Protest against company building new Cape Girardeau hotel focuses on illegal workers

About 80 people gathered Thursday at the construction site of a new Candlewood Suites hotel on Mount Auburn Road in Cape Girardeau to protest the alleged employment of undocumented workers.

Last month, the hotel's contractor, Thomas Construction Co. of Osage Beach, Mo., had 14 workers arrested for immigration violations by the St. Francois County Sheriff's Department at its Hampton Inn construction site near Farmington, Mo.

"Our local labor force puts out a good product; just look at all the nice homes, churches we have around here. There is nothing on this project our local constituents couldn't have handled," said Mark Baker, president of the Southeast Missouri Central Labor Council.

The notion that illegal workers are hired to do things American citizens wouldn't want to do is false, said JJ Lane, business representative for the Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Local 562.

"Obviously these are jobs we want or we wouldn't be here today," Lane said. "It's not a union, non-union issue. It's about right and wrong. It's about what's legal and illegal. It's about what's American and un-American."

Jerry Dollar of Festus, Mo., a heavy-equipment operator who has been out of work the past six months, said he is tired of seeing illegal workers taking jobs from Americans. "I don't understand how they keep getting away with it," he added.

Cape Girardeau Police Department spokesman Sgt. Jason Selzer said the department has not received any complaints about workers at the Candlewood Suites site.

"If we receive a specific complaint will investigate it on a case-by-case basis. If it can be proven that they are doing anything illegal, we will do what we need to do to enforce the law," Selzer said.

Those protesting at the Candlewood Suites site aren't just upset about losing out on jobs, they're also angry that companies hiring illegal workers aren't paying payroll taxes. "Taxes support our society and now we have states that can't even afford to pay their schoolteachers," said Juanita Swift of Jackson.

Cape Girardeau County Commissioner Jay Purcell, who took part in Thursday's rally, said the hiring of undocumented workers also threatens local safety by bringing people with unknown backgrounds to the area.

"I plan on setting for discussion how the county commission can take a more active role in addressing this problem," said Purcell, who also invited other commissioners, the sheriff and the prosecuting attorney to attend the rally.

Typically, illegal workers are paid in cash and companies who hire them avoid paying into Social Security, Medicare and workers' compensation funds, Baker said. Most of the money earned by illegal workers is sent back to the worker's country of origin.

Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson, who recently participated in a similar rally in Farmington, said she doesn't fault the people who come here from other countries to try to make a better life for themselves and their families, but they need to do it through legal means.

The Candlewood Suites property is owned by ARV Group, Inc. of Farmington, Mo. Jim Nugent, vice president of Thomas Construction Co., was unavailable for comment.

mmiller@semissourian.com

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