What does a guest worker do?

Most guest workers perform manual labour. The term guest worker is most commonly associated with its German translation, Gastarbeiter, designating the mainly Turkish workers admitted to West Germany after World War II to help rebuild the country’s infrastructure.

What is a guest-worker program?

The first dates back to the World War II-era Bracero Program that allowed Mexican laborers to come to the U.S. to work on the nation’s farms and railroads. Simply put, a guest-worker program allows a foreign worker to enter the country for a specified period of time to fill a specific job.

What is the National guestworker Alliance?

The National Guestworker Alliance (NGA) is a New Orleans-based membership group for guest workers. Its goal is to organize workers across the country and to prevent exploitation. According the NGA, the group seeks to “partner with local workers – employed and unemployed – to strengthen U.S. social movements for racial and economic justice.”