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In Texas, undocumented immigrants have no shortage of work
Texas Tribune ^ | 12/16/16 | TRAVIS PUTNAM HILL

Posted on 12/17/2016 12:02:11 PM PST by Timpanagos1

Though it's illegal, brothers Israel and José Martinez have no shortage of work, moving from one construction job to the next in the ongoing building boom of Central Texas. They’ve worked on homes in affluent communities along the Upper Colorado River and renovated sprawling apartments in North Austin. They were on a crew that erected a new health center at a high-end retirement community, and as expert masons have built luxury pools, interior chimneys and backyard grilling stations.

Their compensation often falls below minimum wage. They might receive just $90 for a 14-hour workday, or about $6.42 an hour — and that’s when they do get paid. On more than a few occasions, the brothers have gone days, weeks and even months without receiving payment for their grueling labor.

In all their years in Texas, Israel and José — pseudonyms, since both asked that their real names not be published — have experienced a lot. One thing they say they haven’t seen: U.S. citizens doing the heavy lifting on construction projects.

“We’ve never seen any Americans carrying cement, picking up stone, working from sunup to sundown,” Israel said. “Never.”

(Excerpt) Read more at texastribune.org ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: aliens; entitlements; laborshortage; texas; welfare
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To: jjotto

Meat processors are the choice job providers for muzzies where they can gleefully practice the art of butchering by slicing throats.


41 posted on 12/17/2016 1:06:34 PM PST by 353FMG (AMERICA IS ALL THAT TRULY MATTERS)
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To: Carthego delenda est

Nope! “Look down” as in disapprove. Our party seems to have a REALLY TOUGH TIME doing just that.


42 posted on 12/17/2016 1:08:31 PM PST by BobL (In Honor of the NeverTrumpers, I declare myself as FR's first 'Imitation NeverTrumper')
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To: BobL

Got it.


43 posted on 12/17/2016 1:10:50 PM PST by Carthego delenda est
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To: Timpanagos1

Guess who is stuck holding the bag if one of these workers gets injured on the job? To the tune of millions. Which means higher costs for honest wage earners and bosses.


44 posted on 12/17/2016 1:12:32 PM PST by lastchance (Credo.)
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To: 353FMG
Meat processors are the choice job providers for muzzies where
they can gleefully practice the art of butchering by slicing throats.


45 posted on 12/17/2016 1:16:25 PM PST by philman_36 (Pride breakfasted with plenty, dined with poverty and supped with infamy. Benjamiin Franklin)
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To: Timpanagos1
Go to other parts of the country and you will see Americans doing those jobs. They can't afford to work when competing against illegals.

Jose and israel can afford to work for $6.42/hr because they brought mamacita with them.

She quickly popped out a couple of "American Citizens" who are loaded on the welfare gravy train.

Full welfare ride is very lucrative. Cash, food, housing, utilities, car, medical.

Their employer pays them under the table, no with holding.

They get sick or hurt, go to the hospital and dn't pay the bill.

These 2 are probably doing better than most middle class Americans.

46 posted on 12/17/2016 1:21:09 PM PST by Eagles6 (My weapons are lubricated by liberal tears.)
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To: RegulatorCountry

I will give credit where it is due. These guys do work. They work very hard and don’t pitch and moan about it. When I did inspections it was very rare not to find a drywall crew, roofing crew, framing crew, masonry crew that was not all or mostly Hispanic labor. Both legit and undocumented.

The problem is not that they displace other hard workers who can usually find other jobs or a promotion. The problem is that they displace workers who then go on the dole. Or they fill in labor gaps caused by people who could work deciding not to work.

As much as I think there should be penalties for the hiring of illegal immigrants I know the main reason besides wages such crews are hired. It is that bosses really do want people who will work and get the job done.


47 posted on 12/17/2016 1:23:32 PM PST by lastchance (Credo.)
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To: Timpanagos1

We’ve never seen any Americans carrying cement, picking up stone, working from sunup to sundown,” Israel said. “Never.”

