Monthly Archives: September 2015

Undocumented Workers in U.S

Uncategorized

To: U.S. Department of Homeland Security

From: Jerin Choudhury , MPA Student at Baruch College

Date: September 17, 2015

RE: Undocumented workers in U.S.

 

Problem:                                  Undocumented Workers in U.S.

 

 

Undocumented workers provide critical contributions to the US economy. The agriculture, construction, and restaurant sectors   would collapse without the critical contributions of undocumented workers. Hiring undocumented aliens plays as a positive incentive for a dynamic economy. It becomes evident that undocumented workers are a necessary asset for the growth of the US economy. Many undocumented workers are forced to hold their jobs that pay them less than the minimum wage, sometimes $2 an hour. The employers exploit these workers in order to make a high profit. The employers know that these undocumented workers will never leave because they have very little choice.  I believe that paying undocumented workers less than the minimum wage ($ 8.75) is unethical and a violation of human rights. Also, it creates a legal system of slavery and exploitation.

 

 

Hiring illegal workers is illegal and paying them less than the minimum wage is immoral. Illegal workers are the most helpless and oppressed workers in the United States. They are victims of low wages, hazardous workplace conditions, injuries, discrimination and other labor related disruptions. Illegal hiring breaks up the labor laws; as a result, companies may impose heavy penalties. Hiring an undocumented worker is a dangerous business. However, companies still tend to hire illegal employees to reduce the labor cost. There are 9.3 million undocumented workers in the United States. 2.2 million are Mexican, 2.2 million are from  Latin American countries, 10% from Asia, 5% from Europe and Canada and 5 %  from  the rest of the globe. Undocumented workers usually live in California, New York, Florida, Texas, Illinois, and New Jersey.  Undocumented workers are mostly involved in agriculture, housekeeping, baby sitting and food service work. The majority of the undocumented workers work without health insurance and are paid below the minimum wage. It is a great benefit for a company to save labor costs. Undocumented workers are willing   to work below the minimum wage because U.S money is worth more in their native countries. Undocumented workers do not complain about their lack of benefits.  They have no health insurance, social security or IRS payments. Most Americans are not willing to work for the low wages that the illegal worker   accept. However, illegal workers work hard to save their jobs. They cannot file lawsuits against their companies or managers. For this reason, they get hired by the companies. Undocumented workers decrease the labor costs of construction and restaurant businesses. These low labor costs stimulate the dynamic economy. Food prices are low. In the U.S about 25% to 50% farm labors come from undocumented workers. We owe the undocumented workers for their contribution to our agriculture. Many economists believe that immigrants legal or illegal play a vital role in the overall economy.  Undocumented workers are willing   to work below the minimum wage because U.S dollars have great value in their home countries. Mexicans are the largest immigrant groups in the United States. Money send home maximizes happiness to their families. Undocumented workers are afraid of deportation and they are happy having few benefits. Their job performance and salaries paid do not match the dedication they provide to their employer. In Coyotes, Migration   duration, and remittances, Author describes the positive consequences of remittance send by Mexican undocumented workers from the United States to Mexico.  Mexican immigrants   reside in the United States   for a short period of time. Among   Latin American immigrants, Mexican receives the fewest US green cards. Most Mexican migrants   arrive to United States in the   growing season. Growing season refers to harvesting time. When the harvesting is over they leave the United States. Research suggests that Mexican alien   go back to Mexico after a   few months of their arrival. These alien come to   the United States through worker visas .These workers have previous experience of working  in   and entering  the to the   United States illegally . Remittance sent to Mexico from immigrants working in US totaled $ 21.5 billion in 2009.  The remittance is still consider the largest source of   earning path in the economy of   Mexico. In   Business Ethics and Ethical Business,  Audi (2009) has  mentioned Kantian Ethics to elaborate the idea of exploitations: ‘Each person   has dignity and profound worth; therefore people should not be exploited or manipulated or merely used as a means to and ends(Audi, 2009) .Undocumented workers do not get any praise from their employers. Sometimes   they work for long shifts without any breaks and days off. Undocumented workers do not have safe work environment and adequate equipment to finish their work easily. As a result, they suffer from muscle pain and mental stress.  Undocumented workers are scared of losing their jobs because   they depend on their jobs to survive in the United States. Many companies use this anxiety as a chance to make profit for their businesses. Employers   receive benefits from undocumented workers. A company saves every dollar by paying less than the   minimum wage. This is simply unfair and unethical because   it disrespects the true value of their   quality. The employers use this cheap labor to make profit in their business.  On the other hand, undocumented workers’ benefits are few. I t is very clear that exploiting undocumented workers   by paying less then minimum wage is unethical and immoral. The benefit levels between these two groups are unbalanced and unjust.

