(WARNING, propoganda and BS ahead -- Jaded)

Building labor in short supply

Latinos take on the hard work

By Claudia Reed INDEX-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Posted: Thursday, June 21, 2007 6:48 PM PDT

Those who believe young Latinos are taking other workers' jobs probably know nothing about the construction industry.

"There aren't a whole lot of young people really interested (in the building trades)," said Jon Ballard of Sonoma's Jon Ballard Construction. "Why? I'm confused. The wages are pretty outstanding compared with other options. Maybe they just don't want the hard work." Apparently, hard work doesn't discourage the Valley's Latino population. Ballard said at least 75 percent of those seeking jobs with his company are Latino. His workforce is now made up of five non-Latinos and four Latinos, one of whom doesn't speak any English at all.

"If I didn't have the other three, I couldn't communicate with him," Ballard said.

Ballard said he won't hire illegals but could definitely use a lot more willing and able employees - no matter what language they speak.

"My business would change (with more employees)," he said. "We turn down a lot of work because we can't do it with the staff we have. Other (contractors) I've talked to are having the same problem."

The problem, in fact, is definitely regional and probably nationwide.
"Without young Latino construction workers, we would be in big trouble," said Keith Woods of North Coast Builders Exchange, an organization representing 1,800 firms in Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties.

Woods relates what he sees as an increasing labor shortage to the aging of the non-Latino population.

"There are 78 million baby boomers (getting ready to retire)," he said. "It's a national problem. There's going to be a crisis."
In order to avert the crisis, the Builders Exchange has been promoting "career technical education," programs once called vocational education, in local high schools:

"We've been putting money into (programs), holding career fairs, providing money for supplies ..."

Sonoma Valley High School has definitely gotten the message. This year the school offered six elective metal shop classes: three entry-level, two level-two and one advanced; and five wood shop classes: four basic and one advanced.

Again, those taking advantage of the opportunity tend to be first- or second-generation arrivals from south of the border.

"A high percentage (of students) are Latino, particularly in wood shop," said vocational education advisor Mick Chantler.

Chantler dismissed the possibility that those headed for the trades drop out short of graduation. Construction work, he said, also requires such academic skills as a knowledge of math, reasoning abilities and communication. Ballard recalls only one application from someone of high school age. Most of his new hires, he said, are between 25 and 40.
Like Ballard, Woods finds it hard to understand why more young people don't choose to go into the trades.

"Minimum wages don't exist in any construction jobs," Ballard said. "You're more likely to start at $10, $12, $18 an hour than in any retail or food service job. There's no better opportunity to get into a good paying job and work your way up. Potentially, you could own your own home and business."

According to Mario Castillo, an outreach worker with Vineyard Workers Services, that many new arrivals - including those with experience in construction - haven't heard about the wage potential.
"There are people who have taken advantage (of them)," he said, "especially (of) new people who don't get paid what they deserve - or don't get paid at all. I've heard stories about people who threaten to call Immigration (when a worker asks for a paycheck)."

Even those who are here legally, he said, may come from "small towns in Mexico" where such notions as workers' benefits are unfamiliar. On the other hand, Castillo said, Mexicans "from a very young age are not really afraid to try any job out of necessity."

Woods agrees. "Hispanics are the greatest workers (the exchange's membership) ever had. They've got a great work ethic and a desire to learn and earn."

With experience - and mastery of the English language - that hard work can pay off.

"I had a guy last week who wanted me to make him some business cards," Castillo reported. "He got his license to do construction and he's starting his own company."

Another path to higher pay is working through a trade union but the numbers entering the trades through that route are also low - and increasingly Latino.
"We're looking for more apprentices," said Bill Campbell, training director with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 551, which includes Sonoma, Marin, Lake and Mendocino counties.

An apprenticeship, Campbell stresses, is completely free. Requirements include a high school diploma, paid on-the-job training and one-week class sessions totaling one month out of the year for five years. Those who complete the apprenticeship and pass related tests become journeymen, a designation with a potential annual income of $40,00 to $60,000 depending on the location and the years of experience.

In the whole four-county area, Campbell said, there are only about 200 apprentices - and many of them are Latino.
"We're seeing a lot more minorities and females, as well," he said.

Campbell called construction a fast-growing, much-needed industry - and one of the few that can't be outsourced to a Third-World nation with cheap wages.

"If you can ship the Golden Gate Bridge to China for repairs and ship it back let me know," he said.


http://www.sonomanews.com/articles/2...8239779477.txt