Decentering the Firm: The Limited Liability Company and Low Wage Immigrant Women Workers

Abstract:     
Congress is now considering radical changes to the immigration system. This article looks at the immigration issue as a labor and employment law question, and proposes a possible solution based on this approach.

I suggest that forming Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) will benefit low-wage immigrant women workers by transforming them into business owners. By using existing legal structures to their benefit, low-wage women workers can curtail at least a portion of the exploitation that they currently experience. Instead of being hired to perform a job, having the intermediary take a cut, and then pay them some amount out of that, with an LLC structure, the LLC receives the income, and the intermediary receives a set salary. By becoming members of the LLC, workers can also purchase group benefits, such as health insurance, and better control over their working environments.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 17

Keywords: Immigration, Employment, Labor, LLC, Limited Liability Company

JEL Classification: K31

Accepted Paper Series