I have a scenario. Ill keep it relevant to our side (cable/sat) of the telecommunications industry. Lets say Reno,Nv suffers a huge amount of storm damage. The cable plant is destroyed. Workers from Cali are called in to restore service. You have 3 types of worker coming. All 3 in this scenario are linemen.
Group A are illegals working for a contractor. They are paid $600 for a 6 day 60 hr work week, no medical. They pay $100 a week for use of company bucket truck. And the contractor pays their $250 week hotel bill. Puts 4 to a room.
Group B are American independent contractors. They are getting $1500 for the same 60hr 6 day work week. If they want medical they provide it themselves along with contractor GL insurance. They use and pay for their own tools and supplies. Use their own rig and gas money. They pay their own hotel bill.
Group C are Armerican union represented MSO employess. They make $25/hr on the same 6 day 60 hour work week, which puts them at $1,750 for the week plus medical and a per dieum for traveling. They pay 20/wk union dues, the company provides truck and all tools and supplies needed to perform the job. Company pays for lodging 2 in a room.
All 3 groups are performing the exact same work. The work is coming from the same MSO. I understand group A will have a negative effect on B&C in the long run. But what is the difference between that negative effect, and the negative effect B has on C.
The illegals make the argument that they work to provide for their families. Although the pay is low it allows them to put food on the table and are more than happy to be able to say they provide well for their family. The same thing is also being posted by workers who post on the bar. Is it ok for us to accept low wages and bring down the industry average? Is it OK that we also take much pride in doing this?
Is it odd that we spit on illegals for bringing down the pay average, but we say nothing about ourselves for doing the exact same thing for the exact same reasons, and then spit again on union workers for bringing up the pay average.
The arguement could be made that group B is the group that does the most damage to themselves. Illegals make less, but that money is worth much more where they send it. So although they make less in the US, they can provide much more with that money in their country. The american contractor gets less and less as times goes on, but the cost of living in america goes up and up. Union workers fight for contracts that provide them cost of living raises, and helps assure them their employer follows all labor laws.
Im confused
......... Wife would you mind helping me make sence of all this...The knowledge you display in your posts on this topic tells me you are the on in the best position to reply to this.Thanx
Tech B
