Welders' job status examined in Kansas (Filipinos replaced about 40 Americans $10 an hour less)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1208&u_sid=10302117

Published Saturday | April 5, 2008
Welders' job status examined in Kansas
BY STEVE JORDON
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Union officials and a Kansas legislator are questioning the immigration status of about 100 Filipino welders at a power plant under construction near Emporia, Kan., hired by the same contractor who brought Filipino workers to a Nebraska job site earlier this year.

Union officials say the Filipinos replaced about 40 Americans who were doing the same jobs at the $330 million Westar Energy plant near Emporia, apparently for about $10 an hour less.

Westar spokeswoman Karla Olson said the company checked with the contractor on its project, Black & Veatch of Overland Park, Kan., and was assured that the workers had valid work status.

George Minter, a spokesman for Black & Veatch, said the company's Overland Contracting Inc. subsidiary hired InServ, a Tulsa, Okla., company, to provide 100 welders "who are legally certified to work at the project."

"We have been releasing workers from the project as various stages of construction are completed. As part of that schedule, we will be releasing all InServ workers during the next few weeks as their specific work is completed."

InServ, or Integrated Service Inc., also supplied Filipino welders at the Omaha Public Power District's plant under construction in Nebraska City, Neb., then removed them after union officials raised questions about the workers' immigration status.

FULL story at link.