Comments on: A Small Town Under Siege

Residents Still Struggle To Recover After Immigration Raid Left Economy In Tatters

[gravyboat3000]

I'm confused, were the illegals doing jobs that supported the jobs of Americans?

CBS, we don't ALL watch y'all's programming year round, a little, "background", would have been nice on this story.

Bottom line, if employees are lost due to illigals, and those who enabled them to get and keep jobs being arrested, how is the unemployment an issue?

[hankvreeland]

If the plant did not break the law they would still be in business and would still have jobs open. Spare me the phony tears. Slanted tales such as this are a large part of why CBS is going down the tubes. I bet the writer (definitely not a journalist) and the so called editor will be on unemployment within six months,

[kyrockbkgold]

Among those paid by the hour, 286,000 earned exactly the prevailing Federal minimum wage in 2008. About 1.9 million had wages below the minimum.2 Together, these 2.2 million workers with wages at or below the minimum made up 3.0 percent of all hourly-paid workers.

http://www.bls.gov/cps/minwage2008.htm

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Since migrant workers, legal or not, rarely spend more than a year in one factory, most slaughterhouse workers are without health insurance. They also accept lower wages.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/irrad/slaughterworkers.cfm

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And the federal government looks the other way while greedy businessmen hire illegal immigrants to keep these low-paying jobs well-staffed thus making it impossible for the workers to ask for higher wages and improved working conditions.

[ClaudiaW2010]

Does it say anything in that article that many of the workers now being hired at the plant are non-Hispanic foreigners (e.g., new immigrants from African nations)? I read that in a legitimate news article. Still means the American citizens of many generations here, are still not wanting to show up and do a hard day's work, like our ancestors did. That is the point.

[kyrockbkgold]

Meatpacking now employs just under 150,000 people, and the Immigration and Naturalization Services estimates one quarter of the workers in Nebraska and Iowa are illegal immigrants.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/irrad/slaughterworkers.cfm

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Three quarters are legal and are probably American citizens. Yes, Americans will do this kind of work

[ClaudiaW2010]

ffloukes...I realize you are thick, so I will tell you I am not Hispanic. My ancestry is English, German, and French. You are under the impression that only other Hispanics can appreciate the hard work they do. Any useful comments on the state of the American worker today?

[kyrockbkgold]

Americans have had a year to go apply for the jobs and yet...
Posted by novamba at 5:50 PM : Jun 14, 2009

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The company filed for bankruptcy last fall and the search continues for a buyer. Currently, the plant is operating only one shift per day instead of three.

http://www.voanews.com/english/AmericanLife/2009-05-18-voa16.cfm

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Probably not hiring.

[ffoulkes-2009]

The reason there are not many comments from Hispanic immigrants on this article is because they are out there working hard. They don't have the free time on a Sunday like the many of the rest of we citizens who took the day off. They are out there working hard in our country. That is the main reason American employers hire them, not just because they work for lower wages. The Hispanic worker appreciates the worth of a dollar.
Posted by ClaudiaW2010 at 11:45 AM : Jun 14, 2009
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Once again someone is confusing Hispanic immigrants with Illegal aliens. Get it straight! If they come here LEGALLY we will welcome them openly, but when they break laws to get here and more laws to get their jobs, there is a real problem.

[ffoulkes-2009]

Hispanic immigrants work very hard in this country. They do not spend fifty percent of the time on the job complaining and eating and trying to pass their work onto others. They are hired by American employers not just for financial reasons but because they are hard working, dependable, and earn every penny of their pay. People who complain about Hispanic workers need to look at how they themselves spend each working hour.
Posted by ClaudiaW2010 at 12:29 PM : Jun 14, 2009
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I have seen no posts that are putting down the Hispanic workers in this country. I am only seeing posts about people here illegally. Put away your racist visors and look at the issue as an American rather than a Hispanic. See what is best for our country and not just the people who refuse to follow our laws.

[ffoulkes-2009]

This would be CBS, not ABC. Also, Americans do not work for minimum wage. The ones that have no jobs are not being stopped from going there and taking the jobs, the problem is, they would have to give up the welfare check they have been receiving for decades.
Posted by novamba at 5:45 PM : Jun 14, 2009
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I would have to disagree with you from experience. I, myself have worked for minimum wage. I worked the first 10 working years of my life at that rate (or lower), so don't say American's won't. There are places in this country American's can't find that kind of job to work. Sure some won't do it, but overall, if it comes between welfare and minimum wage, most I know will take minimum wage.