From the NYTimes:
WASHINGTON — The nation’s top business and labor groups have reached an agreement on a guest worker program for low-skilled immigrants, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said on Saturday. The deal clears the path for broad immigration legislation to be introduced when Congress returns from its two-week recess in mid-April.
Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, convened a conference call on Friday night with Thomas J. Donohue, the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Richard L. Trumka, the president of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., the nation’s main federation of labor unions, in which they agreed in principle on a guest worker program for low-skilled, year-round temporary workers. Mr. Schumer is one of eight senators from both parties who have been negotiating an overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws…
Labor groups wanted to ensure that guest workers would not be paid less than the median wage in their respective industries, and the two sides compromised by agreeing that guest workers would be paid the higher of the prevailing industry wage as determined by the Labor Department or the actual employer wage.
Under the deal, guest workers would be allowed to pursue a path to citizenship and to change jobs after they arrived in the United States…
According to officials with the A.F.L.-C.I.O., the program would start at 20,000 visas, rising to 35,000 visas in the second year, 55,000 in the third and 75,000 in the fourth. In the fifth year, the program would expand or shrink based on the unemployment rate, the ratio of job openings to unemployed workers and various other factors. The agreement calls for a maximum of 200,000 guest visas granted each year…
Business groups, which had long been pushing to allow in 400,000 such guest workers each year, will get what they regard as an adequate number to meet the needs of employers.
Mr. Schumer also spoke on Saturday with Denis McDonough, the White House chief of staff, to update him on the agreement. President Obama is eager for an overhaul of the immigration system and has threatened to step in with his own plan if Congress does not move quickly with legislation of its own…
Baud
That to me is the kicker. I don’t see how the teahadists don’t freak out over this.
WereBear
I wish we could exchange some of our Wingers. But I bet no one would want them…
raven
The worst injury I have ever seen in a basketball. Kevin Ware for the Ville.
amk
As if the wingnut idjits weren’t freaking out already today.
lol
This is a big blow for Republicans. They had been hoping the talks would fall apart and they could blame unions for the bill not passing.
Now they have no excuse not to vote.
The Moar You Know
Unemployment is still 10.1 percent in California. We’ve got citizens who cannot find work. Why guest workers?
Fuck Schumer.
Fuck Donohue.
Fuck Trumka. (who of the three should know far better than to do this to American workers)
And fuck anyone who signs on to this bullshit, labor-screwing scheme.
Angela
@raven: What happened? I just turned the game on.
raven
@Angela: The kid was going for a block, he ran and flew at the shooter full blast and came down on in wrong.
Irving
I heard it was a broken leg, compound fracture. Bad and horrifying to watch, but a back injury would have been an order of magnitude more serious.
moops
@The Moar You Know:
The workers are already here, working in California for decades as illegals. Do you think this will *increase* the number of temp workers ? Every industry that employs them has bypassed the unions already.
The legalized temp workers can push wages higher. They might also be allowed to join unions, or unionize their sector.
I don’t know if this is addressed in the legislation.
raven
@Irving: Yea, I could have been wrong. Having had a similar injury I wasn’t all that excited to look closely.
Angela
@raven: @Irving: Thank you for the answers. It seemed it must be bad as noone was naming what had happened.
eclecticbrotha
@Angela: So did I. I’m kinda disgusted with the announcing teams’ inability to stop trying to milk the emotion of the moment long enough to inform those of us who may have just tuned in.
Cain
@The Moar You Know:
Cuz there is nobody who wants to pick fruits I guess. Of course, perhaps if they paid more…
Angela
OK They just announced that it was a broken leg. I’ve never seen something like that in basketball before.
We turned it on when they were all standing around and showing shots of everyone wiping their eyes.
raven
@Angela: I don’t think this was compound because there would have been a lot of blood.
raven
@eclecticbrotha: Guess what? It was very emotional for them as well. Watch the damn game if you want to know what’s going on.
Irving
Maybe that’s why we had a lot of shots studiously avoiding the basketball court. Cleanup.
Xecky Gilchrist
Cue the Baggers’ impression of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog: “This is a great piece of legislation – for us to poop on.”
raven
@Irving: Could be. Doesn’t really matter whether both bones are broken or both bones are broken and came through the skin. . .for him.
Angela
I hope it’s repairable. My son just showed me a video from Reddit. Made me sick to my stomach just to watch it, I can’t imagine it being my leg, or someone from my team.
Angela
Oh sweet son, now he just made me a cup of tea with milk and sugar. And the game goes on…
Jay C
@lol:
Hey, don’t sell our Congressional Republicans short, man! I’m sure they’ll figure something out!!
