by Diana Lucio
Published: Mon, May 18, 2009 - 7:33 pm CST
Last Updated: Mon, May 18, 2009 - 10:26 pm CST
When state and local leaders announced ThyssenKrupp chose Mobile County as the site of its new multi-billion dollar steel mill, they touted the 30,000 construction jobs the plant would create.Two years later, a local labor union claims many of the construction workers are not local or legal. Could the largest private project in U.S. history be keeping an even bigger secret?
With 811 million dollars worth of state and local incentives, construction on the steel mill is well under way. But Alabamians aren't the only ones getting work.
"Some of the larger contractors at ThyssenKrupp hired to build their facility are using out of state workers and they're using in some cases illegal workers,"Said Donnie Adams with the Mobile-Pensacola Building and Construction Trades Council.
Adams says Alabamians don't stand a chance of getting jobs over undocumented workers. "It's cheaper no benefits and how can you compete against something like that? If you're a local contractor and you're bidding to get somebody that's bringing these people in, it's like slave labor,"Said Adams.
During our trip to T.K. we stop at the BP Service Station about a half a block down from the site. We run into two guys in a truck wearing ThyssenKrupp orientation badges. We talk to Rafael Morales who tells us he came from Mexico 6 years ago to work. "The company that we came from is in North Carolina. They don't ask for anything because they're a small company and from that company they send the paperwork and I don't know how they do it. But they do all the work,"Said Morales.
"We don't hold these Hispanics and people from out of state, they're just doing a job they've been hired to do. We hold the people who hired them responsible,"Said Adams. Morales tells us he got work through Collins Reinforcing.
We get Carl Collins of Collins Reinforcing on the phone.
Lucio:"Where are you based out of? Collins: "Based out of North Carolina. Lucio:"And where are the majority of your workers coming from?" Collins: "They come from all over." Lucio: "Do you employ any who have come from mexico to work?" Collins:"All my guys came from either Virginia, Georgia or Florida."
"If they're here working they've got homes somewhere else and they're sending the money back there to pay mortgages and everything, they're not spending it here. I mean the bulk of their money is going back to where they came from so we're not getting the bang for the buck,"Said Adams.
Morales says he gets paid under the table up to 20 dollars an hour, plus rent.
Lucio:"And you don't have a Visa?" Morales:"I'm just now making arrangements for that." Lucio: "But right now you don't have a Visa?
Morales: "Right now, no I still don't." Lucio: "Or legal documentation?" Morales: "No. I'm making arrangements for that too."
ThyssenKrupp declined to talk with us on camera but they did email us this statement,"each individual contractor is legally responsible for their immigration compliance in the hiring of their employees." It goes on to say the company runs audits and sends letters reminding their contractors to comply with immigration laws and keep documentation proving legal status on file.
After several attempts we finally get a ThyssenKrupp spokeswoman Mary Mullins on the phone.
Lucio:"you mentioned you send letters to each contractor reminding them. When was the last time you did that?" Mullins: "I don't know that at this time Diana." Lucio: "When was the last time you audited your contractors?" Mullins:"I'll have to check with our other department heads on that."
Mobile County Commissioner Mike Dean is supporting a joint effort between the Mobile County Commission and the City Council to try and get information on T.K.'s labor practices.
In a letter sent to T.K. on April 17th, County Commissioner Merceria Ludgood recommends the company require all its contractors to use E-Verify to check their employees legal documents.
T.K. says the federal electronic system is already used by contractors on a voluntary basis. But local leaders are determined to make it a requirement.
"We as elected officials is got to stand behind the law and the law says that there is proper practices and we want that E-Verify in place. That's something we want...that's something they're going to give us,"Said Commissioner Dean.
Dean says elected officials plan to randomly visit ThyssenKrupp and make scheduled visits to check up on things. He says while there is no written language requiring companies like T.K. to hire locally, they're going to look into it with future projects. Until someone is held accountable undocumented workers are likely going to keep getting jobs.
Members of the Mobile-Pensacola Construction Trades Council Plan to protest at the site this week.
According to officials with Immigration Customs Enforcement, border patrol agents caught about a dozen illegal immigrants earlier this year.
They claimed to work at the steel mill.
ICE says they haven't done any raids at T.K. because they would need substantial evidence first.
We plan to show them our footage. We'll keep you posted.
Labor Leaders To Protest At TK
Email to a Friend 
Printer Friendly 
Download Video
Recently Commented On
Mobile Medical Professionals…
Fire Destroys Abandoned House
Reading Proves Difficult For…
Driver Loses Control Hitting…
Panhandle Man Fatally Shoots…