Thread: Weld's secret broke open

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_4851050

Weld's secret broke open
AREA NEEDS LABORERS
By Elizabeth Aguilera and Greg Griffin
Denver Post Staff Writer
Article Last Updated:12/16/2006 10:59:47 PM MST

Trish Rocha, owner of Buyer's Paradise in Greeley, says she's upset by the growth of the immigrant community there and firmly believes immigrants should learn English immediately. But the "Open" sign in her store window also has the Spanish equivalent. (Post / Lyn Alweis)
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Greeley - The federal raid on a Greeley meatpacking plant shone the spotlight on a long-standing local secret.

The 261 arrests at Swift & Co. on Tuesday left more than just families in limbo. It brought attention to a culture in Greeley where illegal immigrants are accepted, and depended on, as part of the workforce and as consumers.

"It's really just accepted, the immigrant workers and the illegal immigrants. And why? Because they are needed," said Steve Mize, owner of Jerry's Market. "We know it exists; it's just an ignored factor. It's not an argument; it just is."

The Bell Policy Center, a nonprofit research group, estimates that about 11,900 people in Weld County are undocumented, accounting
More on the raids



for 5 percent of the total population. At the request of The Denver Post, Bell reviewed research done by the Urban Institute, the Pew Hispanic Center and its own work to arrive at the rough estimate. Bell also estimated that about 6,756 undocumented immigrants are in the Weld workforce, accounting for 5 percent.

Statewide, the Pew Hispanic Center estimates, there are 225,000 to 275,000 undocumented immigrants.

"These numbers are really rough because if there are already a fair number of undocumented immigrants living in Weld County, it's possible that county may have more than the average because there is a social network there," said Rich Jones, director of research and policy at the Bell Policy Center.

"Fear in the community"

Many in Greeley say the number of undocumented workers is much higher. And area farmers are worried they won't have enough workers for next year's harvest.

"It just puts a fear in the entire community. We don't know what is going to happen," said Paul Hungenberg, who owns Hungenberg Produce north of Greeley with his brother Mike. "I'm real hopeful that they start a program so we can hire these people legally. We need this workforce. We just can't get anyone else to do this work."

Hungenberg Produce grows carrots, cabbage, onions, corn and beans on 1,000 acres. The farm hires about 200 workers from May to November at $6 to $10 an hour. Hungenberg checks two forms of identification, and if they look authentic, he hires.

"If they don't have proper- looking IDs, we don't hire them. We turn people away every day," he said. Asked whether any of his workers could be illegal immigrants using fake documents, he said, "I'm sure they probably do, though I don't know that."

Fast-food restaurants and hotels also rely heavily on immigrant workers, Greeley Mayor Tom Selders said.

"It's a significant contribution to our economy here," he said.

Many in Greeley resentfully admit illegal immigrants fill the gaps in agriculture and meatpacking.

The acceptance of undocumented workers is almost a must, business owners say.

The jobs require it.

"Caucasians don't want those jobs, but they need workers," said Trish Rocha, owner of Buyer's Paradise on Eighth Avenue. "I guess you have to take the workers who will do the work."

Rocha, who moved to Greeley from Pennsylvania more than a decade ago, is upset by the growth of the immigrant community and stands firm that immigrants should have to learn English immediately. Much of her clientele is Latino, but when she is asked if she speaks Spanish, she says, "No, this is America, and we speak English in America."

However, in the window of her store, the "Open" sign also says "Abierto."

Next door at Mister Money, a pawn shop, manager Tony Hernandez is more conflicted. His father, a legal resident who has worked at the meatpacking plant for nearly 30 years, was swept up in the raid. It took about seven hours and an interrogation for him to be allowed back to work as a trainer.

His dad went through the immigration process to become a legal resident, and others should do the same, Hernandez said. At the same time, he sympathizes with the families now facing uncertainty and says undocumented immigrants have long been part of the workforce in town.

"After what happened, it's only obvious how things work around here, but at the same time, who is going to do this work? There aren't a lot of people who want to work eight to 10 hours a day tearing apart a cow," said Hernandez, who worked at the plant when he was in high school before it became Swift. "It's like people really didn't care at the time of hiring. But now, who is going to do this work? It's not an easy job."

Raid was "an atrocity"

Leather-goods store owner Thomas Hodge is troubled by the raids at Swift and the increasingly shrill debate over illegal immigration in Greeley and elsewhere.

"I thought it was an atrocity. I wondered if they were taking them to the gas chambers on those buses," he said. "I don't think we're going about this the right way."

He didn't like the way the illegal immigrants were treated nor that some legal Latino residents were subjected to questioning and detention during the raid.

The Real Trading Co. Inc. in southeast Greeley sells and repairs leather products and Catholic religious items such as Bibles and statues. About half of Hodge's customers are Latino, and many don't speak English. Hodge speaks enough broken Spanish to cater to those customers.

"Eventually, I think they should open up the border and let people live where they want," Hodge said.

Immigrant labor needed

Carl Luther wants all the illegal immigrants in Greeley to go back to where they came from. But he wants them to come back - legally and temporarily.

"We need them badly," said the 85-year-old seller of farm equipment. "But they need to come over legally and work, and then go back."

Luther said his customers - vegetable, corn, bean and wheat farmers in northern Colorado - would go out of business without migrant labor. And so would Luther Equipment, which Luther has operated for more than 50 years on Greeley's eastern outskirts.

