Castro, the outgoing chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and a member of the House Education and Labor Committee, said he wrote the bill to fix flaws in the H-2B visa system. The H-2B visas apply to seasonal workers in nonagricultural jobs.
The Seasonal Worker Solidarity Act has received endorsements by the AFL-CIO, as well as the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and other unions. It is also co-sponsored by House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman-elect Rosa DeLauro
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Castro’s bill would require enhanced nationwide recruitment of U.S.-based workers, create an online database for workers to apply for positions, engage unions in the search for workers and prohibit background checks that are not legally required for a position.
Synopsis
The impact of technology on employment has been a topic of anxiety and study for generations with mixed results. Cars didn’t kill trains, television didn’t end radio.
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Some argue that turning over repetitive jobs to robots will free up workers to take on new roles in what is now a booming industry elderly care.
For decades, the attitude of unions and their advocates to increased automation could be summed up in one word: no. They feared that every time a machine was slipped into the workflow, a laborer lost a job.
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced a small but significant shift in that calculation. Because human contact spreads the disease, some machines are now viewed not exclusively as the workers’ enemy but also as their protector. That has accelerated the use of robots this year in a way no one expects to stop, even after the virus is conquered.
pixabay Legislative Watch: Biden nominating Vilsack for ag secretary; USDA issues final rule; plant workers should be priority for vaccine; CR passed to extend funding.
President-elect Joe Biden announced he will nominate former Secretary Tom Vilsack to serve as Secretary of Agriculture.
Vilsack served eight years as secretary of agriculture during the Obama administration and advised Biden on agriculture and rural issues during the campaign. Currently, he is president of the U.S. Dairy Export Council.
Many agricultural groups believe his experience as ag secretary will allow Vilsack to hit the ground running in addressing the issues facing farmers, ranchers and consumers.
Butler on Wheels, Robot Cutting Salad: How Covid Sped Automation
Bloomberg 12/14/2020 Olivia Rockeman, James Attwood and Joe Deaux
(Bloomberg) For decades, the attitude of unions and their advocates to increased automation could be summed up in one word: no. They feared that every time a machine was slipped into the workflow, a laborer lost a job.
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The Covid-19 pandemic has forced a small but significant shift in that calculation. Because human contact spreads the disease, some machines are now viewed not exclusively as the workers’ enemy but also as their protector. That has accelerated the use of robots this year in a way no one expects to stop, even after the virus is conquered.
Butler on wheels, salad-cutting robot: How COVID-19 sped up automation stripes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stripes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.