Immigrant Workers in Latin America - Essay Example

Running Head: LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES Topic: Latin American Studies Lecturer: Presentation: Introduction In this essay, we are going to explore on the organization and occupation of low-income immigrant workers in San Jose and its neighborhood, California. There exists a big relationship between two types of labor and urban poverty in the informal sector in San Jose; these two types of labor include the sub-contraction of unskilled labor and small scale vending. There was a major operational restructure of Silicon Valley’s manufacturing and service industries during the 1980s towards increased flexibility and decentralization of labor. A large percentage of this restructuring, involved subcontracting work that was initially conducted in-house. The increased subcontracting resulted to the growth of the informal labor market (Zlolniski, 2006). A big proportion of this informal labor market has employed immigrant workers who work under very poor conditions hence affecting the rate of deterioration of the working conditions in the formal sector. Since most of the workers are underpaid, their standards of living are very low in addition to the increased rates of unemployment thus the class has been labeled as “the working poor”. Immigrant workers in Silicon Valley have become used to low-income jobs and hence have resulted to supplementing their incomes through engagement in informal economic activities such as small scale vending within their neighborhoods (Zlolniski, 2006). The small scale vending has attracted limited attention than the industrial subcontracting which plays a major role in California’s economy. Question 1: Informal Occupations of Immigrant Workers in Santech and Elsewhere in San Jose A recent study has proven that the informal economy in the United States cities has expanded due to the changes that are occurring in the process of organizing labor. Immigrants in San Jose constitute the main source unskilled labor and they operate through informal subcontracting and they produce goods and services which are directed to low-income earners. Thousands of immigrants in San Jose have been losing their rights to social benefits; an issue that has raised a lot of concern. Most of the workers are denied their retirement and maternity benefits, lack compensation from work-related accidents etc (Zlolniski, 2006). The problem is that the informal labor force management does not consider employing the workers permanently and thus they are denied the opportunity to claim the benefits Many states are withdrawing from provisions of worker welfare as the working conditions continue to deteriorate with time. Several states are withdrawing from programs related to the welfare of the workers in addition to the fact that capital owners are delegating social coverage responsibilities to the workers (Zlolniski, 2006). The working conditions in the industries are hazardous and risky but the immigrant workers have no alternative as they have to feed their families from the low earnings they earn from the unskilled jobs they do. Most of the workers are denied their entitlements and the state of poverty has for a long time transisted from generation to generation. Due to the little amount of money they earn, the workers live in poorly constructed houses where some have no access to electricity, clean water, and proper waste disposal. Transport is another dilemma since most of the workers cannot afford daily bus fare and so they have to walk to work. Due to the several problems that the immigrant workers face they have resulted to various survival subsistence methodologies, which include extensive households with dense social networks in addition to informal economic-generating projects. Small-scale vending is a common a common subsistence economic activity which is practiced by the Latinos. They sell fruits, newspapers, food, and other small business activities which earn them some extra money for their upkeep. The immigrant’s households are facing several challenges and threats since some of the American communities consider them to be aliens in their land. There have been several reported cases of racial violence (Zlolniski, 2006). Sometimes white Americans attack, injure or kill the immigrants; an issue that has generated a lot of debate in the American society. Businesses belonging to the immigrants have been looted and others burnt down in under race-related circumstances involving discrimination. The women who depend on their husbands for their daily upkeep are in great danger as they may be facing a lot of economic and social problems. Since the informal sector consists of unskilled workers earning meager wages, it has become very difficult for their husbands to earn sufficient income to provide the families with basic needs. Due to lack of sufficient funds to pay for improved and quality healthcare, immigrant women access substandard health care and thus they are under the threat of suffering from maternal related problems (Zlolniski, 2006). Pregnant women need to eat a well balanced diet so as to nourish themselves and the unborn child but this is not the case for the immigrants as there are insufficient funds to provide quality food and pre-natal care. Recent research has proven that immigrant women who entirely depend on their husbands are more likely to be forced to stay in violent relationships as they lack any other source of income. The threat is usually combined with sexual abuse and the fear that in case they separate, the husband keeps the custody of their children. Other women have the belief that it’s their social responsibility to maintain unity in the home while the husband maintains security and financial support. The women live with the fear that their children may grow without a father and thus since they entirely depend on the father financially, they will remain in a chaotic relationship regardless of the consequences (Zlolniski, 2006). Further, immigrant women are afraid to leave their husbands due to the fact that they are afraid to face the society alone. Poverty has been the major problem facing the Latinos and this has been fuelled by the creation of several manufacturing industries in the Silicon Valley. These manufacturing industries require unskilled labor which is readily offered by the Latinos. The owners of the industries take the opportunity to exploit them by offering jobs in the industries under poor working conditions and poor meager earnings (Zlolniski, 2006). Eventually several organizations have emerged which aim at improving the