MIdwest anon here. I work in an Iranian owned manufacturing plant. Question for Q and anons: Where are all the foreign workers coming from? Please don't get me wrong. The folks I meet here are decent, SOME are hard working.
However, how can real wage for American workers rise when foreign, low paid (but heavily government subsidized) workers are still readily available? My city is a liberal blue in a sea of red, so there's that. Plenty of Christians who think taking a newly arrived African and planting them in a "sweat shop" is "helping them". So there's that, too.
However, in this Iranian owned factory the majority of new entry level operators are non-English speaking (though training materials obviously should require English language skills). There are immigrants from Asia, Africa, and Spanish speaking countries. OSHA requirements are apparently ignored, appropriate PPE and work attire not enforced/provided, plus I'd be educated guessing that environmental regulations are being flouted/ignored. This place is run like it's being "cannibalized", its micromanaged to the hilt so that staff on site are unable to meaningfully address any problems and personnel here are locked out of any meaningful understanding of finances. Wages are low compared even to other low end plants.
BUT, there is NO END of new people who cannot, in some cases fill out basic production paperwork or even understand instructions to do their jobs. Plus, entry level professional roles (there are not many) are currently held by foreign graduates.
Enough already. I'd like to know where the money this place makes is going (IRAN?!). Plus, I'd like to see AMERICAN high school graduates get jobs and proper training. If someone with NO ENGLISH WHATSOEVER can get hired, then two things: 1. American high school graduates can take these jobs 2. Quality should massively improve if people who can read, understand and follow English instructions are hired and properly trained.
The companies who receive products made by us often have unionized workers. I'm not necessarily interested in a union, but I fully realize the "benefit" to management of workers who cannot organize because of cultural and language barriers.