Guest-worker program dodges its first bullet

The guest-worker program in the new immigration bill survived its first test late yesterday but remains under siege.
The debate pits resurgent Democratic populists against negotiators determined to hold together the tenuous immigration reform deal.

Labor and immigrant-rights groups, meanwhile, have continued to withhold their final verdict on the immigration bill, conscious that criticism from liberal-leaning groups could spark an exodus by Democratic supporters. The push from Sens. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) to strike the guest-worker program fell short late yesterday, but union interests are far from satisfied with another Democratic plan to cut the number of workers in half. 

{mosads}“The big economic interests and big business in this country, even as we see the export of American jobs … wish to bring in cheap labor through the back door,” Dorgan said of the temporary-worker program, which he described as a sweetener to ensure the business lobby’s support for the immigration bill.

The original deal called for 400,000 temporary workers to serve three two-year terms. Yet backlash from Democrats, led by members of a freshman class elected on a platform of protecting middle-class jobs, points to a guest-worker program half that size at most.

“The CEOs who want this bill aren’t even embarrassed by their hypocrisy,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said of the guest-worker program. “One day they shut down plants with high-skilled, well-paid American workers, and move to China … The next day, they have the nerve to come before the U.S. Congress and tell us that they can’t find skilled workers to do the jobs that they need. Give me a break.”

Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) was another freshman backing what he called Dorgan’s “lonely” quest to protect U.S. workers by killing the temporary-worker program.

The Dorgan-Boxer push failed 31-64, winning more votes than it did last year. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who voted to keep the guest-worker program alive last year, moved to strike it yesterday.

“We know the Republicans view this as a critical part of the bill for them, because they’re responding to the corporate interests that want it in there,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), who voted against last year’s immigration bill because of concerns with the guest-worker system.

The bill “smacks too much of amnesty for me, and secondly, the guest-worker program is not a good idea,” Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), who voted against starting debate on immigration this week, told reporters.

The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights joined officials from the AFL-CIO, the Service Employees International Union and the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) yesterday to release a list of requested fixes to the current guest-worker provision, including stronger rights for guest workers.

“The AFL-CIO has stood against a guest [worker] program that doesn’t have a path to citizenship, and none of the programs in this legislation have that,” said Linda Chavez-Thompson, executive vice president at the union giant.

But members of the bipartisan negotiating team that drafted the immigration bill warn that the pact would collapse if the guest-worker program were fundamentally altered. The Senate negotiators plan to offer some small-scale amendments during the two-week debate but are sticking to their vow to oppose any change the group considers to be major.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in a letter to senators yesterday, warned against amendments intended to “gut” the temporary-worker program.

“It is critical that the number of [guest-worker] visas be kept at 400,000,” Chamber Vice President Bruce Josten wrote.

The Memorial Day recess will give labor and immigrant groups a media vacuum to amplify their grassroots lobbying campaign to sway Democratic votes, while conservative groups likely will mount a similar effort targeting Republicans.

“You’ll see a variety of things, from town hall meetings to vigils to calls,” NCLR Vice President Cecilia Munoz said.
But senators appear to be letting the floor process work its will for now.

Republicans took turns blasting and urging acceptance of the deal during their weekly caucus lunches, according to Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.). He declined to insert himself into the high-profile immigration scuffle that has distanced Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) from GOP White House rivals, even as Republican National Committee General Chairman and Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) challenged presidential candidates to offer alternative immigration plans, not just criticism.

“Any time you’re in the middle of a campaign, big issues are frequently boiled down to short sentences,” Brownback said. “I am concerned about that. This is an issue where the devil’s in the details, and there are lots of details.”