the sanitation workers who used to pick up our garbage inthisneighborhood

[flordehinojos]

were black Americans. Several months ago our sanitation workers became plain spoken, spanish speaking mexicans. the questions are:

1) Where are our Black American sanitation workers?

2) If they are no longer working for our Sanitation Department, does that mean that they upgraded to a more pleasant job?

3)If they did not upgrade to a more pleasant job, and if, when our Sanitation Department was privatized, our Black Americans sanitation workers lost their "service career status" and were fired, laid off, or bought out by the private company which now runs our sanitation (trash/bulk/and recycling pick/up) because the company greedily wanted more money for themselves via paying the mexicans less money, who is to be blamed for the fact?

The Spanish speaking, brown skinned mexicans who came to America in search of a job?

The County/City/State Government which no longer wanted the responsibility for handling our sanitation pick/up and therefore, sold it to the highest bidder?

The government which allows the private company to do what the hell it pleases?

The Greedy Company which wants to keep the money--exploits the Mexicans--and fires the Black Americans?

[sproutster]

1. Blah your questions are why I stay out of the immigration discussions

Personally I think the Greedy Company should get fined up the yin yang. It just pisses me off - by privitizing the government can wash its hands of any worker rights. Ticks me off.

[lyonn]

8. Yup, corps make their own rules

This admin. has made sure that the corps. rule. Sure I care about the poor Mexicans in Mexico, also, Africa, ME, India, et al. So now we are to allow all cheap labor into this country to give them a helping hand? That is called going down hill as a nation. Instead of screwing other lesser nations we might consider giving them a hand up in their country.

[rfranklin]

2. Probably contracted to private company that hires Spanish people...

at half the wages of the previous workers. My wife's company has cafeteria and mailroom services outsourced to contractors. She was shocked when she found out that the workers get no benefits, not even paid holidays--while they are being paid about minimum wage. Virtually every one of them works a full day and then goes to a second job.

[flordehinojos]

4. (did you see the recent segment in DEMOCRACYNOW.ORG where Amy Goodman

exposed the Univeristy of MIAMI in CORAL GABLES, FLA... the contractors who pays them minimum wages at best without any health insurance and DONNA SHALALA who initially said that was a dispute between the janitors,the union they were seeking to have them represent them, and the company they contracted with to provide janitorial services? After the publicity--and some of it negative on SHALALA herself, she got involved and now the contracted company who hires the janitors will have a union to represent them, their minimum wage has been raised to about $8.50 an hour, and they will receive some soert of health coverage (though not the best, i am sure).

edited to add: the situation that Amy Goodman exposed sounds to me a lot like the situation you describe.

[Poppyseedman]

3. You should be happy

Your garbage bill will go down

:sarcasm:

[flordehinojos]

6. My garbage bill will go down?

--now you are trying to shock-and-awe me, or you really have a good sense of humor!
I think my garbage bill has already gone up!


but, thanks for the shock, and thanks for the laugh!


}( :rofl:

[Poppyseedman]

9. Of course your garbage bill went down

isn't that how tickle down economies work?

Privatize the government, saves money for the proles, oops, I meant citizens

[flordehinojos]

11. tickle down economy made my garbage bill go down?

i think it is more like TICKLE my laughter has probably saved me from a heart attack or some other physical ailment...so it might be my medical bill that went down--not my garbage bill...and i again thank you for that!

:D

[DemInDistress]

5. here in my Bronx neighborhood our sanitation men are

predominately white,,like 4 out of 5.
where have the black men gone? don't know. maybe their situated in the predominately black neighborhoods of the City.
Same with private trash haulers except the drivers are mostly white guys and the trash collectors (grunts) are hispanic.

[flordehinojos]

7. yes, here too, the drivers continue to be white men.

:-)

[linazelle]

10. Seems like you need to do more research. Lots of conjecture and

unanswered questions and unfounded assumptions--most of them inflammatory.

[flordehinojos]

12. inflammatory? you are accusing me of INFLAMMATORYwhen you have not even

seen or been exposed to what i am talking about? You must be a Lou Dobbs/ supporter, but you are welcome to stop by, take look and make your own assessment which you seem to have made already, anyhow. we might even stop by and have some mexican tortillas and guacamole or refried beans down at the local mexican restaurant.