As long as employers in low-wage industries can rely on an endless stream of vulnerable guest workers who lack basic labor protections, they have little incentive to hire U.S. workers or make jobs more appealing to domestic workers by improving wages and working conditions. Not surprisingly, despite requirements to recruit domestically, discrimination against U.S. workers by H-2 employers is well-documented, as is the depression of U.S. worker wages in industries that rely heavily on guest workers. The net effect is a downward spiral in wages and working conditions.
As long as employers in low-wage industries can rely on an endless stream of vulnerable guest workers who lack basic labor protections, they have little incentive to hire U.S. workers or make jobs more appealing to domestic workers by improving wages and working conditions. Not surprisingly, despite requirements to recruit domestically, discrimination against U.S. workers by H-2 employers is well-documented, as is the depression of U.S. worker wages in industries that rely heavily on guest workers. The net effect is a downward spiral in wages and working conditions.