Not the America They Expected (interesting NY Times ed. on exploited foreign students)

[tpsbmam]

These particular foreign students were from Turkey, China, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Romania, Mongolia, Moldova, Poland and Ghana. They were participating in the J-1 visa program, which allows foreign students to come here, work for 2 months and then travel the US. the program is designed to help students learn about the US, improve their English and earn a little money to travel on. They've traditionally worked at places like restaurants, tourist attractions, hotels, etc.

Well, guess these students really did learn about the real America circa 2011!

On Wednesday, 300 foreign students walked off the job and staged a protest rally at a packaging warehouse for Hershey’s chocolates, saying this wasn’t the America they had paid to see. It was not a good day for the State Department’s efforts to promote a positive image of the United States through cultural exchanges.

What was unusual — and seems clearly against the program’s promise of adventure and cultural enrichment — is that these students found themselves working in an industrial park, packing candy and moving boxes, many on the overnight shift. Though they had each paid from $3,000 to $6,000 to participate in the J-1 program, rent and other fees were deducted from their paychecks. When they tried to organize, they said they were warned to stop complaining or they would be kicked out of the program.

As is often the case in the murky world of foreign-labor recruiting, responsibility for this debacle is hard to pin down. Hershey says this is not its problem because the plant is run by another company, which said it used a staffing agency to get its J-1 workers. The State Department uses a California nonprofit, the Council for Educational Travel, U.S.A., to manage the J-1 program. The council’s chief executive said that he had been trying to resolve the students’ complaints but that they had refused to cooperate.

There is much good to see in this country. And no one should want to sugar coat the tougher side of life here either, including long shifts at backbreaking jobs for low pay that is familiar to American workers. But no workers should have to put up with bullying from bosses or threats of firing (or in this case deportation) if they want to organize. That sort of “cultural experience” should shame us all.

More at the NY Times.

Hell, I personally vote for the students seeing the REAL America! I think I'd have loved doing this in another country when I was young and more adventurous. Though right now, as much as I might have liked this program in the past, I'm not crazy about anyone taking even a temporary job away from a hungry, desperate American.

What the editorial totally misses is that this is how American workers are increasingly treated now -- you want to work, you better shut up and take anything we throw at you. And don't you DARE organize!

[indurancevile]

1. The state dept doesn't "use" CETUSA to "manage" the j1 program. That's false.

[richmwill]

2. So, they paid for a "U.S. Job Fantasy Camp"...

Seems to me that they were treated as well as corporations treat U.S. workers these days.

[jwirr]

4. I personally witnessed this program at work in a small community

with resort hotels. They are treated more like neo-slaves or illegal immigrants than any American worker. They are kept frightened, away from anyone who could help, the majority of their "wages" are withheld to pay for rent and anything else the company decides they should pay for, they go home without learning the English they were promised they would learn and no money.

Our community which is heavily union handled this beautifully. Once we realized what the company was doing we stepped forward to help the student. First we found them better jobs and took them out of the company owned housing - giving them homes provided by church members. We then made it very clear to the company that if they tried this again we would do the same thing. The company gave up. And it has not been repeated.

It is stupid to blame these kids - the neo-slave trade owners are to blame - make sure they pay. Send the kids home with a good opinion of America.

[maxsolomon]

3. they got to see America, alright. the real America, up close and personal.

the article on their travails was eye-opening, too.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/18/us/18immig.html

snip:
The students said they mainly placed blame on the organization that manages the J-1 visa program for the State Department, the Council for Educational Travel, U.S.A., which is based in California.

Rick Anaya, chief executive of the council, said he had brought about 6,000 J-1 visa students to the United States this summer. Mr. Anaya said he had tried to respond to the Palmyra workers’ complaints. “We are not getting any cooperation,” he said. “We are trying to work with these kids. All this negativity is hurting an excellent program. We would go out of our way to help them, but it seems like someone is stirring them up out there.”

Suuuuuure, Rick. those HORRIBLE COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS!

[jwirr]

5. This "excellent program" should be shut down immediately. This

is a cut that should have been made years ago.