Study: Illegal worker crackdown would cost employers $1B

[LiberalNation]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080425/...tion_employers

WASHINGTON - The government's plan to crack down on illegal workers could cost employers more than $1 billion a year and legal workers billions in lost wages, a study commissioned by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says.

Those costs are enough to trigger a federal law that would require the Homeland Security Department to analyze more thoroughly the effect of its proposal, said Richard Belzer, a consultant hired by the chamber to do the study. It was made available to The Associated Press on Thursday.

The department's proposed "no match" rule would require employers to fire workers who can't resolve mismatches between their name and Social Security number. The chamber opposes the proposal.

Belzer's study will be among public comments submitted to the Homeland Security Department on the proposal. The department could adopt the proposal after reviewing the comments. The deadline for comments is Friday.

Social Security sends no-match letters to employers. They often occur because someone is working illegally, but a mismatch can also take place because of typos, misspellings and name changes, among other reasons.

The Homeland Security Department issued average costs for employers based on how many employees they have and what percent might be unauthorized workers. It determined there would not be a heavy cost to employers.

Belzer, a former economist with the Office of Management and Budget, looked at overall costs and multiplied the average costs by the number of employers in each category. He also used the Homeland Security's estimates that 2 percent of legal workers a year would lose their jobs because they can't resolve the Social Security mismatch.

That adds up to between 37,000 to 137,000 unable to get work. Belzer estimated their lost wages would be from $8 billion to $37 billion.

Belzer said the crackdown could cost employers who have to carry out administrative paperwork when their employees are affected. The loss of employees could also affect a company's ability to produce goods.

His cost estimates are based on the department's now -suspended plan to enforce the no-match rule after the government sent 140,000 employers no-match letters, each with about 10 or more names. A U.S. district judge blocked the plan last October after groups opposed to it sued. The department is appealing.

[Trigg]

Belzer said the crackdown could cost employers who have to carry out administrative paperwork when their employees are affected. The loss of employees could also affect a company's ability to produce goods.

His cost estimates are based on the department's now -suspended plan to enforce the no-match rule after the government sent 140,000 employers no-match letters, each with about 10 or more names. A U.S. district judge blocked the plan last October after groups opposed to it sued. The department is appealing.

I myself was sent a no-match letter. It took me all of 3 minutes to call the IRS and give them my info. Yep very hard work on my part, almost couldn't handle it.

A company that is looking at a financial burden being placed on them because of hiring illegals is going to check twice next time before hiring someone. There needs to be a heavy cost to employers. I bet they'd only make the "mistake" of hiring an illegal ONCE.

Matching SS# is a good thing, it will cut down on identity theft.

[Nukeman]

Hmmm seems the law targeting illegals in OK is having a POSITIVE effect on the economy for LEGAL citizens and cost tax payers a lot less. Now why are we not hearing about THIS aspect of the crack down....


http://opensourcepbx.tmcnet.com/news...22/3401250.htm

Number of jobless falls again in state

(Daily Oklahoman, The (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Apr. 22--Oklahoma's unemployment rate dropped for the second consecutive month, the latest figures from the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission show.

The state's nonseasonally adjusted unemployment rate dipped to 3.2 percent in March from 3.5 percent in February, the OESC said. The rate was noticeably down from 4.3 percent a year ago.

11,200 more jobs

Oklahoma also rated favorably last month compared to the entire country. The U.S. jobless rate in March rose to 5.1 percent from 4.8 percent in February.

The state added 11,200 jobs last month, with more than half from the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metro areas, the OESC reported. Statewide employment grew in all industries except manufacturing, which reported the loss of 100 jobs.

Total nonfarm employment in the Oklahoma City metro area expanded by 3,600 jobs in March, with 90 percent of that growth coming from the services providing industries, the OESC said.

There were 2,700 more jobs than last year at the same time

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Here are a couple of other sights

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-blu...media-look-why


http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?nam...ticle&sid=3131

Unemployment rates are rising across the United States, except Oklahoma. That state is experiencing the most dramatic reduction in unemployment since 2007, an improvement many in Oklahoma attribute to the passage last year by the state legislature of a strong employment-focused immigration reform law.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday reported unemployment in Oklahoma had fallen to 3.1 percent in March, down from 4 percent in March last year, while unemployment nationwide was 5.1 percent, up from 4.4 percent in March last year.

"Oklahoma is no longer 'OK' for illegal aliens," said State Rep. Randy Terrill, who sponsored House Bill 1804 which passed by overwhelming majorities last year in both the House (84-14) and Senate (41-6) of the Oklahoma Legislature.

"The bottom line is illegal aliens will not come here if there are no jobs waiting for them," Terrill said. "They will not stay here if there is no government subsidy, and they certainly won't stay here if they know that if they ever encounter our state and local law enforcement officers, they will be physically detained until they are deported."

Well all I have to say is HMMMMMMMMMMM........ Interesting!!!!!!!!

[Pale Rider]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080425/...tion_employers

This is nothing more than some drummed up crap by big business in an attempt to hang on to their mexican slave labor, and to go one step further, the very root cause of the whole damn problem.

[Hobbit]

Even if it's all true, it's the employers' own damn fault. Do we stop prosecuting thieves because it threatens their livelihood?

[April15]

Where is the round-up of illegals? Go to home depot and scour the parking lot.

[hjmick]

I don't know about anyone else, but I am certainly willing to pay more for goods if it means we finally get some action on illegal immigration and illegal immigrants.

[Kathianne]

I don't know about anyone else, but I am certainly willing to pay more for goods if it means we finally get some action on illegal immigration and illegal immigrants.

I agree. We are already paying up the wazoo for oil, might as well get it over with illegals, though I noticed in OK, employment is up along with enforcement.

[Mr. P]

I don't know about anyone else, but I am certainly willing to pay more for goods if it means we finally get some action on illegal immigration and illegal immigrants.

And that will be cheaper in the long run too.

[semi liberal girl]

This is nothing more than some drummed up crap by big business in an attempt to hang on to their mexican slave labor, and to go one step further, the very root cause of the whole damn problem.

We also lock down the border. and when we catch an illegal they go back across the border

[Sharra_R]

This is nothing more than some drummed up crap by big business in an attempt to hang on to their mexican slave labor, and to go one step further, the very root cause of the whole damn problem.

It is unfortunate that a lot of these employers do not understand Spanish, so that they would really get what these superior forelock pullers realy think of them.

as for the 18B$ loss, that is only a little more than the projected 2009 as well as current budgeted amount for TANF for the FEDGOV, and those were jobs that people here did, before they came, McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, and all the landscaping, pool maintenance, and so on.... One of the reasons for Financial Aid having to go up is because students cannot get the jobs they used to, and I could go on....

It has taken some grass roots screaming, nationally, but some of it has made a point.