Magna Carta News
Monday, January 22, 2007
Hamilton Seeks Penalties for Corporations Exploiting Third-World
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Ray Carter, House Media
Capitol: (405) 557-7421
Contact: State Rep. Rebecca Hamilton
Capitol: (405) 557-7397
Hamilton Seeks Penalties for Corporations Exploiting Third-World
Employees
OKLAHOMA CITY (January 22, 2007) - Companies that operate in other
countries and do not maintain workplace and minimum-wage standards
comparable to U.S. law would be barred from receiving state contracts
under legislation filed by state Rep. Rebecca Hamilton.
"There are too many companies eliminating American jobs and
mistreating their workers in other countries," said Hamilton, D-Oklahoma
City. "There is absolutely no reason the state of Oklahoma should
subsidize that behavior."
House Bill 1906, by Hamilton, targets companies that do not pay
workers at least the U.S. minimum wage, regardless of the employee's
country of residence. The bill also requires companies receiving state
contracts to maintain labor standards comparable to U.S. law in all
facilities in all countries.
Hamilton said her bill would target the root cause of illegal
immigration.
"Too many companies are closing plants in the United States,
putting Americans out of work, and taking jobs overseas," Hamilton said.
"Once they are out of the U.S., these corporations pay people such low
wages and mistreat them so badly those workers are forced to immigrate
to the United States if they want a better future, and they're often
willing to risk their lives in the process. The only people who are
winning in this scenario are big corporations."
Hamilton said her bill is a better method of dealing with
illegal immigration than other proposed solutions - such as proposals to
deny education and health benefits to children of illegal immigrants or
laws to penalize local businesses that hire immigrants.
"Instead of going after little children and saying they can't go
to school, or depriving people of medical care, or destroying our small
businesses, we need to go after those who benefit from and cause illegal
immigration - big corporations," Hamilton said. "It makes no sense to
penalize five-year old children or send Oklahoma's small businessmen to
jail when they didn't cause the problem. Everyone is losing here except
the big companies and it's time they pay a price."
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Ray Carter, House Media
Capitol: (405) 557-7421
Contact: State Rep. Rebecca Hamilton
Capitol: (405) 557-7397
Hamilton Seeks Penalties for Corporations Exploiting Third-World
Employees
OKLAHOMA CITY (January 22, 2007) - Companies that operate in other
countries and do not maintain workplace and minimum-wage standards
comparable to U.S. law would be barred from receiving state contracts
under legislation filed by state Rep. Rebecca Hamilton.
"There are too many companies eliminating American jobs and
mistreating their workers in other countries," said Hamilton, D-Oklahoma
City. "There is absolutely no reason the state of Oklahoma should
subsidize that behavior."
House Bill 1906, by Hamilton, targets companies that do not pay
workers at least the U.S. minimum wage, regardless of the employee's
country of residence. The bill also requires companies receiving state
contracts to maintain labor standards comparable to U.S. law in all
facilities in all countries.
Hamilton said her bill would target the root cause of illegal
immigration.
"Too many companies are closing plants in the United States,
putting Americans out of work, and taking jobs overseas," Hamilton said.
"Once they are out of the U.S., these corporations pay people such low
wages and mistreat them so badly those workers are forced to immigrate
to the United States if they want a better future, and they're often
willing to risk their lives in the process. The only people who are
winning in this scenario are big corporations."
Hamilton said her bill is a better method of dealing with
illegal immigration than other proposed solutions - such as proposals to
deny education and health benefits to children of illegal immigrants or
laws to penalize local businesses that hire immigrants.
"Instead of going after little children and saying they can't go
to school, or depriving people of medical care, or destroying our small
businesses, we need to go after those who benefit from and cause illegal
immigration - big corporations," Hamilton said. "It makes no sense to
penalize five-year old children or send Oklahoma's small businessmen to
jail when they didn't cause the problem. Everyone is losing here except
the big companies and it's time they pay a price."
-30-
