Immigrant workers paid after protest
by David Frey
Saturday, May 15, 2010

GLENWOOD SPRINGS — Most of the immigrant workers who said they had been left unpaid by a Basalt construction company have now been paid by the general contractor.

The payment follows a protest by some of the workers in front of Styers Construction two weeks ago, when workers said the company owed more than $70,000 to about 20 employees.

Styers was acting as a subcontractor for general contractor PCL Construction on One Ski Hill Place, a luxury slopeside lodge in Breckenridge owned by Vail Resorts.

Andy McCord, head of PCL’s mountain division, said his company stepped in to pay the workers after Styers failed to.

The workers were caught in a dispute between Styers and PCL. Styers owner Alan Styers complained PCL had not paid his company in over a month. He has filed construction liens against PCL.

PCL said Styers had not been paid because of numerous construction flaws, and by its contract it shouldn’t be paid until those flaws are corrected.

“We see this a lot in the construction industry,â€