Builders fret over immigrant debate

The Dallas Morning News ^ | April 23, 2006 | KATHERINE YUNG

[primeval patriot]

More of the entitlement mentality.

These builders believe they are owed an unending pool of cheap labor.

[petkus]

What is wrong with paying a fair day wages for a fair days pay?

If the builders need help, why don't they lobby their senators and congressman to get the appropriate visa required to get people to emmigrate the the USA LEGALLY?

Isn't this what the High Tech companies do to recruit IT Genius from India?

[wvobiwan]

No sympathy for the criminals on our side of the illegal alien problem either.

[sinkspur]

These builders believe they are owed an unending pool of cheap labor.

How about labor that just shows up?

The decorative concrete firm's last two hires were native-born Americans. One lasted two days, and the other never showed up for work, said Paul Prien, Jagger's office manager.

This is the big complaint of one of my neighbors, a home builder. The illegals show up, every day, rain or shine. His union carpenters are rarely at work on Mondays, especially during hunting season, and won't work Saturdays, even if they're behind on a house.

He told me last week he'd hire all illegals, if he could.

[Racer1]

Well I guess the days of robbing the American public from huge profits from not paying a decent wage are almost over. My offering advise, GET USED TOO IT you tight wad.

[SteveMcKing]

"In the debate over how to fix the nation's immigration laws,"

The laws are not "broken", except by builders and illegals.

They should only be debating how to defend themselves at their upcoming trials for federal offences.

[af_vet_rr]

Unfortunately those builders have a lot of lobbying dollars, and politicians listen to the money. It was no coincidence that Bush and others came out as proponents of an amnesty/guest worker program.

[Racer1]

So now building houses is on the list of jobs that Americans won't do. Whats left at this point, not much.

[SteveMcKing]

Your "neighbor" should find another occupation if building is unprofitable.

[Lokibob]

This article is about Immigrants, not welfare. You need to stick to the subject.

This country was built on immigrant labor, first the Irish, then the Italians, the Blacks (slaves) and the Chinese.

FReepers need to learn the difference between Illegals and immigrant.
You will note that nowhere am I defending illegal immigration.

[jess35]

What about the entitlement attitude of American workers? I'm completely against illegal immigration but as a small business owner (who only employs citizens) I can tell you the expectations of many workers is far beyond their value to the company. Why is it too much to expect workers to arrive on time when scheduled, keep their personal business at home and actually perform the work they're paid to do?

[sinkspur]

Your "neighbor" should find another occupation if building is unprofitable.

It's profitable. Just frustrating, trying to develop a worth ethic in some of his American citizen employees.

[longtermmemmory]

Demcrats are pushing for the guest worker because then they will demand GUEST WORKER TARRIFS to drive up and penalize those who use guest workers to pay less.

This is all BS.

Just build the wall.

[CharlesWayneCT]

Around here, the land costs dwarf the labor costs. They should be paying twice as much -- as it is people IN the building industry in our area can't afford to live in any of the houses.

Get rid of cheap illegal labor, and the builders will have to offer a decent wage for the area they are building, and the economy will improve.

[capt. norm]

Employing illegals appears to be the slavery of this era.

[cripplecreek]

What's really amazing is the fact that they know that the "Jobs Americans won't do" is insulting to the vast majority of Americans, but they can't seem to stop using it.

Maybe they think they can insult people into compliance but at some point you would think they would realize that it doesn't work.

[Lokibob]

No, Mr. McKing, you need to buy the most expensive home offered for the square footage. If the consumer would just buy the homes that are 20% over the other homes of equal quality, the builders would not be forced to hire cheap labor.

[capt. norm]

But these days, immigrants increasingly form the industry's backbone, taking on dangerous and grueling work often for less pay than native-born Americans would demand. In many instances, they're performing jobs that the native-born won't do. Economists and construction firms say that new housing and office space would cost much more and take longer to build without these workers.

How close is this to what the slave owners were saying back in the 1800's?

[Clemenza]

You left out the Poles, Germans, Cubans, and English, but your point still stands.

Just because the Friggin' Catholic Church and home builder lobbies seem to love Mexicans doesn't mean that said group deserves priority over Nigerians, Poles, Filipinos, etc.

[x1stcav]

The group is warning that without the immigrant workforce, construction would screech to a halt in the United States. It estimates that the industry will need 185,000 new workers over the next 10 years just to remain at current levels of growth.

What nobody is thinking about is the economy is cyclical. The construction industry used to have a 41/2 year cycle. We're now at 7+. This can't stay this way forever, and my sources in the industry in So Cal are telling me it's startting to slow down even out there.

So when the inevitable slowdown happens, what do we do with all of the illegals? Put them on welfare?