justifiably criticized the Office of Refugee Resettlement, Unaccompanied Children’s Program.
The NCC maintains that the problem of child labor and employment of aliens is independent of whatever administration is in office and will persist, absent a radical reform of immigration legislation.
The Task Force to Prevent Child Labor developed by the poultry industry clearly states that there is a zero tolerance for unlawful hiring of minors. The issue is noncompetitive and requires collaboration among all sectors of poultry production. The Task Force has pointed out inadequacies in the E-Verify system where Social Security Numbers can be duplicated or be assumed from a deceased individual. Despite following procedures, producers can be placed in the invidious position of employing an illegal worker presenting fraudulent documentation.
The Task Force has called for a stable, legal and permanent workforce to maintain productivity. The industry considers that the immigration system “is broken” and it is time for Congress to resolve the issue.
A number of integrators have adopted the expedient of using employment contractors to provide workers as a “cut-out” strategy. This approach is obviously inadequate but is a reflection of the need to recruit labor and invest in training to maintain a stable and productive workforce. Current legislation fails to satisfy the needs of both industry and agriculture. Unfortunately addressing deficiencies and upgrading immigration has become highly politicized. The reality is that agriculture and industrial operations are dependent on immigrants. With an aging population and a declining birth rate, the U.S. will need immigrants to become permanent residents contributing to social security and taxes. The alternative to a regulated and progressive immigration policy is for the U.S. to become like Japan and other nations with declining populations and a disproportionate number pensioners with inadequate financial contributions from younger workers.
Regrettably available workers come from Latin America and Asia and not Scandinavia. The U.S. population will change in ethnic composition with inevitable changes in culture, a reality that is opposed by those committed to the status quo.
If we are to prosper as a nation we must develop a rational immigration policy free of racist overtones and contributing to acculturation to the U.S. for immigrants and their succeeding generations.