Thread: Questions Treatment Of Mexican Workers (Sob Story)

Port Arthur Woman Questions Treatment Of Mexican Workers
Angel San Juan
March 6, 2007 - 10:36PM


Caressa Garza cares about her neighbors, that's why Garza and her daughter enjoy playing with the children at Arthur Square Apartments, but Garza fears not all of her neighbors are receiving neighborly treatment.
Garza says, "They've promised them work, they're not giving them work, they promised tools, and they're not giving them tools, they're just stuck paying rent."
Garza says a Mississippi-based company called Five Star Contractors brought 40 to 50 men from Monterrey, Mexico to Port Arthur for welding jobs.
She says they were promised jobs for 10 months at $20 to $25 an hour, but she claims the company has not honored its promises.
Garza told KFDM, "They buy their own food, buy own bed, they didn't give them nothing at all, they walked in an empty apartment."
Apartments that remain sparce except for the men inside.
We spotted several of the Mexican workers during our visit to the complex Tuesday afternoon.
They seemed nervous about talking to us.
The ones we talked to told us they've been given jobs making $17 to $20 an hour, but they say they had to pay $500 for a visa, and $300 to $400 for tools.
One man, who just identified himself as Juan, told us he shares his apartment with four others.
Five Star charges each one of them $70 a week in rent.
We did the math, that's roughly $1,400 a month.
We went to the office at Arthur Square Apartments to get some answers.
The woman in the office told us the highest rent charged at the complex is $650 a month
As for what the Mexican workers are paying, she told us to talk to Five Star.
A representative with Five Star, Gilberto Gutierrez-Garza, told us the extra money the workers are being charged in their rent actually goes to pay drivers and gasoline for school buses that are being used to transport them around town.
He also told us the workers are offered English classes, and are taken to church every week, and those who don't have jobs, are given $20 a week for necessities.
Gutierrez-Garza says the company never promised the workers 10 months of working, because the government only gives visas for 6 to 7 months.
He says the complaints are coming from a few bad apples who are lazy and don't show up to work.
He told KFDM that if if the Mexican workers continue to complain, Five Star will find workers in Puerto Rico or India.
The company says there's a shortage of welders along the Gulf Coast, that's why it must tap into foreign countries.
Port Arthur councilman Michael Sinegal doesn't deny the shortage, but he says companies could make more of an effort to recruit locally.
He says the trade unions in the area could supervise the process, first start looking for local workers, then state, then national, and then as a last resort internationally.
In the meantime, Sinegal says he'll make sure the city is enforcing its building codes at apartment complexes like Arthur Square to ensure the safety of the foreign workers who are now calling Southeast Texas home.
We checked with Pipefitters Local 195.
A representative told us there are nearly 200 local pipefitters and welders available for jobs in Southeast Texas.
But he says many times companies don't want to pay a fair salary.

http://www.kfdm.com/onset?id=19313&temp ... ticle.html

Low-level bodyshopping. In International IT bodyshopping, add a zero to what they pay and get paid, same deal.

this is a job that americans will do. Why is the company going to mexico? Who controls this?

They should question the treatmet of Mexican workers....in Mexico.

The question is, why can't Mexicans get jobs in Mexico?

They failed to mention the treatment of Caressa and her neighbors so I will go out on a limb here and say they are being treated to housing, food stamps, cash every month , free medical , free school ,no taxes etc etc .....

Originally Posted by Beckyal

this is a job that americans will do. Why is the company going to mexico? Who controls this?

The last sentence in the articles says it all, "But he says many times companies don't want to pay a fair salary."

Originally Posted by had_enuf

Originally Posted by Beckyal

this is a job that americans will do. Why is the company going to mexico? Who controls this?

The last sentence in the articles says it all, "But he says many times companies don't want to pay a fair salary."

Right on had enuf. Plus do we just want ANYONE welding? It does take some training, no?