Sunday, October 30, 2011

U.S. Government Sweat Shop

By Douglas V. Gibbs

The federal government has a program that on the surface is heaven for college students from around the globe. The program selects college students from across the globe to come work at beach resorts, amusement parks and other seasonal jobs. The idea is for the visitors to experience American culture, practice their English and take home fond memories.

The program, however, is not what it seems.

Some students have been complaining that the work conditions were closer to a sweatshop than a summer break.

At one of the "jobs" over 300 young visitors who were packing candy in a warehouse in Pennsylvania, staged a high-profile walkout and protest against their employers and the State Department, which oversees the program. They alleged that they had been worked to exhaustion and had met few Americans except supervisors who pressed them to pack faster and threatened to have them deported.

State Department officials have promised to investigate the alleged abuses and review the program.

Labor activists assert that the alleged abuses are far more typical than officials acknowledge.

Perhaps more evidence of the failures of a corrupt federal government.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Foreign students say visa program abused - Washington Post

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