The issue of undocumented workforce is very sensitive.

 

The United States is a country of immigrants. America is called the melting pot because of the diversity of the people , mixture of different cultures, customs, norms and values but when any immigrant come  to America legal or illegal ,one day they  become American. Every human being has some value.  Paying   less than minimum wage means underestimating the value human. Therefore, it is time for United States to solve this issue and give undocumented workers to enjoy legal rights in workplace.

 

 

 

 

 

Work Cited

 

 

 

Audi, R. (2009). Business ethics   and ethical business. (1 ed., p. 17). New York, New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.

 

Housing Affordability in NYC

Uncategorized

MEMORANDUM

TO:                 Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo

FROM:           Jonatta Moore

SUBJECT:    Soaring Housing Costs in NYC

DATE:                       09/11/2015

 

Problem Memorandum

 

New York City is currently experiencing an unprecedented amount of homelessness. There are a myriad of issues that lead to individuals and families becoming homeless, however, there is direct correlation between the increasing housing costs and the increase in homelessness in the city. At present, there are almost 60,000 homeless people in NYC with seventy percent of those being families with children.[i]

Reports by Streeteasy[ii] and NYC Comptroller, Scott Stringer[iii] highlight a problem that is affecting ordinary New Yorkers. Housing prices are increasing at an unprecedented rate with New Yorkers spending over sixty percent of their income on rent.[iv] Average monthly rent cost in the city is $2700,[v] up from $1100 in 2011.[vi] In his report, “The Growing Gap: New York City’s Housing Affordability Challenge,” the City Comptroller writes, there was “a dramatic upward shift of the city’s rent distribution during the 12-year period, with a loss of approximately 400,000 apartment renting for $1000 or less (in 2012 dollars) and a corresponding gain in the number of apartments renting for more than $1000 per month.”[vii]

The drastic shift in housing prices is creating a gap between ordinary residents and the wealthy which is turning New York City into what journalist, Bill Moyers calls, “a playground for the 1%.”[viii]

The affordability issue is one that needs to be addressed and mitigated rather than overlooked. The decline in housing affordability can only lead to more highs in homelessness and push out the working people who help run this city.

 

Policy Recommendations:

Rent Freeze:

As City Comptroller Scott Stringer detailed in his report, “The Growing Gap: New York City’s Housing Affordability Challenge,” housing costs have soared while incomes have stalled or declined.[ix] Although Mr. Stringer stressed the impact of increasing rent on low-income households[x], the reality is that working class New Yorkers are also affected by rising housing costs. City dwellers find themselves living paycheck-to-pay check or working several jobs to afford their rents. To alleviate the burden on residents, it is palpable that a rent freeze needs to be implemented not solely on Rent Stabilized/Controlled apartments but also on market rate housing units that have received subsidies from the city.

While rent stabilized and rent controlled apartments account for about 47.5 percent of the city’s housing units,[xi] those units are on the decline as landlords are opting out of the tax incentive program that classify them as such. Within the last three decades, the city had a net loss of 231,000 rent controlled and stabilized housing. Consequently, market rate and unregulated housing continues to be on the rise.[xii]

Additionally, as rent stabilized apartments or buildings are nearly impossible to find (due to tenants rarely moving out of these units), most tenants turn to market rate housing and find their rent increase substantially each year. Therefore, implementing a multi-year rent freeze will greatly ease the financial burden numerous New Yorkers face with regards to affordable housing.

