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Alert on the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge Project in Dallas - (2/12/2010)
Italian Welders are doing the welding on the $70 million taxpayer funded bridge in Dallas. The project has local, state and federal funds. These welders were issued B-1 Business Visitor Visas to work in the U.S. The only problem is this type of Visa is prohibited by law to do construction work. B-1 Visa holders are not issued Social Secuirty numbers and they do not pay any payroll taxes. It is just like they are working at home in Italy.
Not only are qualified unemployed workers losing these jobs, now we are importing workers to do our jobs without paying taxes. Our government needs to fix this problem now. There are 3 more bridges scheduled to be built on the Trinity River in the Dallas and Fort Worth area. We have lost manufacturing jobs to making the steel and fabricating the bridge components in America. We urge everyone to get involved and contact their Congressional Representatives to stop this assault on American Workers and their families. How many other projects are being done like this one in our country?
In the letter from the attorney that helped Cimolai, she quoted the 9FAM 41.31 Note 10, that states that "Industrial or Commercial Workers" can be used to Install, Service or Repair Machinery or Equipment. She forgot to mention the part about not being able to do construction work. I don't believe constructing a bridge covered under Davis-Bacon Prevailing Wage requirements quite fits in the same category of installing machinery or equipment.
We have asked Governor Perry to address this issue. We have also filed complaints with the DOL Wage & Hour Division in Dallas and OSHA. Immigrations & Customs Enforcement were also asked to look into this matter by Representative Lamar Smith. The governor has referred this issue to Texas Workforce Commission Labor Commissioner Ronald Congleton, who has reported that a tax audit investigation is underway.
To read the the letter to Gov. Perry, please click on the following link at the bottom of the page :
We need to create jobs for workers in this country and "Buy American and Build American" to make this country prosper once again.
News story link to KHOU TV Channel 11 – Houston, TX Investigative report by Jeff McShan on 11/19/09. http://www.khou.com/news/local/Workers-complain-that-immigrants-use-B-1-visas-to-steal-American-jobs-70594292.html
News story links to Dallas WFAA TV Channel 8 Investigative Report by Bryon Harris on 11/4/09. http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/69864447.html (with video)
http://www.wfaa.com/home/Italians-not-Texans-buildingsignature-Dallas bridge69280817.html (with other links on bridge stories)
Press release from Texas AFL-CIO President Becky Moeller http://www.texasaflcio.org/index.cfm?action=article&articleID=0b4eb465-1cd6-4437-9b0c-20df67c605a4
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