Thread: Hundreds Protest At Site Of New Marlins Stadium

If the local construction workers and trade people aren't working than the illegals must be.

http://cbs4.com/local/construction.prot ... 17946.html

Hundreds Protest At Site Of New Marlins Stadium
Jim Berry
MIAMI (CBS4)
Hundreds of out of work construction workers protested the perceived lack of local jobs for the construction of the new Marlins stadium.


Hundreds of protesters lined up outside the construction site of the new Marlins Stadium in Little Havana on Tuesday. The protesters were angry over who's not being hired for construction work, saying the locals are not getting their fair share of the construction jobs.

"We got family, we got kids," said Wilson Puerto. "I signed up for work, but they never called."

The Marlins sold the deal to the city and county by promising to keep much of the construction jobs local. When applications for work first began to be accepted, hundreds of workers showed up to try and get a piece of the $515 million dollar job.

"We haven't seen any (jobs), so that's why we're out here," said Kirk Dallip.

But the Marlins contend the jobs are there and more are coming.

"So far at the end of October the firms from Miami-Dade County that have been awarded jobs represents 59 percent, versus an aspirational goal from the city and county of 35 percent," said Marlins spokesman Claude Delorme.

Contractor Raul Caseras, who organized the protest, disagreed. He said his firm was outbid from a less qualified firm from out of state that had closer ties to the general contractor from Indiana. "It was awarded to a company that doesn't do the panels, doesn't do the windows, and the only thing they do is installation," Caseras said.

"Anytime someone's awarded a bid package, there are five or six that unfortunately don't get it. There are always be some people who are unhappy with the selection," Delorme said.

Caseras countered saying he has the ear of incoming Miami mayor Tomas Regalado, who has been lukewarm about the stadium deal since the beginning. Caseras said the new mayor will make sure the Marlins live up to their promise to get the construction workers locall back to work.

Call ICE.