{"id":17715,"date":"2018-10-10T09:43:11","date_gmt":"2018-10-10T13:43:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/live-immigrationreform.pantheonsite.io\/?p=17715"},"modified":"2018-12-28T09:46:38","modified_gmt":"2018-12-28T14:46:38","slug":"corporate-cheap-labor-lobby-opposes-oregons-sanctuary-repeal-initiative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.immigrationreform.com\/2018\/10\/10\/corporate-cheap-labor-lobby-opposes-oregons-sanctuary-repeal-initiative\/","title":{"rendered":"Corporate Cheap-Labor Lobby Opposes Oregon\u2019s Sanctuary Repeal Initiative"},"content":{"rendered":"

In what should surely come as no surprise to anyone, several big corporations have recently come out against Measure 105<\/a>, the initiative on Oregon\u2019s November ballot that, if approved, would repeal the state\u2019s 1987 sanctuary law.\u00a0 The Chamber of Commerce crowd\u2019s seemingly limitless appetite for cheap labor has reared its head again, and once more they\u2019re trying to make sure state and local governments ignore and undermine our country\u2019s immigration laws.\u00a0 As usual, it\u2019s wrapped in touchy-feely rhetoric, but it\u2019s the same game as ever: spread disinformation, appeal to emotions, and pad the bottom line.<\/p>\n

The Oregon Secretary of State\u2019s Office released their Online Voter Guide for the November election on September 11.\u00a0 In it, five top Oregon corporate officials provided statements for a joint \u201cArgument In Opposition\u201d entitled<\/a> \u201cOregon Business Leaders Agree: Measure 105 is Bad for Business, Bad for Oregon\u201d: Nike CEO Mike Parker, Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle, A to Z Wineworks President Amy Prosenjak, and Vernier Software co-founders Christine and David Vernier.<\/p>\n

In Parker\u2019s statement, he proclaims that \u201c[e]nding Oregon\u2019s sanctuary law will damage Oregon\u2019s long-standing track record as a place that attracts diverse talent from across the globe.\u201d\u00a0 But that\u2019s apparently just a foregone conclusion to him, as he never explains how one leads to the other.\u00a0 Likewise, throughout all five statements, the common themes are striking: 1) a total conflation of legal immigrants and illegal aliens into the single category of \u201cimmigrants,\u201d as if there were no difference; 2) vacuous praise for \u201cdiversity\u201d as a self-evident virtue and 3) condemnation of Measure 105 as harmful to Oregon\u2019s economy and \u201cvalues,\u201d with no explanation, arguments or evidence to show the actual impact.<\/p>\n

But praise of high-minded values is particularly rich coming from these companies.\u00a0 Nike, of course, a true global leader in hypocrisy, is well-known for both its social-justice rhetoric and for paying rock-bottom wages<\/a> often in sweatshop conditions across the globe.<\/p>\n

And Columbia Sportswear, despite its clean, green ethical brand image, subcontracts much of its production to Shahi Export, the largest garment manufacturer in India, whose Unit 8 factory in Bangalore reportedly pays an average of 62 cents an hour and where in April it\u2019s alleged<\/a> \u201dsupervisors\u2026were \u2019engaged in vicious retaliation against workers\u2019 exercise of labor rights, including physical beatings, death threats, threats of mass termination and the expulsion from the factory of 15 worker activists.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 Fewer than 500<\/a> of Columbia\u2019s over 328,000 manufacturing jobs are still in Oregon, and under 1,000 in total are in the U.S.<\/p>\n

But please, by all means, let\u2019s hear more all about their corporate \u201cvalues.\u201d What they value is the cheapest labor they can find anywhere.\u00a0 The rest is rhetorical fluff.\u00a0 Do these companies and their executives value either the safety or prosperity of ordinary Oregonians and their families?\u00a0 Based on the dichotomy between their rhetoric and their business practices, Oregon voters might just decide to \u201ctake a knee\u201d when reading these CEOs\u2019 statements.