Thread: Miss. Factory had tension between union, immigrants

Aug 27, 7:08 PM EDT

Miss. Factory had tension between union, immigrants

By HOLBROOK MOHR
Associated Press Writer

LAUREL, Miss. (AP) -- Union bosses in this region of rural Mississippi have long grumbled that the largest factories here hire illegal immigrants, and that the immigrants were starting to get more overtime and supervisory positions.

Friction between the union and immigrant workers, along with a tipoff at an electrical manufacturing plant, boiled over this week into the biggest workplace immigration raid in the nation's history.

When the first of the 595 suspected illegal immigrants was taken into custody Monday, some fellow workers broke into applause. A spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the investigation started three years ago after agents received a tip from a union member.

In interviews with The Associated Press, both union members and immigrants spoke of a simmering tension. At least one immigrant said scare tactics were used to pressure people to join the union.

Union members said they resented immigrants, who were often allowed to work as much as 40 hours of overtime a week when other workers were discouraged from doing so. All declined to give their names, saying they feared for their jobs.

Howard Industries, which makes dozens of products from electrical transformers to medical supplies, is in Mississippi's Pine Belt region, an area known for commercial timber and chicken-processing plants.

Robert Shaffer, head of the Mississippi AFL-CIO, said Wednesday that members have long complained that companies in southern Mississippi hire illegal immigrants.

"Jackson, Hattiesburg, Laurel and all areas along the coast, it's a little Mexico," Shaffer said. "I'm not against people trying to make living. I have a compassion for those folks. But at the same time, the taxpayers of Mississippi shouldn't be subsidizing a plant that won't even hire their own workers."

In 2002, Mississippi lawmakers approved a $31.5 million, taxpayer-backed incentive plan for Howard Industries to expand. The company, with 4,000 workers, is the largest employer in Jones County, which includes Laurel.

About 2,600 of Howard Industries' workers are in the union. Shaffer said he did not know whether any of those picked up in the raid were union members, or if nonunion workers were offered overtime while union workers were not.

Shaffer said offering immigrant workers union membership would depend on the situation, but he doubted it could be done if immigrants were in the country illegally.

Those detained in the raid came from Brazil, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama and Peru.

Contacted Wednesday, Howard Industries referred reporters to the statement it issued Monday, which said the company "runs every check allowed to ascertain the immigration status of all applicants for its jobs. It is company policy that it hires only U.S. citizens and legal immigrants."

No executives were detained in Monday's raid, but a spokeswoman said the raid was just the first part of an ongoing investigation.

A 30-year-old immigrant from Mexico who has worked at the transformer plant for three years said union representatives pressured immigrants to join the union, sometimes visiting their homes, offering gifts such as shirts and indicating that if they joined the union they would make more money.

The immigrant, who was not caught in the raid because he works the night shift, spoke on the condition that he be identified only by his first name, Jose, because he was concerned about being detained.

"The union uses the tactic of saying immigration was coming and the members of the union would not be taken," he said through a translator.

Jose said he did not join the union because he wasn't convinced it would come to his side if he were detained, and he felt his dues would not be returned.

At least eight of the workers caught in the raid face criminal charges for allegedly using false Social Security and residency identification.

On Wednesday, hundreds of people lined up outside the plant to apply for jobs as news of the raid spread. A billboard had gone up last week, before the raid, saying the company was hiring.

"I need a job and got kids. I heard that they need some help now," said Willie Keys, 20, who applied Wednesday. "All them Mexicans got fired because they didn't have a pass ... All these businesses have been taking Americans' jobs."

The unemployment rate in Jones County was 6.5 percent in July, slightly higher than the national rate of 6 percent but below the state's 8.5 percent rate.

William Gunther, an economics professor at the University of Southern Mississippi, said Mississippi has a labor shortage because people aren't moving there, which could explain why companies might hire illegal immigrants.

"That leaves businesses with a serious problem," he said. "That doesn't justify, but it certainly explains why they might be hiring individuals who show up and say, 'I'll work for you.'"

He said businesses could face higher wage costs and consumers could face higher costs for products and services if immigrants are taken out of the economy.

Ruben Castro, who owns La Fiesta Brava Mexican restaurant, is already seeing the effects. He had to bring in workers from a store in another town because he was so busy after the raid, when five other Mexican restaurants in Laurel closed because employees were afraid to come to work.

"It hurts the community," he said, because the town will lose 600 people who frequented stores like Wal-Mart and paid sales taxes.

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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/ ... TE=DEFAULT

this would explain the story last night where employees were CLAPPING
when the illegals were taken away

So are we to assume the union would had actually protected the illegals and not have turned them in if they had relented to pressure and joined the union?

I hope not...

Most of these businesses fight the union tooth and nail to keep their "illegal" help under control, you can threaten an illegal with firing
and deportation but try that on a union hand and you got a fight!!!

Most if not all unions are anti-illegal but the "bidness" community wants to spread the word that unions want illegals to scare off the rank and file.

Remember, stay busy like a beagle or we'll get an illegal.

[quote="NoBueno"]So are we to assume the union would had actually protected the illegals and not have turned them in if they had relented to pressure and joined the union?

I hope not...[/quote
---------------------------

They didn't dilsike them because they weren't Union.

THEY DISLIKE THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE ILLEGAL ALIENS

GREAT JOB ICE!!

