Protest against company building new Cape Girardeau hotel focuses on illegal workers
Thursday, March 18, 2010 ~ Updated 5:25 PM

By Melissa Miller



Juanita Swift of Jackson was one of about 80 people who gathered Thursday at the site of a new Candlewood Suites hotel on Mount Auburn Road in Cape Girardeau. The group was protesting the alleged employment of undocumented workers by Thomas Construction Company at a construction site in Farmington, Mo.
(Melissa Miller)


About 80 people gathered Thursday at the site of a new Candlewood Suites hotel on Mount Auburn Road in Cape Girardeau to protest against a construction company being investigated for the employment of undocumented workers.
Last month, 14 workers for Thomas Construction Co. of Osage Beach, Mo. -- the contractor for the Cape Girardeau project at 485 S. Mount Auburn Road -- were arrested for alleged immigration violations by the St. Francois County Sheriff's Department at a construction site near Farmington, Mo.

The company is now being investigated by the Missouri Attorney General's Office, though no formal legal action has been taken against the company.

"Our local labor force puts out a good product, just look at all the nice homes, churches we have around here. There is nothing on this project our local constituents couldn't have handled," said Mark Baker, president of the Southeast Missouri Central Labor Council.

The popular notion that illegal workers are hired to do things American citizens wouldn't want to do is false, said JJ Lane, business representative for the Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Local 562.

"Obviously these are jobs we want or we wouldn't be here today," Lane said. "It's not a union, non-union issue. It's about right and wrong. It's about what's legal and illegal. It's about what's American and non-American."

Jerry Dollar of Festus, Mo., a heavy equipment operator who has been out of work the past six months, said he is tired of seeing illegal workers taking jobs from Americans. "I don't understand how they keep getting away with it," he added.

Cape Girardeau Police Department spokesman Sgt. Jason Selzer said local police have not received any complaints about workers at the Candlewood Suites site.

"If we receive a specific complaint we will investigate it on a case-by-case basis. If it can be proven that they are doing anything illegal we will do what we need to do to enforce the law," Selzer, said.

Jim Nugent, vice-president of Thomas Construction Company was unavailable for comment.

Look for more on this story later at semissourian.com.

Pertinent address:

485 S. Mount Auburn Road, Cape Girardeau, MO


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