Study: Newly arrived Hispanic immigrant men drove down other workers' wages

Associated Press ^ | Aug. 18, 2003 | ALEX VEIGA

[new cruelty]

LOS ANGELES - Men working blue-collar and service jobs in 15 states tended to earn lower pay when they were employed alongside newly arrived Hispanic immigrant men because the new arrivals were often paid less, driving down the wages for all, according to a UCLA study.

The UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center study released Monday analyzed 1990 Census data on male workers in 38 U.S. metropolitan areas. It found that men - both native and established immigrants - earned an average of 11 percent less than others in comparable low-level service and manual labor jobs when they worked with Hispanic newcomers.

Minority workers in those jobs earned an average of 14 percent less. And the higher the proportion of newly arrived Hispanic men, the less money the other workers tended to make, the study said.

The study results reflect only the period of time the data were collected. The same type of data from the 2000 Census has not been released yet, said Lisa Catanzarite, the senior research sociologist who conducted the study.

"These findings push us to understand that wage penalties in 'brown-collar' occupations stem from newcomer Latinos' marginal status, and not from immigration, per se," Catanzarite said.

Employers' attitudes and immigrants' status when they first come to the United States are to blame for the disparity in wages in some jobs, she said.

Many employers devalue certain jobs where Hispanic immigrants are overrepresented, such as landscaping, construction, farm labor, groundskeeping and painting, and pay less. And immigrants are unable to resist low wages and have little political power to demand proper pay, so they end up working for less, Catanzarite said.

"The point is, if you have a vulnerable group, when they're exploited, then that can push down wages for everybody," she said. "Somewhat paradoxically, policies to combat pay penalties for native-born workers necessarily involve improving the status of immigrants."

The study recommends expanding worker protections for the immigrants, enforcing minimum wage standards and extending amnesty.

Catanzarite said people should not infer from the study that immigrant labor hurts American workers.

"The findings don't suggest that immigration overall is hurting native-born workers," she said. "Some of these jobs wouldn't even exist if those immigrants weren't here."

Among the metropolitan areas tracked in the study were the cities of Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Boston, Las Vegas, Dallas and Washington.

[mtbopfuyn]

Study: Newly arrived Hispanic immigrant men drove down other workers' wages

And they wasted how much $ for a big fat DUH?

[org.whodat]

The Border Patrol is also recieving more equipment as well. For example RVS cameras monitor nearly 70 miles of border in the El Centro

So what? When they start setting up the Fifty Cals. then I'll believe it.

[WOSG]

huh ... if we want to save money, why doesnt the Border Patrol *hire some illegals to do their work*!!

[elbucko]

The UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center study released Monday...{and}...The study recommends expanding worker protections for the immigrants, enforcing minimum wage standards and extending amnesty.

Of course it does. Just as a study of hen houses by a group of foxes would recommend that the foxes could care for the chickens, better than the chickens. The farmer paid for the study with egg money.

[The_Macallan]

Pingalinga-ding-dong!

---

It's Not Just A Gun...

It's My "HOMELAND DEFENSE RIFLE"!!

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Well, duh!

Wonder how much some moronic UCLA professor was paid to produce this piece of claptrap, when anyone who has studied Econ 1A could have provided the answer in two minutes.

[King Prout]

"Study: Newly arrived Hispanic immigrant men drove down other workers' wages"

hrmmm.
what's the word I'm looking for?
Oh, yes: "Duh!"

[King Prout]

I think you beat me to it by one second :)

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

heh heh!

[Ciexyz]

The guys who do landscaping, window washing, and painting at my home have all been Caucasians. Guess the immigrants haven't fanned out to this part of the Midwest yet, but I understand that's coming.

[paul51]

The point is, if you have a vulnerable group, when they're exploited, then that can push down wages for everybody

What a shocking revelation. Who would have thunk?

[stuck_in_new_orleans]

These immigrants perform tasks that used to be performed by high school and college students. Try finding your kid a decent summer job except hamburger flipping now.

Oh yeah, whenever I go to the Mall I see those damn mexicans taking all those jobs...especially the GAP! Oh and amusement parks...more of 'em

But seriously, what jobs are you speaking of? Sure they take construction jobs, but what jobs are they taking away from teenagers?

[Ciexyz]

Try finding temporary office work anymore. According to my friends who have relied on temporary clerical work for years, the "good" positions are being filled by college interns. They all need an internship on their resume.

[paul51]

Very nice equipment

[Ajnin]

So what? When they start setting up the Fifty Cals. then I'll believe it.

Whatever.

[Susannah]

"Oh yeah, whenever I go to the Mall I see those damn mexicans taking all those jobs...especially the GAP! Oh and amusement parks...more of 'em"

Illegals in California are working "behind the scenes" at Disneyland, Wal-Mart, restaurants, airports, auto shops, etc.

[Gunslingr3]

Atlas will shrug.When he does,the employer of illegal slaves will not be invited to join the new John Gault society.They will starve along with the slaves and the rest of the greedy socialists.

They are not slaves, they are just willing to do work you wouldn't at a price you wouldn't. I don't begrudge them that. Where do you expect 'the new John Galt' society to be, in place where the government decides who is allowed to work and for how much?

[Gunslingr3]

When they start setting up the Fifty Cals. then I'll believe it.

Did you ever visit the Berlin Wall? Slaughtering people who want freedom is what commies do. You need to fight socialism, not people willing to work.

[ought-six]

A conservative estimate is that $10 billion is sent back to Mexico every year by illegal Mexicans in this country, and that accounts for 1/3 of all Mexican revenue. Here's a novel idea: The U.S. should bill Mexico for that $10 billion as payment for the billions illegal Mexicans cost our health care system every year in free medical care.

[janetgreen]

I don't know if it's true that border guards have been increased or not. Illegal aliens are coming over the border by the millions every year. We need the military on the Mexican border.