OK: Senate Dems, the CofC and the AFL-CIO all on the same page: with President Obama (I’m sure) polishing his pen and getting the guest-list together for a big signing ceremony. Another big WIN for the Admin, AFAICT: I’m sure a nontrivial percentage of the GOP will piss and moan a lot – but do they really want to have yet another serious issue get sidetracked by blatant obstructionism?
Unfortunately, the answer to that last question is probably “yes”….
raven
@Angela: Again, the lower leg is much more reparible than the knee. I have a big calcium deposit where I had the multiple fractures but it did not impact my long term activity.
Irving
Yeah, my brother found the YouTube of it. Definitely not something that you voluntarily need to watch.
Anne Laurie
@The Moar You Know:
I don’t trust Schumer as far as I could spit on him, but if Trumka’s really on board, I’m guessing there’s more to this bill than is covered in the article. Possibly he’s just figuring the RW outburst of “Furriners! Terr-ists! Nevah Nevah Nevah upon our flaaag-draped nevahs… “ for a burst of publicity in the MSM that would reject mere Labor-related protests?
I’m not thoroughly grounded in all the minutiae behind this particular scheme, which is why I wanted to get input from y’all before it ended up as a “whoops, too late” notice after the fact.
Angela
@raven: Thanks for that info. I’m hoping the best for him.
raven
@Angela: Joe Thiesman tweeted his concern. If the reports of the fractured fib/tib are correct Joe knows he has a good chance to recover. Joe’s was compound and he played again.
Higgs Boson's Mate
@lol:
There’s no fuckin’ tax cuts. Where’s the fuckin’ tax cuts?
raven
RE Knee injuries. As opposed to Theisman, Robert Edwards, a great running back from Georgia blew his knee playing flag football in the sand:
“Edwards was chosen by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He rushed for 1,115 yards for the Patriots in the 1998 National Football League season, before blowing out his knee at an NFL rookie flag football game in Hawaii. Edwards barely escaped the injury without having his leg amputated below the knee, and he was told he might not walk again.[1]”
eclecticbrotha
@raven: Well, excuse the fuck out of me for being busy at work, tuning in late, seeing a break in the game and expecting the announcers to do their fucking jobs instead of constantly jamming cameras in the faces of emotional teenagers while repeating over and over that they’re all crying. Its not like there’s anything else going on in the world besides a fucking basketball tournament, right? Also, fuck you.
raven
@eclecticbrotha: Yea asshole the fucking announcers run the cameras. Go fuck yourself punk.
Bwthemoose
What is worrisome about that fracture is that it did not appear to be any unusual torsion,or force applied to make it break. I hope he didn’t have an undiagnosed bone cyst or tumor that weakened his leg.
The Dangerman
@raven:
Fuck me! I missed it live (napping), thank goodness. First that kid from South Carolina, now this one.
I watched it once and suggest not watching it at all. I compounded both bones in my left arm (head over handlebars); it hurt like a MOTHERFUCKER until I reached down and popped them back in place (whereupon, it hurt like a motherfucker still, just not quite as bad). Ruined my golf game!
Glad it happened at the bench so he got help immediately.
MikeJ
@Anne Laurie:
I would guess that the thinking is that if they have to pay a legal wage they’ll hire citizens too. The growers are already hiring guest workers but doing it at a lower, illegal wage. Now guest workers will lose one competitive advantage.
raven
@The Dangerman: Aren’t you pissed that Clark didn’t come over to your house and explain what happened?
eta With visual aids.
The Dangerman
@raven:
Well, I can see someone tuning in late wondering WTF happened that was so serious (injuries that severe are so rare in roundball)…
…and proceed to do what I did, which was go to YouTube. First look was bad (WTF was THAT?), second look was worse. Won’t watch it again.
raven
@The Dangerman: I went over the bars in Whittier in about 1959. Hit on my chin and sliced it open. When I ran in the house my mom thought my throat was slit.
Lurking Canadian
Here’s my question: will employers hire these legally protected guest workers, or continue to prefer undocumented immigrants they can terrorize with threats of INS?
raven
@The Dangerman: Sure, totally agree. Clark and Nance were clearly moved and had explained it a couple of time. I think it was appropriate for them to be silent for a bit since it tool nine minutes to get him taken care of and off the court. The producer showed it real speed a couple of times and then it was time to be quiet. There was no hurry to tell every Tom-Dick-and Harry what the deal was that instant.
