Run time: 02:55
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EabWX3_mdA
Posted on YouTube: January 31, 2009
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Posted on DU: February 02, 2009
By DU Member: Waiting For Everyman
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Additional video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaD7GlBegG0The American company involved in this, Jacobs Engineering Group, is really, really at fault in this IMO - it was subcontracted by Total and hired the Italian company on condition that it use its own Italian and Portuguese employees (which are cheaper, thereby allowing Jacobs to pocket the wages saved no doubt). So Jacobs is really the cause of this problem, even though it isn't mentioned much in most of the news stories about this. I had a hard time understanding why a French oil company in Britain would even go through a subcontractor in California to arrange this job with an Italian firm. So I looked into it a bit.
It turns out that Jacobs is the new name of Sverdrup and Parcel, the company responsible for designing the faulty parts which caused the Minnneapolis bridge collapse in 2007.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobs_Engineering_GroupHow very strange all of this is.
I agree totally with the Brits. This is just like other countries trying to muscle in on our Stimulus Program. I think Jacobs' part in this should be investigated by the unions and others, and something done about it. You'd think they would've had enough common sense to at least TRY to use local labor, but no, they PROHIBITED it.
Here's Jacobs' home page contact info:
http://www.jacobs.com/content.aspx?id=482 See also this LBN thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3718703