There is a reason for that, stupid...YOU’LL do it for DIRT!


48 posted on 12/17/2016 1:25:34 PM PST by TalBlack (Evil doesn't have a day job....)
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To: Timpanagos1

Use and abuse of illegal workers has become institutionalized with dayworker agencies supplying them to worksites in most states via buses. Yes, the illegals work harder, longer for less and complain less than native born. And the left is quick to point out that the 11 million illegals in the US are gainfully employed.

BUT this in most cases means that there are millions of native-born Americans who via this employer-driven scam are dis-employed or otherwise unemployed.

These millions of native-born Americans “living on the bubble” who have depended on low-skill work have been driven to alcohol and drugs and to living with relatives and on the street.


49 posted on 12/17/2016 1:33:29 PM PST by Diogenez (A Job For Every American Who Wants A Job)
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To: Timpanagos1

I would like to meet these willing workers you believe exist. I am in that industry And I have never seen it. Even if you can find them, if you hire US citizens illegally and cheap, you invite a lawsuit for any number of things. Then if you hire them legally and within all applicable laws it will cost you a minimum of $7.25 + 20% and the potential for even more lawsuits. But even then the employee will pay taxes of around 20%. So that what cost you almost $9/hr will net the employee about $6/hr. For many people if not most Citizens that is not worth the effort.

The kids next door won’t cut grass for any less than about $10/hr but I hire them anyway, illegally for cash, and then pray they do not get hurt lest I get sued into poverty.

Let every American who never hires for cash and and complies with all local/state/federal wage and hour laws cast the first stone!


50 posted on 12/17/2016 1:41:22 PM PST by FreedomNotSafety
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To: Timpanagos1
“We’ve never seen any Americans carrying cement, picking up stone, working from sunup to sundown,” Israel said. “Never.”

Cause and effect. Americans used to do it, but then illegal aliens became the go-to group for such tasks. It's now so common, I can't imagine many (if any) Americans going for such jobs, especially in TX.

It's a job illegals do, period. Get rid of illegals, maybe then Americans will start coming in to do it. Not every teenager wants to flip hamburgers.

51 posted on 12/17/2016 1:45:09 PM PST by Future Snake Eater (CrossFit.com)
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To: Timpanagos1

Where these workers are at if you notice on a Thursday afternoon around 4 pm you’ll see
many of them in local stores cashing their checks and tranferring money to their orgins
back south of the border.

Also where they do manual labor in the fields you see them come and go by the seasons, planting,
harvesting, etc. And in low cost rental areas you’ll see many living in a large house with bare
necessities, no a/c etc.


52 posted on 12/17/2016 1:45:26 PM PST by deport
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To: FreedomNotSafety

I guess you could reach the conclusion that illegal status makes it easier to hire you. Especially now since it is illegal to comply with laws that require you to check and see if someone is illegal.

I support enacting a law that allows people to declare themselves as a “free trade zone” and exempt themselves from all local/state/federal laws regarding employment (please do not exaggerate this into an exclusion of all criminal and civil laws and the applicable laws of torts and contracts). It would make it so that I can enter into any private contract for employment or labor that I wish free of government interference. Be sort of like giving myself the benefits of being an illegal without giving up the entire legal system.

Work should not be taxed in any shape or form not on the employee’s wages and not on the employer’s payment of same. Work should have the same status as freedom of speech.


53 posted on 12/17/2016 1:50:23 PM PST by FreedomNotSafety
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To: Timpanagos1
There are plenty of Americans who would be happy to carry cement and pick up stone from sunup to sundown for $6.42 an hour.

BS, that's a pack of lies.

The only reason these illegals are working and getting hired is because the unscrupulous greedy AH's who hire them at low substandard wages.

I'm behind enemy lines in CA. I know first hand.