Ted & Hellen
@raven:
Always such a bitch. Have a drink and calm down.
Cause, you know, TV announcers would NEVER milk a situation for maudlin emotional purposes. Never.
You wanna talk BB, why don’t you go to an ESPN thread, douche?
MikeJ
@Lurking Canadian: My hope is that the INS will be more likely to go after to growers who now have an option for hiring legally.
raven
Schmuck of the century pops in. I loves some pie.
Ted & Hellen
@raven:
This huge injury was to your cranium, yes?
Mr Stagger Lee
Speaking of Chavez, I see the wingnuts and Christians are pissed that Google honors him and not Jesus. Nevermind that Chavez was more close to what Jesus was about.
Cassidy
@raven: So does the WATB.
Baud
@Mr Stagger Lee:
Did you just suggest that Chavez was closer to Jesus than Jesus?
raven
@Cassidy: UGH.
Yutsano
@Cassidy: You’ll forgive me, but I’ll just keep on likin’ the pie.
Ted & Hellen
@raven:
We all know you turned off the filter and read my comment(s).
Now do the world a favor and have a few drinks. Christ what a cranky bitch.
raven
@Yutsano: It is yummy.
GregB
It’s a path to Sharia!
Mr Stagger Lee
@Baud: Should have included that he was closer to the following of Jesus teaching than what the wingnuts will ever know, that includes the garden variety megachurch Christians. Apologies
raven
The Ville is crankin it up.
Cassidy
@ 52 Ted & Hellen:
So what was this one? I’m fat, ASSidy, gonna sic your lawyer’s on someone, gonna write Cole an email because we’re mean to you, Obama’s fault…what whiny ass, bitchy, small, petty, and completely predictable thing are you saying now?
I won’t see your attempt at a witty retort, but please know that on this day of peace, I still want you to walk into a fast moving bus.
Baud
@Mr Stagger Lee:
Yeah, I knew what you meant. I was just having some fun because you’re phrasing made me chuckle.
Ted & Hellen
@Cassidy:
So to sum up your neuroses: You “pied” me because you are a tender flower of love and sunshine who doesn’t want to be tempted into ugly flame wars, nor have his delicate, sensitive spirit besmirched.
Then when you see a “pied” comment, you take the time to respond with mindless bile anyway.
Look…it’s clear you have a “thing” for me, but as I told you during Social Studies, I don’t fee the same way.
Cassidy
@Ted & Hellen:
Nope. Still can’t see it. And you’re still a whiny ass little douche. Go light yourself on fire. Thanks.
raven
@efgoldman: Nice to see the kid that got hurt go to the Final Four in his home town.
Yutsano
@Cassidy: I personally find this slander on fried pies to be unacceptable. There is more than one way to get delicious pie goodness.
Baud
@Cassidy:
Who writes these? They’re hilarious.
raven
@Baud: They change every time you refresh too!
MikeJ
@Baud:
http://ok-cleek.com/stuff/pie_strings.json
Baud
@raven:
Must be guest workers.
Mr Stagger Lee
@Baud: No worries, from Democratic Underground
:-)
raven
@Baud: And rather that reading the douche, priceless!
Baud
@MikeJ:
I know cleek created the pie filter but I didn’t realize he wrote the messages. Hilarious.
Mr Stagger Lee
@raven: I’m leaning towards Syracuse to winning it all,but I would not mind seeing Louisville. Wichita State would be cool if they win it.
Cassidy
@raven: Be careful. It’s gonna send an email to John whining you said mean things to it. Even worse, it will pathetically beg you to reaffirm that Cole sent you an email telling you to stop when it knows in its heart that Cole was just humoring the little shitstain.
Baud
@Mr Stagger Lee:
Everyone knows the real Jesus is supply side Jesus.
Ted & Hellen
It’s fun to know I’m under the skin of the Assidy, and that Cole’s no-nonsense email instructing him to stop threatening other commenters with action IRL got the point across.
Hi Assidy! I know you’re reading these, you fat fuck.
gene108
@Lurking Canadian:
The more important issue is how will the USCIS (replaced INS, when DHS was formed) have the resources to handle 200,000 additional visa applications?
They are already backlogged with cases.
MikeJ
@Baud: He did the original batch and I think he asked for input from the users and added the best. If you’ve got a good one you could email him and I’d bet he adds it.
Ted & Hellen
@Cassidy:
hmmm…maybe it would be fun to copy and paste the alleged email…just a thought.
raven
@Cassidy: Sheeet, bring it.
Cassidy
@raven: Naw it was funny, man.
