Blacks vs. Latinos at Work

Boy, it sure is a good thing we don't like black people in this country.

LOS ANGELES -- Donnie Gaut, an African-American with 12 years of warehouse experience, applied for a job in 2002 at Farmer John Meats, a large Los Angeles pork processor. When he was turned down for the position, a job stocking goods that paid $7 an hour, Mr. Gaut decided the problem wasn't his résumé -- it was his race. He filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency that enforces antidiscrimination laws in the workplace.

Last October, the EEOC secured a $110,000 settlement from the company to be shared by Mr. Gaut and six other black applicants who were rejected for production jobs at Farmer John based on their race, according to the agency.

The EEOC says it found that the pork packer, owned by Clougherty Packing Co., had been almost exclusively hiring Hispanics for warehouse, packing and production jobs. Clougherty was acquired by Hormel Foods Corp. in 2004.

I think we all understand how delicate journalists sensibilities can be. So please allow me to provide an assist, see there's something they've neglected to mention...

"I think if the immigration services raided any of the meat plants in the area, I think all the plants would be left with practically no workers," says Hernandez, who adds that 40 percent of the workers at the Cargill plant are here illegally.

Now back to the story.

John Trasvina, vice president for law and policy at the Mexican-American Defense League, an advocacy group that works on civil rights issues, says that some Latinos may be viewed as "preferred applicants." He believes there is a feeling among some employers that Latinos can be exploited because, in their view, they tend to be immigrants who are more likely to accept low wages and be less aware of their rights than blacks. Says Mr. Trasvina: "Employers sometimes pit one group of employees against the other."

No. Stop. I don't believe it.

One of the Latinos hired to work in Farmer John Meats instead of the black candidates had been a gardener, according to Ms. Park. Both discrimination lawsuits were brought against the employers under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The message for employers is that "all individuals deserve to compete for jobs on a level playing field," she says.

Oh irony, sweet irony. I think we all understand that newspapers these days have no interest in actually being bothered with, you know, reporting, so again, allow me to provide an assist.

So long as American citizens are competing with ILLEGAL immigrants it cannot be, and will never be a "level playing field."

So long as our government winks at the hiring of illegals wages will continue to fall. If you white collar folks are feeling smug as you sip your cappucino, don't be. Your time is coming, big businesses are pushing to be able to import more and more cheap white collar labor from abroad for the exact same reasons blue collar and manufacturing jobs are now jobs Americans can no longer afford to do. Microsoft among others insist they are incapable of finding good employees in the US, hence they are pushing for hundreds of thousands more H1-B visas, affectionately referred to as the "No point in Americans attending college" visa.

Eventually we will all have to move to Europe and go on welfare!

Each one of these issues will be voted on in the upcoming Senate session. Right now our representatives are balancing donors needs against your needs and at the moment donors are winning big. Here's how it works, politicians believe you are too fat and lazy too care that they are selling you out to big business concerns. Politicians know beyond the shadow of a doubt that Americans don't like illegal immigration. But their betting you won't pay attention, that you don't care enough to pay attention.

Here's you chance to prove them wrong.

illegal immigration
FAIR
EEOC