Posted on 12/06/2007 1:07:46 AM PST by Tennessee Nana
SPRINGFIELD, Tenn. - A hidden camera investigation conducted by NewsChannel 5 revealed Springfield's biggest employer may be the biggest offender when it comes to hiring undocumented immigrants.
Electrolux is one of the largest manufacturing plants in Middle Tennessee.
It employs thousands of workers.
But a NewsChannel 5 investigation uncovered some disturbing facts about many of those employees.
From city leaders to factory employees, several people said the same thing about Electrolux. They said illegal immigrants, not Americans, comprise a large portion of its workforce.
Three years ago, the company came to Robertson County and local residents were excited about the hundreds of new jobs it would bring.
"They tend to project a family-oriented business here," said an employee.
Its opening was seen as a surefire boost to the local economy.
"You know they care so it's a perfect place for a single mom to be," said an employee.
But how many of those jobs went to American workers?
"This is what Springfield, Robertson County is," said Amanda Clack, a former employee. "They are taking over."
Clack few positions went to Americans.
She claims Electrolux is a big draw for immigrants.
"Ninety percent of that plant is Mexicans," she said. "Maybe 5 percent white, 5 percent black."
"There's only two people next to me who speak English, the rest of them are Hispanic around me," said an employee.
"They constantly want to say we're going to go to Mexico,' another employee said. "Why go to Mexico, when Mexico is here."
To get hired at Electrolux, applicants first go through a staffing agency called Randstad. Hiring occurs inside a trailer next to the plant. Four people equipped with hidden cameras went to the trailer to see what happens.
One person ventured into Randstad under the premise that she recently arrived in this country and needed a job.
While waiting to fill out paperwork, she met a man who was reapplying.
He allegedly reapplied using fake documentations.
The man told the decoy about someone he knew who provided fake documents.
Outside the trailer, he told her how much.
"Around $900 you will get a birth certificate, a social security number from Puerto Rico," he said. "It has a name and address and everything."
He showed her his own fake state identification.
"It's easy to get the job, and you don't have to speak English," he said.
Around town, the decoys sent by NewsChannel 5 learned Electrolux is the best place to work for undocumented immigrants.
"It's around $800 to get a social security number," one man said.
They also learned about a Puerto Rican black market in which identities are bought and sold.
No one seems to care if they're caught.
"They are reapplying because they are getting fired, and then they are reapplying with other documentations, and then getting hired again," said one decoy.
An applicant works for Randstad, but at Electrolux, for the first three while their papers are being verified.
"There's plenty of people there," one man said. "Some that will be fired today and they go and buy different papers, and then they go either to a different shift, or the same shift."
"Now, they need a lot of people, but there's no people to hire," he said. "And yes, they know those documents do not belong to us."
Randstad and Electrolux denied anything like this goes on.
But one man who urged the undercover decoy to apply with Randstad, saying Randstad knew his papers were fake, but rehired him anyway.
"Every one of us goes there and nothing happens," he said. "Don't be afraid. I worked there three years and nothing happened."
The situation at Electrolux has left many in Springfield with a familiar frustration.
"Since the Mexicans will work for lower amounts of money, they will hire them, and then leaving us out here, not being able to find a job," Clack said.
Randstad denies any wrongdoing.
A spokeswoman said they have an outside company that also checks to make sure the documents they receive are real. Springfield City Manager Paul Nutting said what the investigation revealed wasn't something new to him.
He said he's known about this issue for years and it's had a negative impact on Springfield.
In an interview Thursday, he discusses the Electrolux situation.
Electrolux also defended its hiring practices in a statement.
"We are confident that this process of independently verifying employee documentation minimizes the chances of undocumented workers slipping through," according to a written statement from a spokesman. "If any should, they eventually will be identified, and fired."
ELECTROLUX?????
ILLEGALS?????
a new take on the great sucking sound made famous by Perot.
This is a pattern nation wide. Companies come to struggling rural areas, getting tax breaks and promising jobs. Then they start hiring illegal aliens that flood the area, costing the local taxpayer to subsidize their business.
If we had a Congress worth anything, it would have stopped this exploitation of their constituents long ago, but of course, the corporations give them big campaign bucks in this corrupt system.
There should be a nation-wide boycott of all Electrolux products. If any company hires illegals, which many do through their fig-leaf hiring agencies, they should be required to pay for the education of the children of the illegals they hire, and the increased use of the emergency rooms at the local hospital, and their taxes ought to be raised to finance the extra burdens of local law enforcement.
They should wind up having to pay more for their illegal work force than hiring legal US citizens would cost them and have their business licenses lifted permanently after two infractions of hiring illegals. That would cure our immigration problem practically over night.
Thursday morning is trash pick up day in my neighborhood. After reading this story, well, I just got back in from depositing a two year old electrolux in the pile. Piece of cr#$ anyway.
As Presidente Calderon recently stated ‘where there is a Mexican, there is Mexico.’
No matter what Electrolux should be held accountable. This game of “Temp Worker Companies” has been going on for years.
Just like the government demanding that a CEO signs off on their companies Financial reports they should have to sign off on every hire. That would end all this crap.
You should smash it with a sledge hammer, box it up and send it to the President of the company, along with an American flag. I think they'll get the message......
Perot was partially right. He just didn’t foresee the invasion.
If ICE wants to do an audit of those I-9s, Electrolux will fully co-operate.
The problem is that ICE is very busy going after the farmers and the food processors.
You need to realize that Congress is more likely to appropriate the money to hire more border patrol agents than ICE agents because they get more political mileage that way. In fact, if you include the money already appropriated for fiscal year 2008, the number of border patrol will have doubled during the Bush administration.
I doubt it. He would probably get his mexican hombres to put it back together cheeeeeep, then the greedy bast@#$ would probably see what he could get for the flag.
You’re exactly right, there are SOME still fighting the uphill battle. The MSM is obviously open-borders. They will run a story when mommy has to go and leave anchor baby behind, but that is about it. Reporting the truth might cause a “backlash”. This isn’t about hating immigrants or hatred for another culture; It is about preserving our sovereignty, National Security and the Rule of Law.
The Government is as much to blame as the illegals. We are fighting against the Democrats as well as the corporate and globalist entities on the right. You’re right it’s an uphill battle and the hill is getting steeper.
IIRC there is a Federfal hotline that employers can call to verifiy the status of job applicants. If so, there is no defense to hiring illegals whether by accident or design.
Wow, just, wow. They have some serious problems in Springfield they may need to address, now.
Wow....pretty blatant scofflaws.
I agree with your post, all but the two candidates being the same. Hunter has actually done something about illegal immigration. He, of course wrote the bill for the fence which Bush refuses to build. He has wrote legislation for more border patrol, time after time, it gets passed but the executive just ignores it. I thought a law was to be enforced by the executive. Apparently laws are just suggestions the executive may enforce if they so choose. So, that is why I think Hunter is by far the best on this issue. He has done something to try and solve it for the last 20 years. Also, a matter of months ago, he wasn’t talking about “giving them some aspirations of citizenship”.
I am with you China/NK, a strong defense and immigration/illegal immigration are the priorities.
Good reminder on the Perot wisdoms. Like him or not Pat Buchanan has been dead on with the crap since he early 90's too.
>>You need to realize that Congress is more likely to appropriate the money to hire more border patrol agents than ICE agents because they get more political mileage that way.<<
Bingo! ICE is outnumbered by illegals 10,000 to 1. Bilbray’s office says that border patrol people say that they need to increase ICE agents much more than BP agents.
Carolyn
Enforce the laws!!!!...It’s working in Arizona!
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