In just a few years, immigrant workers have gone from pariahs to saviors and the foodservice industry is chairing the welcoming committee. In the early '90s, unskilled workers were viewed as interlopers. Organized labor saw them as a threat and some state and local governments scorned them as a drain on tax dollars. In 1996, Congress altered federal immigration laws to reduce the ranks of undocumented workers. The AFL-CIO has reversed its immigration position and now wants amnesty for all undocumented workers.
Agribusiness is on board, too.
One of the loudest voices calling for immigration law reform comes from foodservice. The National Restaurant Association projects that there will be 2 million new jobs to fill by 2010 from an already thin labor supply. Operators echo that sentiment. We can use you, now and in the future. As a nationwide company, we feel it more in some markets than in others.