Contractor: Others hire illegals to cut costs

The News-Star.com | July 1, 2007 | Greg Hilburn

[Wonder Warthog]

Can't post articles from News-Star but this is more anecdotal evidence that illegal immigrants are not all about "jobs Americans won't do".

[Wonder Warthog]

http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070629/NEWS01/706290320

[Wonder Warthog]

http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070629/NEWS01/706290320

Working link!

[NEPA]

A good example of why our immigration policies are failing. It isn't just a problem with illegal immigration but excessive unskilled legal immigration as well.

Americans are being put out of work because they demand a fair wage.

Contractors like Lenard can't compete because he pays his workers a decent wage.

These aren't "jobs Americans won't do." They're jobs Americans always did but immigrants, especially illegals, will do it cheaper.

[Man50D]

Now is not the time to let up. We need to pressure our politicians to enforce the existing immigration laws including deporting illegal aliens, building the fence and prosecuting businesses who do business with illegal aliens. The link below is a ping list to pay attention for other questionable legislation being considered in Congress.

Keeping Track Of The Congress Critters

[SmoothTalker]

Exactly. We won’t do things for $6.00 an hour. Nor will we tolerate some of the conditions people make mexicans work.

[ovrtaxt]

This is true. I hire American citizens, but I have competitors who will hire any schlub, illegal, whatever.

I report them too. Not that it does any good...

Personally, I’ve never been impressed with the quality of the illegals’ work. They make too many stupid mistakes, mostly stemming from bad communication skills.

[raybbr]

Three other contractors or sub-contractors have called The News-Star during the previous month with the same concerns as Lenard, but none of them would go on the record for fear of losing their remaining work.

They may be surprised at the amount of work Lenard will get because he did come out about this.

[Wonder Warthog]

"Exactly. We won’t do things for $6.00 an hour. Nor will we tolerate some of the conditions people make mexicans work."

Wrong. These WERE jobs that Americans WERE doing, and that have been displaced by illegals--simply to satisfy the greed of some unscrupulous employers. This isn't about "low-wage", "grunt-work" jobs.

[LibLieSlayer]

Immigration is like an Eastwood film festival.

We started off letting mexicalis in with “A Fist Full of Dollars”, shifted to “For a Few Dollars More”, then to “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and now we have arrived at “Hang ‘em High”! NO AMNESTY... SECURE THE BORDERS (both of them), and destroy the dim party, once and for all!

LLS

[GBA]

Illegal immigration makes me mad for many reasons. On the top of the list is our penalizing the employers and legal immigrants who play by the rules by NOT going after those who don't.

And then to have a supposedly conservative politician like Lindsey Graham get his panties in a knot and say we have to pass the amnesty bill for the economy? What a Loser. It's long past time to clean house, both in DC and in the rest of the country.

[FrankR]

"..."jobs Americans won't do"...."

Let's turn that around and talk about all of the 100's of 1000's of jobs that Americans NO LONGER HAVE, because of off-shoring, and illegal worker programs.

Has anyone in the media or government noticed all the down-sizing in recent years? People who have spent 20-30 years in a profession, their pensions ripped away, and having to survive handing out karts in WalMart?

Anyone noticed the massive traffic jams in major cities because local employers like textile, small manufacturers, etc., have been sent abroad?

Folks, the United States government is peeing on our shoes and telling us it's raining. How long will it be before there are not enough jobs for people to buy the goods that are now produced offshore?

Sometimes "full employment" means all the french fry positions are filled at McDonalds.

I personally know several Americans who were carpet and flooring installers, who had to find other jobs because illegals priced them out of the market.

[Condor51]

Joe Holyfield of Holyfield Construction said .... that the immigrants' wages aren't that much less than American workers, "but there is an efficiency issue. The immigrants are willing to work 10 and 12 hours a day to get a job done."

I've been in Commercial Construction for 37 years, including that as a Chief Estimator, and that is the STOO-PIDIST statement I've ever heard. There's so much wrong with it I don't know where to start.

[montag813]

I live close to a city which is a sanctuary for illegals. But every single landscaper worker in the neighborhood is white. I guess no one told them they really don’t want to do that job.

[Son House]

” penalizing the employers and legal immigrants who play by the rules by NOT going after those who don’t.”

Yep, and the employers have most likely made a career out of cheating on their taxes.

[org.whodat]

Contractors do not hire illegals to cut cost. Contractors hire illegals so they make more money.

[goldfinch]

Contractors do not hire illegals to cut cost. Contractors hire illegals so they make more money.

Not always. I know several small contractors in the construction industry. They were able to make a nice living for many years by running small crews, 4-8 people. They could pay their crews a good wage, and win enough bids to keep them busy. No one got rich, but all made enough to live on.

That has changed the last 5 years. Now they are consistently underbid by contractors who are paying their (most likely illegal) workers much less.

So what should the contractors who are hiring legal workers do?

1. Go out of business because they cannot get work.

2. Lower the wages for his long-term American workers.

3. Hire illegals so he can be competitive.

One of the worst things about allowing employers to get away with hiring illegal workers is that it forces other employees to do the same just to remain competitive.

[org.whodat]

3. Hire illegals so he can be competitive.

The topic was about contractors that hire illegals. They say we hire them so we can be competitive. Do they pass along the savings on labor, no they can and do underbid the American and his American employees. But the true difference in the lower bid goes in the contractors pocket.

[goldfinch]

The topic was about contractors that hire illegals. They say we hire them so we can be competitive. Do they pass along the savings on labor, no they can and do underbid the American and his American employees. But the true difference in the lower bid goes in the contractors pocket.

Part of the difference IS passed along, in the form of the lower bid submitted by the contractor employing illegals. Let's say I am a building a house. I am to the stage of accepting bids for drywalling. Contractor A bids $20,000. Contractor B bids $26,000. If I accept the $20,000 bid, I save $6,000. So what do I do?

Do I hire Contractor A who hires illegals. His costs are less and it is reflected in his bid.

Or do I pay the extra to Contractor B, who hires American workers and pays them a living wage.

[org.whodat]

Or do I pay the extra to Contractor B, who hires American workers and pays them a living wage.

You can make any example you wish make it work out as you wish, it's just deciding how you want it to come out. Sort of like liberals and polling.

Do you work as a contractor employing illegals.

I built homes and multifamily for years in three different states. Last HUD project I had approved was 285 unit's. Never had the first illegal swing a hammer.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Demand a border fence! Build it NOW!! Beef up the border patrol and close our borders!

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