Unions slam Puerto Rico government, developers over imported labor for reconstruction projects
The Puerto Rican Association of Construction Unions criticized the government for supporting developers’ efforts to import foreign labor to work in Puerto Rico’s reconstruction rather than attracting and training a local workforce by offering fair wages and benefits.
Edison Severino, director of public affairs in Puerto Rico for the Laborers International Union of North America, described in a radio interview as “outrageous” for “millionaire developers and contractors” to resort to importing foreign labor instead of focusing on hiring a local workforce to work on projects following the allocation of over $50 billion in federal funds for the reconstruction of infrastructure.
Severino rejected assertions by developers that there is a shortage of local workers. He said the problem is the measly salaries offered to construction workers.
“It is unacceptable that the contractors’ Plan A is to bring workers from abroad to rebuild Puerto Rico,” Severino said. “Right now, not the slightest attempt has been made to come up with a plan to attract a local workforce to fill thousands of federally paid positions. Contractors say there is a shortage of local workers. But we all know the reality. In Puerto Rico there is no such shortage of workers. What exists is a shortage of jobs that pay wages that can cover the high cost of living.”
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