The Boston Herald has done some great investigative reporting on the state of illegal immigrants working in MA. The one common theme I see here is everyone is passing the buck. The illegals are doing jobs that were once held by construction workers- those strong fellows who could once support a family on the income from these jobs. Don’t tell me these are jobs Americans won’t do.

Bay State contractors are using illegal immigrants to churn out luxury housing complexes in communities across the region, paying laborers as young as 15 to work under the table in highly hazardous jobs, a Herald investigation found.

Dozens of workers interviewed at construction sites from Cape Cod to the North Shore admitted they are being employed illegally by contractors who sometimes pay them $10 an hour for work that commands up to $25.

OK I am not overly shocked that these construction firms, or as we’ll see further along, subcontractors, are hiring underage illegal immigrant’s children to do the work an American man should be doing. This is exploitation of the highest order: Exploiting illegals AND Americans.

In some instances, the Herald viewed highly dangerous conditions, with laborers scaling rooftops without harnesses and standing on scaffolding consisting of single boards supported by ladders.

The problem with this practice is when the illegals get hurt (and they do) they need medical care. Hospitals cannot turn them away and most wouldn’t…who pays the tab? YOU AND ME. The illegals don’t qualify for Worker Comp insurances, health insurances or any benefits for that matter. This increases the costs of healthcare by a lot. As a nursing professional I would not turn away anyone who needs medical attention; not because I’m in support of illegals (readers should know by now how I feel) but because I cannot, ethically and morally, deny care to ANY human being. But someone has to pay.

“Homebuilders are using these (illegal) laborers, who don’t have necessary credentials, to cut costs and increase their profit margins,” said John Keeley of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Immigration Studies. “To the extent the government has no willingness to exercise enforcement, we’re going to see a lot more of this.”

While the individual firms’ profit goes up, we the people end up paying the price. By providing the free medical care and welfare benefits the illegals are entitled to.

Visits to 11 residential construction sites across the state revealed the following :
One contractor building luxury homes across from White Cliffs Golf Course in Plymouth was employing a 15-year-old boy, according to the boy’s work supervisor, Manuel, who himself admitted to being an undocumented immigrant from Ecuador. Manuel said the boy was being paid $6 an hour for 10-hour days.

Again the 15 yr is doing the very job an American would love to have. Just not at that rate of pay. It’s too bad we’ve gotten to this point. I am all for profit and capitalism and American business succeeding. BUT not at the expense of decency and an ethical sense of patriotism. Keep America working- not Mexico or Ecuador.

A Herald reporter visited the sites with labor organizers with the New England Council of Carpenters, a union of 1,500 contractors whose officials charge that widespread fraud by non-union competitors is costing the state hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid taxes and fees.

I hate to say it (ok no I don’t) but the Unions brought some of this upon themselves. By demanding outragious payrates and benefits for it’s members. Unions must find a balance; employers must be respectful of offering decent wages and benefits. When that balance is there, illegals will not be needed. Profit margins can stay healthy.

General contractors responsible for managing the work at the sites denied having any knowledge of the illegal workers, usually passing responsibility onto subcontractors they hired to complete framing, roofing and other tasks.

Yeah right. Bullshit. These people think we are stupid. We’re not. I guess the only thing to be done with this shit is to boycott the companies who are building the fancy homes…don’t BUY a house built by these firms. Put our money where our politics and national pride is.

The Herald drops some names of the offending firms:
“All our contracts with subs require that they abide by relevant state and federal laws,” said Amy Willard of Fairfield Development, the general contractor at the Marlboro site. The company will investigate, she said. “I’m definitely going to pass this information on to our construction department and have them take a look at it.”

…and

An official at another contractor, Martins Construction, said she did not know about several admitted illegal immigrants hanging drywall at a condominium complex known as Pleasant Hill in Saugus. Two Brazilian workers, Vincente and Robson, said they were being paid $10 per sheet but did not even know the name of the company employing them.

BOYCOTT properties built by Fairfield Development and Martins Construction.

MA state Attorney General Riley has decided to take this all seriously, since the Herald’s reporting on this.

And call your reps and let them know you’re concerned about this, if you live in MA and are so inclined. No matter what side of the political spectrum you’re on, this activity is just WRONG.