The treatment of Latinos in the U.S. workforce

The Treatment of Latinos in the U.S. Workforce
Student
Institution
Date
Introduction
United State of comprised of people from all over the world and each of the ethnicity has its unique contribution to the economic development. However, adverse media, poor public policies and adverse impacts of capitalism have led to sentiments against some of the minority communities in the U.S. for instance; there is unfair treatment of the Latinos in the workforce promoted by media, politics, historical injustices, and poverty (Fraga, 2010). For a society to cultivate coexistent among all the diversities, it is essential to ensure justice for all and ensure there is a fair trial.
Interview Analysis
The analysis is based on the interview of J.K, middle-aged masonry of Latino origin. The interviewee is a father of 3 children and works with a construction company.
J.K noted he had been denied job three times based on his Latino ethnicity; the employer claimed there are no jobs for Latinos in the company. Such experiences are common according to J.K, and one has to move on until they secure a position. “I need to soldier on and searching work in other companies. Otherwise, my family will go hungry.” In other cases, the interview recalled a time he was denied promotion despite being the most experienced masonry in the team. According to J.K, his Latino background has stood in the way of work many times. He noted employers in the U.S. hold the Latinos in low esteem. In fact, some of his friends have faced similar treatments in the workforce as the employers prefer their people in comparison to “immigrants from the third world.

” In the long run, the issue has denied many deserving Latinos from working in the U.S. companies.
An evaluation of the compensation and treatment of workers revealed the interviewee is not covered by health insurance. “There is little to expect as the health coverage goes as the employers do not want to spend on health expenses.” The workers from Latino have to bear with no coverage as they focus on feeding the family and paying rents. If they insist on coverage, the employers deny them a job and move on to those workers willing to work without coverage. If the worker gets sick, they pay out of pocket, which causes strain on the family. It is essential to note harsh treatment of Latinos in the U.S. workforce is rampant, and it makes it difficult for the members of the community to rise above poverty level.
The interview revealed there are discriminatory wage rates that are based on the ethnicity of the employees. For the Latinos, there are poorly compensated in comparison to the workers from White group in the same career level. “I do the same amount of work or even more than some of my colleagues, but at the end of the day, I get less. It is dehumanizing but what should I do? I have a family to feed.” There are few employment opportunity, and thus the workers have to bear with exploitive wage rates. Low wages are burdening the employees considering the prices of the commodity has been on the rise. The motive of the employers is to keep huge profit margins by exploiting the immigrant workers considering they do not have any other choice but work to support their families.
Besides, there are rampant anti-immigration sentiments by other workers and the employers that target the Latinos. “Many people believe we are taking away their jobs and thus they are not kind to us. Some colleagues tell me to go back to my country on my face.” In such a hostile working environment it is difficult for the workers to be productive. The managers and supervisors rarely intervene in cases where the Latinos are being discriminated against fellow workers. J.K also noted there are many cases of racial profiling at a workplace that demean the Latinos. “The laws are not protecting us, and the employers are not committed to our welfare. Latino contributes to the growth and development of United States, we pay taxes and observe the law. Something needs to be done.” The interview blamed the government and employer for failing to recognize their contribution.
Research Review
Latinos have the lowest level of literacy among the minority communities as well as one of the highest rate of drop-out levels. It is essential to note the level of education enhances the flexibility of the workers and also increases the level of employability. Most of the Latinos do not have specialized skills, which limits them to work in the industry and real estate. Such limitations increase the susceptibility of exploitation by the employers. There are also low wages in the real estate and manufacturing sectors as the workers do not possess specialized skills. Hence, there is a need for the group to focus on improving the literacy levels and ensuring there is a low rate of dropout cases. Other reports show there is a high rate of teen pregnancy among the dropouts, which has an adverse impact on advancing education. In fact, the number of Latinos with advanced degrees is among the lowest in the United States.