54 posted on 12/17/2016 1:58:47 PM PST by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: FreedomNotSafety
I would like to meet these willing workers you believe exist. I am in that industry And I have never seen it.

They don't. We own retail stores and pay $12-$15/hour and can hardly hire any American-born workers under the age of 55. They just won't do the job, or expect to be paid $25/hour + commission with no experience and also get 15 minutes of Facebook time per hour. :)

In addition to the tax penalties you mention for doing things the right way, something went wrong with the American worker's psyche during the tech boom. It seems everyone who ever had a corporate job during that time frame thinks they are still entitled to the maximum salary/benefits/bonuses they earned back then, and if they can't get it they would rather not work at all.

We have done well hiring foreign-born workers who are naturalized citizens or who have green cards. Their work ethic and honesty are outstanding - maybe because many of them come from corrupt or dysfunctional societies and know better how to appreciate what America offers them.

55 posted on 12/17/2016 3:56:32 PM PST by Mr. Jeeves ([CTRL]-[GALT]-[DELETE])
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To: lastchance
' I know the main reason besides wages such crews are hired. It is that bosses really do want people who will work and get the job done.'

Sure, but the wages would adjust to a appropriate matter or automation would improve to cover the need for certain workers. If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

56 posted on 12/17/2016 4:03:15 PM PST by Theoria (I should never have surrendered. I should have fought until I was the last man alive)
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To: McGavin999

“Sorry but a lot of the work that is being done today is sub par.”

Ain’t that the truth.

When yuppies start complaining that the sheetrock is popping out from the wall or that the newly painted nursery is pealing or that the electrical outlets don’t work, I tell them that their house has been “mexicanized.”

Then I tell these yuppie dopes that they should have paid the going rate for skilled craftsmen in their area.

Idiots.


57 posted on 12/17/2016 4:16:43 PM PST by sergeantdave
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To: headstamp 2

Yes, I did payroll for a construction company in the 70s and 80s, wages are pretty close to what they were then. Funny thing is Americans were carrying cement, doing roofing in Phoenix in the heat of summer, carrying rock- you name it. The same hard working people were laid off so companies could hire illegals cheaper. First it was agriculture jobs, then construction jobs. Americans lost jobs to illegals beginning in the 70s and got worse over the years and no one cared. Wages were kept down, work became shoddy. No one cared. I get so angry when people say Americans won’t work, they worked all those jobs until they were told they had been replaced by illegals and were no longer wanted.

I am sure now it would take time to replace the skills with Americans since for many jobs they have not been wanted for a while. I know of many construction companies that went out of business because they refused to hire illegals and could not compete with companies that did.


58 posted on 12/17/2016 4:52:44 PM PST by Tammy8 (Please be a regular supporter of Free Republic !)
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To: Timpanagos1

Sure and the Texas “conservative” Businessmen who hire them of course need more tax cuts so they can go out and hire more workers. Been there done that no more tax cuts to them no way.


59 posted on 12/17/2016 4:56:11 PM PST by amnestynone (We are asked by people who do not tolerate us to tolerate the intolerable in the name of tolerance.)
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To: gspurlock

When a company starts to hire illegals, they don’t really want citizens working there; afraid they will turn them in. When a business hires illegals they not only save the hourly wage, sometimes they aren’t paying payroll taxes either and safety on the job and other regulations may not be a priority- illegals are not likely to say anything. The illegals always have a friend or relative needing a job and they do stick together. If citizens are working with illegals the illegals do gang up on them and run them off so their friends and relatives can get the job.

Many businesses have hired illegals so long they cannot hire citizens even if they want to, they have a reputation for only hiring illegals. Some business owners that hire illegals are truly too stupid to know why citizens won’t work for them so they claim “Americans won’t do those jobs” makes it all better don’t you know, someone else’s fault.

This is the type of thing that will not be easy to undo, this mess has been years in the making.


60 posted on 12/17/2016 5:28:19 PM PST by Tammy8 (Please be a regular supporter of Free Republic !)
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