MORE JOBS NOW FOR AMERICANS!

WHAT A GREAT WAY TO START OFF LABOR DAY WEEKEND!!!

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

Originally Posted by NoBueno

So are we to assume the union would had actually protected the illegals and not have turned them in if they had relented to pressure and joined the union?

I hope not...[/quote
---------------------------

They didn't dilsike them because they weren't Union.

THEY DISLIKE THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE ILLEGAL ALIENS

ILLEGALS CANT JOIN A UNION EVEN IF THEY WANT TO BECAUSE THE EMPLOYER WILL FIRE THEM AND THERE WOULD BE NOTHING THEY COULD DO ABOUT IT.

THE PLANT HAD 800 EMPLOYEES WITH 600 OF THEM ILLEGALS. THE UNION WORKERS DONT HAVE NEGOTIATING LEVERAGE WHEN THAT MANY EMPLOYEES OPPOSE THE UNION. THE ILLEGALS WILL DO WHATEVER SO THEY DONT LOSE THEIR JOB. SO THE UNION EMPLOYEES GET STUCK DOING THE SAME THING BECAUSE THERE ARE ILLEGALS WAITING IN LINE TO TAKE THEIR JOBS.

THEY HAVE TO GET RID OF THE ILLEGALS SO THEY ONCE AGAIN HAVE NEGOTIATING LEVERAGE. IF ALL OF THE EMPLOYEES ARE LEGAL THEN THE EMPLOYEES HAVE POWER....EVEN IF ALL OF THEM ARE NOT UNION MEMBERS. THEY HAVE POWER BECAUSE NONE OF THEM ARE AFRAID. THEY HAVE POWER BECAUSE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM COULD ASSERT THEIR RIGHTS UNDER THE LAW AND THERE IS NOTHING THE EMPLOYER CAN DO ABOUT IT. IT IS ILLEGAL TO FIRE SOMEONE FOR ASSERTING THEIR LABOR RIGHTS. SO IT PUTS THE EMPLOYEES IN POWER, INSTEAD OF THE EMPLOYER. AND THATS AS IT SHOULD BE BECAUSE AS WE ALL KNOW, EMPLOYERS CANT BE TRUSTED TO BE FAIR. YOU GIVE THEM THE POWER AND THEY RUN WITH IT TOWARDS THE BOTTOM LINE.

"THE PLANT HAD 800 EMPLOYEES WITH 600 OF THEM ILLEGALS. "

I can't find it right now but I read that the company had 3,000 imployees, 600 being illegal.

Originally Posted by redpony353

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

Originally Posted by NoBueno

So are we to assume the union would had actually protected the illegals and not have turned them in if they had relented to pressure and joined the union?

I hope not...[/quote
---------------------------

They didn't dilsike them because they weren't Union.

THEY DISLIKE THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE ILLEGAL ALIENS

ILLEGALS CANT JOIN A UNION EVEN IF THEY WANT TO BECAUSE THE EMPLOYER WILL FIRE THEM AND THERE WOULD BE NOTHING THEY COULD DO ABOUT IT.

THE PLANT HAD 800 EMPLOYEES WITH 600 OF THEM ILLEGALS. THE UNION WORKERS DONT HAVE NEGOTIATING LEVERAGE WHEN THAT MANY EMPLOYEES OPPOSE THE UNION. THE ILLEGALS WILL DO WHATEVER SO THEY DONT LOSE THEIR JOB. SO THE UNION EMPLOYEES GET STUCK DOING THE SAME THING BECAUSE THERE ARE ILLEGALS WAITING IN LINE TO TAKE THEIR JOBS.

THEY HAVE TO GET RID OF THE ILLEGALS SO THEY ONCE AGAIN HAVE NEGOTIATING LEVERAGE. IF ALL OF THE EMPLOYEES ARE LEGAL THEN THE EMPLOYEES HAVE POWER....EVEN IF ALL OF THEM ARE NOT UNION MEMBERS. THEY HAVE POWER BECAUSE NONE OF THEM ARE AFRAID. THEY HAVE POWER BECAUSE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM COULD ASSERT THEIR RIGHTS UNDER THE LAW AND THERE IS NOTHING THE EMPLOYER CAN DO ABOUT IT. IT IS ILLEGAL TO FIRE SOMEONE FOR ASSERTING THEIR LABOR RIGHTS. SO IT PUTS THE EMPLOYEES IN POWER, INSTEAD OF THE EMPLOYER. AND THATS AS IT SHOULD BE BECAUSE AS WE ALL KNOW, EMPLOYERS CANT BE TRUSTED TO BE FAIR. YOU GIVE THEM THE POWER AND THEY RUN WITH IT TOWARDS THE BOTTOM LINE.

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I read somewhere that the company had 3,000 imployees and 600 were illegals.

"That leaves businesses with a serious problem," he said. "That doesn't justify, but it certainly explains why they might be hiring individuals who show up and say, 'I'll work for you.'"

He said businesses could face higher wage costs and consumers could face higher costs for products and services if immigrants are taken out of the economy.

No, the businesses hire illegals because they can pay them alot less.

Businesses WILL face higher wage costs, but consumers will end up paying alot less too. How? No more having to pay higher taxes to educate kids of illegals, same for all social services that illegals get for their anchors. We will be much better off and we will have decent paying jobs back. It's a win-win for America.