Latinos is one of the fastest growing population in the United States in the recent past owing to mass immigration from South America (Krogstad, 2017). The surging population has both positive and negative impacts on the Latinos as a community. On the positive side, it increases their voice as a group to lobby for fair and equitable labor treatment as they make a large part of the workforce. In fact, there are notable changes that have led to improved working conditions and civil rights targeting the Latinos. However, there are adverse impacts that emanate from the increment of Latinos in the Labor market. For instance, other groups view Latinos as a section that is taking away jobs, and it contributes to the high level of unemployment. Such views have fueled the anti-immigration sentiments noted by in the interview. Besides, the increment of workers in the labor market has the effect of diluting the wage rates in the long run. A significant number of employees see the Latinos as an opportunity to cut the cost of labor and thus improve their competitiveness in the market. Therefore, some companies prefer workers from Latinos background as it will reduce the costs of labor and eventually lower prices of the commodity. Moreover, the increment of the Latinos also increase the competitiveness of the available employment opportunities in the country. in extreme cases, the Latinos has to accept working under the poor condition, low wages and without health covers due to a high level of competition. It is important to note the cost of living has been on the rise; therefore, the employees tend to accept the poor treatment to secure income that will support their families. Thus, it is essential for the government to ensure there is organization in the labor market to do away with the exploitation
The other factor that has contributed to the unfair treatment of the Latinos in the U.S. labor market is the media. Notably, the press shapes the perception of the general population and also creates new ideas about a group in the society. For instance, Hollywood has led to discrimination and profiling of Latinos by creating defining their roles as gardeners and house help. There are also few leading roles by Latinos in Hollywood. The film is an essential component of the society, and it reflects other aspects of human activities. In fact, localizing the Latinos to low jobs and drug dealing creates a perception among the general public that is the lifestyle of the Latinos (Munro, 2014). Eventually, the employers and colleagues rely on the information on the media to profile the Latinos at the workplace. There is a need for the media to change the perception it has created over the years about the Latinos. Consequently, responsible media will be instrumental in scaling down the level of anti-immigration sentiments by the general population. It will also have positive impacts on the young generation to work hard in schools and secure highly demanded professions such as medicine, law, and engineering. The media should also shift focus from creating information based on what makes a culture unique and show we have much in common as human beings.
The historical treatment of the Latinos in the United States is to blame for the ever high unfairness in the workforce. In 1893, a Latino was hanged without a fair trial by vigilante after the victim was accused of murdering a white man in Downieville California. In another incidence, 1931, police gathered Mexican-American most of whom were legal citizens and deported them in Mexico (Hessick & Chin, 2014). The victims were put in vans, and the officers did not check the status of their immigration at the time. There are also cases of illegal deportation, segregation in schools and lynching of Latinos in the United States over the years (Munro, 2014). The officers and other parties involved in inhuman activities have gotten away with misdeeds. The culture of failing to engage fair trail when dealing with Latinos has created a loophole in the law and public policies that have led to the suffering of the Latinos. In fact, failure to provide health coverage to Latinos is evidence of this practices.
Besides, there are political factors in both United States and Mexico that have led to unfair treatment of the Latinos. For instance, the political upheavals in Mexico led to the mass immigration of Mexican to the United States most of whom were considered illegal. There is a perception among the law enforcers that most of the Latinos are illegally in the country based on the historical occurrence. On the other hand, some of the United States politicians have been insensitive on the way to deal with the Latinos in the country, and it has caused ant migration sentiments. Eventually, racism and profiling of Latinos by the policymakers have contributed to discrimination in the workplace. Thus, there is need to review policy and rectify the historical injustices to put an end to the unfair treatment at the workplace.
Summary
The interview revealed there are different types of unfair treatment in the workforce that is experienced by the Latinos in the United States. For instance, some workers are denied employment while others are not promoted owing to the ethnic background. The interview also indicated there are cases of discriminatory wage rates and the anti-migration sentiments in the place of work. J.K argued there is a need for the government to increase participation in the labor market to ensure workers are covered by health insurance, and there are adequate working conditions. For instance, ensuring that all the workers are registered will reduce the exploitation of the Latino workers by the employers.
Based on the literature review, the high level of exploitation and rampant poverty among the Latinos could be attributed to low literacy level and high cases of school dropouts. With a low level of education, it is difficult to secure well-paying jobs as is the case with the White. Besides, increased dropout cases lead to high risks of getting into drugs and criminal activity that result in racial profiling of Latinos at the place of work. It should also be noted the increased costs of living and economic hardship has increased the risk of exploitation as the waged workers experienced a high level of unemployment. Thus, the workers have to bear with unpleasant work conditions to provide for their families.
The media is also to blame for profiling the Latinos and creating a negative perception of the community. For instance, Hollywood has created an impression that Latinos as drug dealers and criminals, which increase the anti-immigration sentiments in the workforce. Similarly, the politicians and policymakers have contributed to hate against the Latinos by promoting legislation that segregates Latinos in schools. There have been historical injustices that have led to lack of fair trial when dealing with issues affecting Latinos. For instance, illegal deportation of the Latinos violates human rights and increases cases of harsh treatment by the officers and employers. Overall, there is need to review the policies and create a positive impression about the Latinos to promote their welfare at the place of work.
References
Fraga, L. R. (2010). Latino lives in America: Making it home. Philadelphia, Pa: Temple University Press.
Hessick, C. B., & Chin, G. J. (2014). Strange neighbors: The role of states in immigration policy.
Krogstad, J. M. (2017). U.S. Hispanic population growth has leveled off. Pew Research Center. Accessed from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/08/03/u-s-hispanic-population-growth-has-leveled-off/Munro, V. (2014). Hate crime in the media: A history.