Shortages in immigrant workers disrupted the fall harvest, Luther said. On Wednesday, Luther made a sales call to a farmer who has delayed buying a $30,000 planter because of the uncertainty.

Even so, Luther and his wife, Lucille, said they were happy to see the government crack down on illegal workers.

"I think something had to be done because illegal immigrants are starting to take over," he said.

Mize, whose father opened Jerry's Market 43 years ago, is watching the debate and the community with interest and sadness. Many of those affected by the raid are his customers. The establishment on 14th Avenue and Fifth Street was started when the neighborhood was mainly German but is now a favorite among Latinos for its ethnic products and central location on the north side of town.

"I'm in a community where I want to take care of them because they take care of me," he said. "I feel for the families; it's sad to watch families go through this."

At the same time, like many in Greeley, Mize said if people were doing something illegal, they have to be held responsible.

"A lot of the reason people are illegal is because they don't know how to become legal," said Mize, who said he does not hire illegal immigrants by requiring a Colorado ID. "They are just trying to better themselves; they want to earn a living and work."

Gilda Martinez, owner of Shecild's Boutique, called the action one of the worst things that could happen.

"The businesses benefit because people work and spend money here," said Martinez, a legal resident originally from Mexico. "It's a chain. People get papers to work, bosses make themselves deaf so they can have employees because Americans and Chicanos don't want to work in those jobs."

Getting workers difficult

The difficulty for employers, especially in agriculture, is attracting people to work in low-skill, low-paying jobs, said Jones, of the Bell Policy Center. The economy and the need for workers are in essence a "flashing sign" to immigrant workers.

Jones points to a just-released study done in Texas by the state comptroller that found there would be a $17.7 billion impact on the state's economy if the 1.4 million undocumented workers were removed from the workforce.

Sarah MacQuiddy, president of the Greeley Chamber of Commerce, worries that things will get worse before they get better and is concerned employers could be driven to stop hiring immigrant workers.

"One of the beauties of Greeley is our cultural diversity, and one of the last things we need is job profiling," she said. "The Hispanic population is dynamic here in Greeley, and we need to recognize that, and we as a community need to come together and say, 'How do we help our employers?' and we have to push the federal government to fix this issue."

taff writer Elizabeth Aguilera can be reached at 303-954-1372 or eaguilera@denverpost.com.

You notice those quoted in the article that accept the illegal activity done by foreign nationals, refer to them as "immigrants," not "illegal immigrants." They seem to be led by the almighty buck, just like our President.

"I thought it was an atrocity. I wondered if they were taking them to the gas chambers on those buses," he said. "I don't think we're going about this the right way."

Can anyone on the side of the illegals discuss the issue without resorting to wild-eyed hyperbole?

I am so glad the raid occurred here in weld county. After living in this community and watching it degrade its nice to see the the spotlight turned on. The majority of this community is either blatently pro-illegal or willing to turn their eyes to allow their cheap labor to continue.

Unfortunately alot of the community that is anti-illegal is afraid to speak out in fear of being deemed a racist or possibly receiving retaliation. Hopefully the recent events will help make more people vocal publicly about their opinions!

Does anyone know what brand of meats swift puts out! I don't think I like the idea of illegal's handling my meat especially if they are ticked off. Besides the fact that most of them don't have any shots for t.b or other disease's! Sneezing and coughing on my meat will be bad enough let alone someone with t.b. or some other disease!

I looked it up on their site. Looks like they just do can meat under the swift name. Does this sound right? I am not going to buy food lion chicken and find out it was from swift meat packing!

Pay more and you will have workers! Cut back production, cuts back the profit and the lining of the fat cats pockets. You don't have the staff, you downsize your operation. You don't complain about not having enough workers. You do things to attract prospective employees to your company like benefit packages and time off. You don't whine for cheap labor.

Every time you hear someone say "we don't have enough workers" know that they are really saying they are greedy.

Dixie

Pay more and you will have workers! Cut back production, cuts back the profit and the lining of the fat cats pockets. You don't have the staff, you downsize your operation. You don't complain about not having enough workers. You do things to attract prospective employees to your company like benefit packages and time off. You don't whine for cheap labor.

Every time you hear someone say "we don't have enough workers" know that they are really saying they are greedy.

Dixie

You are absolutely 100% correct, Dixie! If the plant doesn't have enough legal workers, than it should scale back operations. Isn't that what they would do if they didn't have enough product (cattle), equipment, or a suitable market. Why should not having enough legal workers be any different, if you don't have an adequate supply of labor - scale back operations to a level that you can manage with the legal labor you can acquire. This is all about utilizing something illegally for business expansion - all in the name of greed.

You get what you pay for! Offer employees a living wage with benefits and you will get a legal workforce, offer poverty level wages with no benefits and you get an illegal workforce. Sure, offering a living wage and healthcare plan may cut into the profits somewhat, but at least your integrity will be intact and your conscience clear! I wonder how these illegal alien employers sleep nights knowing full well they are destroying the country for future generations of their family.

Pay more and you will have workers! Cut back production, cuts back the profit and the lining of the fat cats pockets. You don't have the staff, you downsize your operation. You don't complain about not having enough workers. You do things to attract prospective employees to your company like benefit packages and time off. You don't whine for cheap labor.

Every time you hear someone say "we don't have enough workers" know that they are really saying they are greedy.

BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!

can you say B O Y C O T T boys and girls


With all the boycotts on a personal home level... I am going to be very thin...very soon!