Builders' Hispanic workers leaving


By ROBERT EVATT World Staff Writer
1/24/2008


The crackdown on illegal immigrants creates a labor shortage, they say.


Hispanic construction workers who are illegal immigrants have been leaving their jobs and the state since July because of fear rooted in House Bill 1804, says Dave Kollman, president of Flintco Cos. Inc., a major Tulsa contractor.

Now, even legal Hispanics are vanishing due to the effects of the Oklahoma law that cracked down on illegal immigration, he said.

"There's a scare component running through the Hispanic community," Kollman said. "Even if they're legal, they're leaving because they're family-oriented, and people they know are leaving."

Kollman spoke during a discussion of H.B. 1804 at a Wednesday breakfast sponsored by the Tulsa chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties.

Also sharing their experiences with the law, which took effect Nov. 1, were Jake Nabholz, vice president of Nabholz Cos.; and Ray Miller, president of Fleming Building Co.

Miller said he's lost good men due to the law and hasn't been able to replace them.

"I've had employees for 15 years who are good, hard workers," he said. "They're not taking anybody's jobs. The kids graduating from high school don't want to go into construction."

Nabholz said fallout from the law continues to grow.

"There's a lot of fear, and it'll get worse as the days come," he said.

All three said the labor shortage requires builders to pay more overtime, which allows them to meet schedules but drives up costs. Nabholz said builders might not be able to rely on overtime if the loss of workers accelerates.

"At some point, overtime won't be enough," he said.

Kollman said Hispanics' fear of being conspicuous has generated other expenses. He cited, for example, how construction crews from Tulsa might drive to a place such as Stillwater to work on a project.

"It used to be everyone would pile in one vehicle and drive there together, but now they're driving up on their own in separate cars," he said.

Rising labor costs, combined with higher prices for construction materials, have driven up building costs significantly in this decade, Kollman said.

The panelists said they would like to see some way to streamline the citizenship process for workers, which now takes up to five years.


Robert Evatt 581-8447
robert.evatt@tulsaworld.com


By ROBERT EVATT World Staff Writer

http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/arti ... hThec38720