“What’s in your inbox?” “What’s in your inbox?”
That kept me giggling for a while. I could see the whole conversation between it and Cole with Cole promising to say something to me just to shut his piehole. Talk about pathetic, dude.
max
@Anne Laurie: I don’t trust Schumer as far as I could spit on him, but if Trumka’s really on board, I’m guessing there’s more to this bill than is covered in the article. Possibly he’s just figuring the RW outburst of “Furriners! Terr-ists! Nevah Nevah Nevah upon our flaaag-draped nevahs… “ for a burst of publicity in the MSM that would reject mere Labor-related protests?
I’m not thoroughly grounded in all the minutiae behind this particular scheme, which is why I wanted to get input from y’all before it ended up as a “whoops, too late” notice after the fact.
OK, the problem of bringing in guest workers at a sub-par wage was there, but that’s what the deal fixed. The total number of guest workers is capped, but it’s a floating cap, and we get a new bureau to track actual labor wages to see if there’s anything to this labor shortage business. There’s no legislative language, and I would fully expect the R’s to attempt to strip out the deal and replace it with another one when the time comes, but it sounds OK. Better: guest workers are not tied to one employer and they can go for permanent residency (and presumably from there citizenship), which would make this an alternate route for regular immigration.
They fixed what my problems with a ‘guest worker’ program. Whether that applies to other visa versions (particularly H1-B) isn’t clear, but it would be good if it also fixed the problems with those programs.
At any rate, if they have to hire at the prevailing wage, it shouldn’t drive wages down. (It might keep them from rising, depending.)
However, the notion that the R’s are not bargaining in good faith is alive & well:
What he’s saying is that the unauthorized who are here don’t even get to apply for a permanent residency card unless the House votes to allow them to do so – and they will only do so when certain ‘border security benchmarks’ are met.
Which means never. If Rubio sticks to what he is saying, he just blew up the bill. He is also demanding to be at the center of the process, which I take to mean that he can’t ride this PR train unless he’s in the spotlight, and if he can’t be the center of attention, he’ll blow up the bill.
There you go.
max
[‘No need for a guest worker program or an immigration bill at all if we’re still planning to ethnically cleanse the unauthorized.’]
raven
@Cassidy: Really, jesus what a loser.
Kay
@The Moar You Know:
Union membership actually grew in CA in 2012. Most of the growth was among Latinos and Asians and women. Trumka sees those groups as an ascendent working class, in terms of numbers.
I think we sometimes confuse the order of events in US labor history.
All those Irish and Poles and Germans and Italians didn’t create the original US labor movement because they were happily climbing the ladder to an inevitable middle class.
They did it because they were getting the shit kicked out of of them trying to go it alone.
That’s what he sees in the newer groups. People who DON’T believe they’re temporarily short-on-cash potential millionaires:)
ranchandsyrup
the only good Schumer is Amy Schumer, Chuckles’ niece. that lady is hilarious.
Kay
@The Moar You Know:
I see it as almost inevitable, because that’s how people are right?
If you’re 2 or 3 generations removed from “the absolute lowest worker rung” you start to think it was all your fabulous drive and iniative.
We have a high profile politician who received SS survivor benefits who is a disciple of Ayn Rand. That’s an extreme example, but you see where I’m going with this.
Origuy
15 people on Twitter who think Google is honoring Hugo Chavez
Any surprise one of them is Michelle Malkin?
MikeJ
@Origuy: Did she hear that Roy Edroso is overworked and just wanted to make things easy for him?
dance around in your bones
@Baud:
Did you know you can offer your own witty pie messages as well?
It’s fun! Plus, seeing your own pie filter submissions in the comments is kinda cool.
Anne Laurie
@Lurking Canadian:
There are laws that penalize those who knowingly employ undocumented workers. One of the pivots of the new proposals lies in ensuring sufficient chance of actual punishment that employers would rather pay the premium for ‘certified’ workers than risk getting caught. You will not be surprised to hear that the Ayn-Rand-quoting Jerb Kree-ayters who scream loudest about terrist ferrners taking good Murkin jobs are also the most likely to hire workers who are afraid to fuss about stolen wages or dangerous working conditions.
dollared
@Anne Laurie: Moar is right. We have 20 fucking million unemployed people. We don’t need H1Bs, we don’t need that crazy McDonald’s exchange program, we don’t need 200 fucking thousand new guestworkers each year.
Trumka doesn’t give a shit about farmworkers, restaurant workers, residential construction workers, and southern nonunion factory workers.
He’s just selling out because it protects his rank and file.