 

Mandatory Affordable Low Income Housing:

In the 1970s, New York City established the “421-a” Tax Property Incentive to give newly constructed developments a tax break.[xiii] In the 1980s, an “exclusion-zone” was designated between 14th and 96th streets for developers erecting affordable housing in the city.[xiv] At present, “421-a” is available to constructions within the 5 boroughs and gives developers a very generous tax relief for providing affordable housing in the city. Based on city parameters, developers must provide 20 percent or 5 percent affordable housing to qualify for the tax exemption program. However, providing affordable housing in these unit is voluntary and frequently unaffordable to low income households. In “Rethinking 421-A Real Property Tax Exemption,” New School researchers noted that roughly 14 percent of all 412-a tax exempt units are affordable to low income families.[xv] By instituting mandatory low income housing in newly developed 421-a exempt buildings and setting a realistic affordable income threshold that is on par with inflation, there is an opportunity for the mayor to seriously address housing affordability, homelessness, and low-income housing for those in need.

 

Rent Regulation:

According to the report by Comptroller Scott Stringer, market rate rents increased at a faster rate than rent stabilized rent from 2002 to 2011.[xvi] Although it differed based on borough, more units are being priced at market rate values as tenants vacate these premises or are forced out by landlords or new owners. Hence, stronger rent regulation laws are required to protect tenants against preferential rates and from losing their homes. Additionally, a provisional law that addresses how much a landlord can increase the rent in market rate unit will help curb the cost of fast rising rent costs and help stop the exploitation of renters who are overcharged in these developments. Since it is a largely unregulated market and people are desperate for housing, tenants may be living in sordid conditions that are not worth the rent they are being charged. As the mayor has stressed to Albany and as lawmakers debate the issue of housing affordability in NYC, it is important to understand that nearly 2.5 million may have nowhere to live if a reasonable compromise is not reached. Without lawmakers advocating on behalf of those who put them in office, there may be no relief in sight for renters.

Conclusion

There are numerous groups affected by increasing housing costs. Pensioners, young adults, children, the disabled, and low-income families are at the faces behind this policy issue. Young people (already burdened with student loan debt) cannot afford to save or buy a house as they spend a bulk of their income on housing while pensioners are shelling out a greater percent of their retirement income on rents. With homelessness already at an all-time high time since the 1930s, more families and children will continue to be displaced due to the growing housing costs. Thus, this is a pressing issue that must be mitigated as the socio-economic diversity that defines NYC is rapidly disappearing.

 

 

 

 

 

[i] “Shadow City.” Fault Lines. Al Jazeera America. 1 Apr. 2015.

<http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/fault-lines/Episodes/2015/3/30/shadow-city-NYC-homeless.html/>

[ii] Lightfeldt, Alan. Bright Lights, Big Rent: Understanding New York City’s Rent Affordability Problem. 1 Mar. 2015. http://streeteasy.com/blog/new-york-city-rent-affordability/>

[iii]

[iv] Keil, Gould Jennifer. “New Yorkers Spend Nearly 60% of Income on Rent: Study” New York Post 3 Mar. 2015.

[v] Ibid

[vi] New York. Office of the New York City Comptroller. The Growing Gap: New York City’s Housing Affordability Challenge. Apr. 2014. 1-28. p1.

[vii] Ibid

[viii] “The Long, Dark Shadows of Plutocracy.” Moyers & Company. PBS. Thirteen, New York. 28 Nov. 2014.

[ix] New York. Office of the New York City Comptroller. The Growing Gap: New York City’s Housing Affordability Challenge. Apr. 2014. 1-28. P9.

[x] Rent Guidelines Board. New York City’s Housing Affordability Challenge. Testimony, 8 Jun. 2015. <http://comptroller.nyc.gov/newsroom/testimony-of-new-york-city-comptroller-scott-m-stringer-before-the-new-york-city-rent-guidelines-board-2/>

[xi] New York. Office of the New York City Comptroller. The Growing Gap: New York City’s Housing Affordability Challenge. Apr. 2014. 1-28. P18.

[xii] New York University. Furman Center for Real Estate & Urban Policy. Rent Stabilization in New York. <http://furmancenter.org/files/publications/HVS_Rent_Stabilization_fact_sheet_FINAL_4.pdf/>

[xiii] New York. Pratt Center for Community Development. Understanding the NYC “421-a” Property Tax Exemption Program-How Can It Be Reformed to Create Affordable Housing? 1-6.

[xiv] Ibid

[xv] Ibid

[xvi] New York. Office of the New York City Comptroller. The Growing Gap: New York City’s Housing Affordability Challenge. Apr. 2014. 1-28. P23.