Alabama has made national news again, this time it’s over the controversial new immigration law. I cant pretend to be an expert on this law but I have do a few thoughts and I love to hear some of yours.
My hometown, Albertville, was on the news last night. It was heartbreaking to see the images they chose. Albertville, at least while I was there, was a beautiful small town with old homes and well kept lawns. According to those pictures, my hometown is now a small dilapidated trailer park with an overflowing dumpster.
From what I understand, I haven’t been back in many, many years, the population of Mexican immigrants has grown rapidly; to the point non Mexican is almost the minority. Many work at the chicken plants, or various other plants, in Albertville or one of the other surrounding towns.
According to what I heard, over 30% of the workforce has left. Just up and moved out of the state or are hiding at home afraid to be seen by the authorities. There was one clip, and I cant find it online to save my own life, showing a long line of people standing in line for what appeared to be an application to fill these positions. The voice over was about the number of positions now vacant.
The HR Professional side of me wants to know how the chicken farm employed illegal immigrants. Do they have an HR person? Did the workers not complete the I-9? Did they pay them under the table? If so, the influx of documented workers is going to be a blow to their payroll taxes, not to mention benefits. And if I were them, I’d expect an ICE visit anytime now.
The non HR Professional side of me wants to know if those people standing in line for the job at the chicken plant applied for the position it when it was open the first time. I loved Laurie’s post today about illegal immigrants not taking your job. If you perceive an illegal immigrant as have taken a job from you, I have just one question. Did you go down to that smelly chicken plant on a hot and humid August day and ask the manager for work?
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What do you think about this new law? I didnt even get into how it’s going to affect, if it remains on the books, tag renewals. As if the lines in Jefferson County aren’t bad enough. Are you in favor of it? Do you think it’s unconstitutional? Tell us what you think in the comments section.
About the author: April Dowling, SPHR is an HR Professional in Birmingham Alabama. She's been in HR for seven years and is currently a one person HR Department at a local Alabama based Financial Institution. Her posts reflect her own thoughts and opinions, some of which she barely understands, and do not reflect the opinions or beliefs or anything else of her employer in any shape, form, or fashion.
