Kansas needs CorpWatch

THIRD WORLD WORKERS,
CONDITIONS IN KANSAS, NOW!

Several skilled workers regularly visit with us at the FCF Blue Barn (yes readers, there really is a Blue Barn) where discussions go on on all manner of subjects; more than marriages, kids and gun violence, we also observe the ever increasing use of undocumented &/or illegal workers in Kansas and the unsafe and unethical exploitation of workers in Kansas.

It's a sensitive subject even among the Blue Barn crowd, some are non-union, middle management in huge telecommunications corporations, union and a few unskilled workers.

Yet, nearly everyone agrees the labor "pool" is fast changing around us and the companies seem to be the ones making the most of it.

An example exists locally, in the construction of the most recent Wal-Mart in North Topeka, Ks. the capital of the state government - there the construction site was flooded with workers, many who could not speak English, by a shadowy group who local skilled workers knew little about.

Apparently, Wal-Mart "jobs out" the construction to regional contract companies that travels the country building their Super Store Centers; excavation, foundation, concrete, electrical and plumbing. Many are workers who are in no position to dispute the owners decisions about the working conditions, pay or benefits.

In the North Topeka construction site several discrepancies were discovered when an inspecting engineer, unlicensed in Kansas, caused Wal-Mart to hire a local electrical company to comply with standard electrical codes.

Since that time, other unethical and questionable practises have been witnessed at this particular job.

Workers, both local and immigrant, had complained that unsafe portable toilets were commonplace, in some cases requiring them to use a stick to push the human waste away to use it. Heat exhaustion, especially among the immigrant workers, was commonly witnessed in one case requiring an ambulance to evacuate one worker.

Inside temperatures under the roof were rumored to approach over 130 degrees (f) this summer and cement block workers were not provided with legally required gear.

The construction jobs at this site are almost over, Wal-mart will make a fortune from the sheeple hunting like hounds for "bargains." While the workers, who built it, both foreign and domestic - gone and forgotten.