President Joe Biden's administration has framed the issue as a crisis -- as a surge that needs to be slowed -- but it should reframe it as an opportunity to address the labor shortage. The labor shortage crisis is due in part to immigration restrictions that have reduced the number of unskilled workers. Derek Burleson, a spokesperson for Tyson, denied that the company is asking workers to work seven days a week. To make such jobs safer, the Biden administration needs to resolve the labor crisis, including addressing pay and safety issues. In fact, an estimated 82,700 undocumented immigrants work at food processing facilities in the US, according to the Center for American Progress.

Source: CNN August 20, 2021 01:07 UTC