HIGHER WAGES FOR AMERICAN WORKERS ACT
Construction Dive Brief :
A bill proposed last week by six Republican senators would require all employers to use the U . S . Department of Homeland Security ’ s E-Verify program to authorize employment eligibility and would increase the national minimum wage from $ 7.25 an hour to $ 11 .
Titled the Higher Wages for American Workers Act , the bill proposes a phased expansion of E-Verify that would require employers with 10,000 or more employees to use the system beginning six months from the date of enactment . Smaller employers would be categorized based on the size of their workforces , and each category would have a corresponding deadline to begin using E-Verify , an online federal system that allows employers to confirm the eligaibility of employees to work in the U . S .
The bill also would increase penalties for employers that employ unauthorized workers and would permit DHS and the Social Security Administration to establish a self-n a statement , co-sponsors Mitt Romney , R-Utah , and Tom Cotton , R-Ark .,
said the measures are intended to address illegal immigration . The pair introduced a similar bill in 2021 that failed to advance .
“ Our proposal would raise wages for millions of workers without risking jobs , and tether the wage to inflation to ensure it keeps up with rising costs ,” Romney said . “ Additionally , requiring employers to use E-Verify would ensure that the wage increase goes to legal workers , which would protect American jobs and eliminate a key driver of illegal immigration .”
Ten states currently have E-Verify requirements for private employers . When Florida ’ s law was enacted this summer , proponents said it would protect jobs and contribute to national security , but others predicted a tough road ahead for employers and workers alike , especially in construction . In 2020 , there were an estimated 1.4 million foreign-born , non-citizen , Hispanic laborers in the U . S ., according to CPWR — the Center for Construction Research and Training .
For employers in Florida the law brings unpredictability at a time of high labor demand and a shortage of workers .
8 DITCHMEN • SEPTEMBER 2023