Crackdown On Illegal Workers?

Last Updated: Thu, August 06, 2009 - 8:32 pm CST


Tiffany Craig

Earlier this year, the News 5 Investigative Team busted illegal workers at the ThyssenKrupp Steel Mill in North Mobile County. Reporter Diana Lucio talked to laborers who admitted that they didn't have the proper documents to work in this country!

Outraged workers took their complaints to any politician who would listen. They say illegal immigrants are not limited to the steel business and they want change.

Mobile County Commissioners will vote on a new policy next week that might make a difference.

Starting in October, the county wants to use only use contractors willing to allow an audit on all their employees. The permission to audit would be part of the contract. If auditors find at least 3 illegal workers on a county job site, the company will lose that contract *and* bidding privileges for two years.

Commissioner Merceria Ludgood says this comes on the heels of the complaints all across Mobile County. "It requires that for any county jobs, the employers must be able to verify that those people have proper documents to be working in this country."

This policy does *not* apply to ThyssenKrupp Steel. Since our investigation, union leaders are told by insiders that *all* new workers at the site in Calvert are being checked and there are fewer illegals doing construction.

www.wkrg.com