A Body Blow to Illegal Labor? (RICO lawsuits)

businessweek.com ^ | 3-26-06

[doug from upland]

A Body Blow To Illegal Labor? Court rulings and legislation could change the game for companies such as Mohawk It could soon be high noon in Calhoun. The town of 13,000 tucked away in the northwest corner of Georgia has been reshaped during the past decade by a huge influx of Latinos. The big draw: jobs at Mohawk Industries Inc. (MHK ), the town's largest employer. The $6.6 billion carpet maker employs 32,000 workers in all, 4,000 of them in Calhoun and surrounding Gordon County. Once staffed largely by whites, Mohawk today has a workforce made up substantially of immigrants from Mexico and other Latin American countries. The lure of $7-an-hour work has helped lift Hispanics to 12% of Gordon's population today, up from less than 1% in 1990.

[hattend]

BTTT

[llevrok]

I don't recall any one playing the angle of tax evasion - either charged to the employeer, illegal or both ! (You know, that's how the Feds got Al "Scarface" Capone!)

[cripplecreek]

Personally I think anyone injured by an illegal alien should try to sue the company that hired them.

[flying Elvis]

The lawyer for the four former workers, Bobby Lee Cook, is who the character Matlock was based on. If he's going after the carpet mills for hiring illegals, then they are in big trouble. I hate what the carpet mills have done to North Georgia. Everyone wrings their hands in fear of the carpet industry leaving North Georgia and going to Mexico. It really does not matter, for the industry has brought Mexico to North Georgia in the form of illegals.

[street_lawyer]

"Vicente Fox has a way with words. In a meeting with Texas business people in Mexico he said illegal aliens are doing the jobs that even blacks in the US won't do. Now along with all the comments that Americans are too lazy to do the jobs illegal aliens will do -- we can add a little racism to the comments. What's next? "

Yeah but is it true? Are jobs being filled by illegal aliens because Americans are not applying for them? Or do not work as hard.

If capitalism means competition then why doesn't it apply to the job market? You mean employers can't pay Americans under the table?

[NormsRevenge]

hmmm.. and here we were contemplating some new carpeting too.

I'll have to look for the Made in a Gulag label more carefully now.

RICO, when a slap on the hand doesn't get someone's attention.

[OB1kNOb]

"Four current and former Mohawk workers brought a class action against the company for allegedly conspiring to depress their wages by hiring illegal immigrants."

Bless them each one. I'd contribute to their legal fund before I'd send a penny to either political party. I do not like lawsuits, but in this case I'll make an exception. I hope this is the start of a tsunami wave of lawsuits against employers that hire illegal invaders in this country. Any business that wants to pay sweatshop wages, needs to pack their tent and take their operations to some 3rd world craphole country that needs it. Businesses like this don't give a flying flick about this country. Their total allegiance is to the almighty dollar.

[TexasTransplant]

Anything the Government won't or can't do they sluff off to the productive members of society, employers

I'm not a cop nor did I spend the night at a Holiday Inn

Temporary day labor is a cash 1 or 2 day deal, I don't even ask for ID, if they can heft a shovel and a wheelbarrow is all I'm interested in

TT

[BlessedByLiberty]

"Are jobs being filled by illegal aliens because Americans are not applying for them?..."

Good question. I think part of what is happening is that they hire one illegal who swears he's legal, presents phony documentation and then says he knows someone who wants a job, then that illegal gets hired. Word of mouth.

[Mike Darancette]

I don't recall any one playing the angle of tax evasion

I don't imagine that many illegals have signed up with the selective service.

[monkeywrench]

It's because employers don't want to pay all the costs associated with hiring people legally these days. We've allowed the lawyers in congress to regulate our free market away. The flood of illegals is tearing the free market down.

[massgopguy]

The RICO statutes were expanded in 1996 to allow private citizens to file Civil suits against all those in violation of USC 8 Title 18 The Federal Immigration and Nationality Act. Defund them.

[mlc9852]

"The lure of $7-an-hour work"

Now, that is sad.

[antceecee]

There was a 'horticulturalist' grower/farmer woman from Washington State on Medved the other day and she said pretty much all of her work force was Mexican labor. When asked by Michael if she advertised the work positions to get her job applicants (he was trying to find out if she advertised and couldn't get Americans who would do the work) she said no, that she pretty much got her employees by word of mouth.
He was being overly sympathetic to this woman who in my opinion was knowingly breaking the law.

[itsahoot]

Anything the Government won't or can't do they sluff off to the productive members of society, employers

You probably have a clue when none of them speak English tho huh?

Did you know you can by stolen TV's a lot cheaper than you can get them at Wal-Mart too?

[reagandemo]

""Are jobs being filled by illegal aliens because Americans are not applying for them?..."


Well partly. The libs are saying that illegals are only taking the jobs which Americans are to lazy to take. Not true. What the truth is the illegals are taking jobs at $7/hour which a person cannot support his family or himself much less on. Illegals pack an apartment with 20 or so people and do not pay for health care and car insurance. They can afford to work for less.

[joesnuffy]

I got a lot of family in Dalton,GA who are not too happy
about the ways things are turning out...

Dalton aint America anymore...it's Mexico...and not a nice place like it used to be...

imo

[TexasTransplant]

You assume much in your post, you have two choices retract or apologize.

TT