AFL-CIO

AFL-CIO Dept: WASHINGTON - A last-minute dispute over wages for lower-skilled workers flared Friday as senators scrambled to sketch out a deal on a sweeping immigration bill before Congress takes a two-week recess, according to Winnipeg Free Press. The chamber and AFL-CIO, negotiating through the so-called Gang of Eight senators, had reached significant agreement on a new visa program to bring up to 200,000 lower-skilled workers a year to the country. The number of visas would fluctuate according to demand, and the workers would be able to change jobs and could seek permanent residency and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., walks to the Senate floor during a vote on amendments to the budget resolution, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, March 22, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, J. Scott Applewhite The public clash between the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO underscored the high stakes involved in legislation that would dramatically reshape the U.S. immigration and employment landscape, putting 11 million illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship while allowing tens of thousands of new high- and low-skilled workers into the country. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.