working conditions as well as fighting for the increase of wages for the Mexican Americans. Question 2: Constructing Identities Introduction The construction of an identity is a fundamental issue that affects the societies which are enriched with cultural diversity. A collection of identities defines the similarities and differences in a society. What is important is what the citizens have in common, formation of groups, and the variation from one group to the other. Identities offer individual authenticity in addition to related attachment to the society but however it is the same identities which classify some racial groups as inferiors and hence grouping them into a lower social and economic class. This creates discrimination of the weaker group by the majority (Marquez, 2003). The first distinct forms of organizations began emerging during the first half of the century and they basically assumed three unique forms namely; the mutualists, Mexican-American labor unions and the civil rights organizations. All had the same common goal of fighting for their rights even though each organization produced a different identity. Mexicans have formed many organizations in an effort to fight against racism, segregation, and violence. The formation of identities has for a long time been the preoccupation of Mexican-American organizations. During the process of organizing and struggling to achieve their goals in addition to appealing to similar organizations, they create a relation of race to the community at large. Examples of such organizations include: the Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice (SNEEJ), Southwest Industrial Areas Foundation Network (IAF), Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce (TAMACC, and Mexican American Women’s National Association (MANA) (Marquez, 2003). SNEEJ is an organization which consists of an activist background; the founders had a goal of establishing a network of organizations. The organization gives individuals the opportunity to clearly understand government agencies as well as other corporations thus creating new strategies of effectively engaging them. The organization also creates a sense of equality as it brings together different organizations where no single organization is under control, further it promotes a smooth decision-making process where main emphasis is centered on democracy rather than bureaucracy (Marquez, 2003).The structure of this network is a very significant mechanism which is used to establish linkages within and beyond the region. During the first years of its formation SNEEJ campaigned vigorously for the implementation of People of Color Environmental Leadership of 1991. The organization does not discriminate anybody regardless of color, race, gender, and culture and hence its principle of democracy promotes unity in the organizational structure of the networks involved. SNEEJ has recently joined other five networks in an effort to promote a collective Environmental Fund. This partnership is aimed at creating an alliance of different communities which tackles issues which affect the working conditions of employees from different sectors. Since its formation, SNEEJ has been capable of creating regional, national, and international networks which have promoted social, environmental and economic justice (Marquez, 2003). The IAF looks forward to generation of equitable societies through democracy. The organization believes in people-driven strategies which optimize the use of human and physical assets. The organization is based on grassroots development; a process through which the disadvantage individuals reorganize themselves in a way that they will assume authority in an effort to improve their social, cultural, and the economic development of their families, communities and societies (Marquez, 2003). The IAF offers support to projects which are geared towards the success of local improvements. Since its inception, IAF has secured more than $500 which has been distributed to an estimated 3, 600 organizations. Most of the finance has offered support to grassroot projects such as agricultural cooperatives, and other small urban enterprises. It gives preference to organizations which don’t receive donations from the federal government and other agencies. IAF does not design the projects but it analyses proposals which have been designed by individuals and groups and chooses the most viable project. The organization promotes poverty alleviation by empowering the common man to overcome obstacles and achieve his financial goals. The organization is the pioneer of the U.S Mexico Border Philanthropy Partnership and supports the four border community foundations (Marquez, 2003). TAMACC has been on forefront campaigning on the social and economic rights of the Hispanic people. The organization has also helped the Hispania’s overcome the self-imposed cultural barriers by creating their own blueprints. This organization has enabled several Hispanic Americans to achieve their desired financial goals. On the other hand MANA is an organization that looks forward to empower Latina women through development of leadership skills, community service and advocacy. In 2000, MANA was the largest pan-Latina organization in the United States with more than membership chapters (Marquez, 2003). The key principles of the organization are to empower Mexican women with educational and economical skills. The organization puts emphasis on the significance of active participation of the community in development. I would personally wish to join SNEEJ due to the fact that it consists of various networks working together where justice and fair treatment is exercised. SNEEJ exercises liberty in its operations as well as equality in decision making; a factor that eliminated bureaucracy and dominance as well as capitalism and the organization does is not gender sensisitive. As for why I won’t join the other organizations like MANA is the fact that the organization is gender-sensitive and does not include men in its operations (Marquez, 2003). This is a bias as it discriminates and undermines the role of men in the Latino community and hence it lacks diversity and cohesion. IAF would have been my best forgone alternative due to its grassroot principle but its key characteristics are outweighed by those of SNEEJ. References Marquez, B. (2003). Constructing Identity in Mexican American Political Organizations, Austin, TX: University of Texas Press Zlolniski, C. (2006). Janitors, Street Vendors, and Activists: the lives of Mexican Immigrants in Silicon Valley. Berkley, CA: University of California Press. Read More