Do recent immigrants work harder (in low wage jobs) than native born Americans? (multiculturalism, fast food)

[Stranded and Lonely]

When I was a boy in the 1970s in a small Midwestern Town I worked at a variety of fast food places for about minimum wage. My coworkers were all white high school or college age kids and the majority of us were part time. I remember the bosses were always complaining about us being lazy and slow to pick up on procedures. Turnover was constant with many of my coworkers being fired for poor quality work.

Other white American born friends of mine worked in manufacturing, distribution, cleaning/maintenance, shipping, sit down restaurants, retail, and other low wage low skilled jobs. Managers were sick and tired of our lazy ways and not following the rules.

Move ahead to 2009, and most of the part time jobs us white High School and College age workers did in the 1970s are now done by full time immigrants. Many of these immigrant workers were highly trained professionals in their old country but lack the language or technical skills to do similar work now. But they are seen as MOSTLY aggressive, hard working and mature.

Most of the managers and owners, of companies that hire low paid workers, are so happy that America has allowed millions of immigrants into the country because they feel the immigrant worker in general work much harder and are easier to manage the white low skilled workers of the past. They push Congress to increase legal immigration and look the other way for illegal immigration. They use the media to promote multiculturalism and glorify the value of massive immigration into America.

Do you agree, do immigrants GENERALLY work harder, easier to manage and are more productive than American born workers?

[Omaha Rocks]

Here in Omaha, most of the roofers are Hispanics - and they'll be the only one up there working like crazy if it's a hot day. Also, Hispanics will take the tough jobs at packing plants that, honestly, most white people simply refuse to do.

[thriftylefty]

If you could make $180.00 per hour in Canada working at McDonald's, Motel 6, or doing construction, wouldnt you, your brothers and cousins all move there and live in a two bed room shack for six to nine months out of the year? Maybe you could bust your butts for four or five years and come back to the US to retire.
How many young professionals do you think would leave their suits and cubicles here and sneak over the Canadian border to get in on that kind of money ?

If $160.00 per hour was considered minimum wage in Canada, the Canadians will say "boy those Americans are sure hard workers." Well that's the deal some of our South American brothers and sisters are getting here in America. There are parts of South America where you can live on $300.00 American dollars per year . A weeks pays up here.

[Omaha Rocks]

^ Well... The cost of living isn't quite that cheap down there, but some of it is certainly cheaper than here.

Extreme poverty, hardship, disease and starvation in Mexico - or take your chances and try to get into the United States. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

This is why all our immigration policies aren't going to be very effective. They're trying to get out of hell.

[harry chickpea]

The country was built on and by immigrants. There are some key themes that run through the various migrations-

1. The original country was repressive
2. Labor in the original country was poorly rewarded
3. The original country had an aristocracy or upper class that was inaccessible to it's citizens
4. Upon arriving, most immigrants were able to transition by living within others of their own culture
5. The original country had an event, such as war or famine, that made the working class eager to move
6. Many of the immigrants had an agricultural background, even if it was only subsistence farming. Farming is hard work no matter where you are.

Almost every new influx was greeted with cries of "these ---- are animals! The country is going to H-ll! We must keep these people out." The repetition gets tedious when you read history, and often the offspring of the immigrants were on the front lines yelling this about the next wave. It really shows the inherent fear and racism of humanity. An off-the-cuff list of just who we are as immigrants and a major reason why we arrived here:

Dutch - religious repression
Puritans - religious repression
French - mixed bag- some expansionist pioneers, war
Irish - famine, repression, religious repression
Scots - poverty, repression
Germans - war, repression
Norwegian, Swedes - poverty, war
China - poverty, war
Puerto Rico - poverty, some repression
Cuba - repression
Nicaragua - repression
Mexico - poverty, repression
South Africa - destruction of social structure
Haiti - poverty and repression
Iran - repression
India - rigid caste structure

The U.S. acted both as escape valve and the top of a bottle of milk, where the cream rises. In order to get to the U.S. from most of the situations, you had to be a go-getter, smart, and determined. The ones who weren't stayed home. Is it any wonder that once these survivors arrived they were go-getters, smart, and determined?

[Stranded and Lonely]

So is this the reason so many of the immigrants I come in contact with are harder workers than native born Americans?

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

The country was built on and by immigrants. There are some key themes that run through the various migrations-

1. The original country was repressive
2. Labor in the original country was poorly rewarded
3. The original country had an aristocracy or upper class that was inaccessible to it's citizens
4. Upon arriving, most immigrants were able to transition by living within others of their own culture
5. The original country had an event, such as war or famine, that made the working class eager to move
6. Many of the immigrants had an agricultural background, even if it was only subsistence farming. Farming is hard work no matter where you are.

Almost every new influx was greeted with cries of "these ---- are animals! The country is going to H-ll! We must keep these people out." The repetition gets tedious when you read history, and often the offspring of the immigrants were on the front lines yelling this about the next wave. It really shows the inherent fear and racism of humanity. An off-the-cuff list of just who we are as immigrants and a major reason why we arrived here:

Dutch - religious repression
Puritans - religious repression
French - mixed bag- some expansionist pioneers, war
Irish - famine, repression, religious repression
Scots - poverty, repression
Germans - war, repression
Norwegian, Swedes - poverty, war
China - poverty, war
Puerto Rico - poverty, some repression
Cuba - repression
Nicaragua - repression
Mexico - poverty, repression
South Africa - destruction of social structure
Haiti - poverty and repression
Iran - repression
India - rigid caste structure

The U.S. acted both as escape valve and the top of a bottle of milk, where the cream rises. In order to get to the U.S. from most of the situations, you had to be a go-getter, smart, and determined. The ones who weren't stayed home. Is it any wonder that once these survivors arrived they were go-getters, smart, and determined?

[eek]

of course they work harder. look at natives and look at recent immigrants. in a few short years they end up owning the block we walk on. lol in some cases they end up owning the building we sleep in. true story.

[Huckleberry3911948]

per OP
an overwhelming yes.
but as to recruiting 21 million illegal mexican people and coercing BP to go easy on enforcement, shame shame american business. as to american labor being anti labor and hating unions, omh what have you done. unions would have prevented or reduced the invasion greatly, just like in france.

[Cali BassMan]

you folks go talk to your grandparents who grew up before WWII and before Welfare.. Poor white and black Americans picked the cotton and the fruits and the vegetables, kids were working alongside thier parents getting pennies for a bushel of wheat, and you could complement someone by saying they were a hard worker, now with welfare and all the other entitlement programs you can just lay on the couch and make more than some of those hard working immigrants...

[nose1]

hecks yea immigrants work harder they come to amercia to get a better life and help there family in other countries so they get any job they can get and they are more opening and confiednet they can do it other ppl say its too hard