- Posted
- Feb 20th 2007
- Mood
- Blah
Okay, so there's all this stuff flying around about illegal immigrants and work and wages and taking jobs and blah blah blah. Let me tell you about some of my experiencs.
I'm in the construction field, so I get crews of Americans and crews of Mexicans. The Americans may or may not be in a union, so far I haven't worked with a group of Mexicans in a union. The Mexicans DO get paid a lot less than the Americans, and in my eyes that is completely unfair to the Mexicans.
I read an article the other day that talked to employers and why they chose immigrants rather than citizens for work. The employer replied that when he asked the American if he had any questions, he was asked things like 'How much do I get paid? How many hours? Paid vacation? Sick days?' and so on, but when he asked a Mexican if he had any questions the only thing the Mexican asked was 'How much work can you give me?'.
And you know what? This is completely and totally true. I was on a job last year where the "dirt crew" was a bunch of American Union guys, and the "liner crew" was a bunch of Mexicans...not all legal I'm sure. The dirt crew took 30 minute breaks after working for only an hour, and hardly got any work done while the Mexicans only took 30 minute lunches. Oh, we told them to take an hour, but they wanted to keep working. At the end of the day not only did the dirt crew not have their work done, what they did they did wrong. In fact, they had made it worse.
So, the liner crew continued on and the dirt crew had to go back and do it again. After a couple weeks of this the Mexican liner crew boss and the American dirt crew boss came to me to find out what else needed to be done. I told the Mexican what he had to do and he said "Anything for you Senorita!" and went to get started. Then I told the American what he still had to do and you know what he told me?
"For all the work you're making us do on this job, you need to take me and the boys out to dinner."
WTF?! Had those fuckers done it right in the first place they wouldn't of had to do it twice!
In the meantime because the dirt crew was so frikkin' RETARDED the liner crew finished their job and got stuck behind the dirt crew and had to sit for a few days until the dirt crew was done. Getting the dirt crew to do ANYTHING was like pulling teeth, and after not doing what they needed to do that week to get the liner crew started, when me and the site owner requested they work on Saturday to get the damn thing done they only had TWO guys volunteer for the extra overtime hours.
This is unskilled physical labor folks. None of these guys went to college, none of them have any special skills and yet they acted worse than than the engineers when it came to time off! Then when they were asked to do something they didn't feel like doing they just quit. The dirt crew on this job I'm on now has a higher quit/rehire rate than any I've ever been on, and a lot of these people are labor ready local yokles with no jobs.
SO! Do Mexicans take American jobs? Hell no, not anything an American would want to do for a reasonable salary. Should illegal immigrants not be allowed to work? Fuck that, I'd rather have an illegal immigrant that WANTED to work over a lazy American that just wanted paid time off any day.
And if you want to bitch about Mexicans working for less? I say make it a law to pay everyone equal. It would work out nicely for the Mexicans, and people could stop using that stupid argument.
Sure, the economy would collapse, but at least I would be done with hearing about it! GRAH!
Minstrel Ayreon Says:
I'll tell you what, the American work ethic blows. I think it's pretty sad when Americans think they're "stooping" to do the jobs that Mexicans new to the country are grateful for. Like you, the Mexicans I've dealt with just seem to have a much better attitude.
I don't like the idea of people coming into this country illegally, though, and I think a guest worker program would make things much more orderly. I do think we need to know who's here and what they're doing. But if what they're doing is a good job--give them the means to do it, I say!
Doodlibop Says:
Honey, I TOTALLY hear you. Those American Union workers (I used to be a supervisor in a warehouse) are the absolute WORST. And what even lower than that, they have this bloody more than 10 strikes your out nonsense. I tell you, it's like you said, PULLING TEETH to make them work and it's a headache hearing them FALSLEY ACCUSE you in front of a Union representative. Fortunately, I thank God even, I was a model employee and that sort of stuff never flew. Those Mexicans are usually hard workers who mind their business, get the job done well, and come back the next day. I wonder how come they never create their own enterprises in the US (or maybe I'm just unaware of it) because they are actually really dedicated and talented folk (from what i see.) It has alot to do with their Mexican culture, I've come to learn.
As for immigrants working in the US, I have no problem with that, but their are certain factors that don't midigate the situation. For instance, without proper id, ssn, or any such, an immigrant can be recieved as a target or a threat. Take that any which way cuz I don't really feel like getting to far into it.
MAN, this made me riled, but atleast I don't feel alone. Thanks for an insightful entry.
Irvine Says:
Right on! Someone who agrees with me!
;
I see Mexican people, some illegal, and some not, at least TRYING to make a decient living, unlike their American neighbors who suck on welfare not trying to do a damn thing.