Hello one and all.
I’ve been doing a project on the side of my home which had required me to bust up a thick concrete slab, do allot of manual digging with a shovel, cutting and installing 6×6 treated posts (up to 12′ long), and wheel burrowing load after load of dirt to the wooded area out back. All on about a 10 pitch grade. Needless to say my back is all messed up. I was thinking about going to a near by 7-Eleven parking lot where I’ve seen some people standing around with nothing to do. Would I be breaking the law if I paid these guys cash for one or two days of work. Is this a don’t ask don’t tell situation. I mean I’ve had friends help me out for things and paid them and never asked for proof of citizenship or fill out an “I-9 Employment Eligibility form.” In the end I want it to be legal. What should I do? Remember this is for work at my home not my business (If that makes a difference)
Replies
I'm not an attorney, but I don't see anything wrong with doing what you said, and paying them cash. You get your work done without hurting your back, and they get to make a few measly bucks to try to feed their family with. I would do it, and not worry about it. I'd hire them, work them, and pay them, and their immigration status would never come up. For your home, not for a business.
I believe in doing the right thing in all cases, and sometimes the right thing flies in the face of some of the stupid laws our country has. Let the politicans work out the immigration issue. You just need some dirt moved.
Allen in Boulder Creek
They was a court case last week here in Ala, where a illegal got hurt, hurt real bad. and since they was no workman comp. The employer has to pay care to the illegal for life. Just something to think about.. 2+3=7
The more those "stupid law" get broken. The more difficult it is for legitimate qualified professionals to charge a decent rate. A sprinkler guy on a project with 15 condo's being renovated said of the 21 person crew of Brazilian "carpenters", " they're great workers, but terrible carpenters." If I got into the laundry list of safety violations I've noticed on their jobsite, I would make your head spin. We joke in the office that we will start writing our plans and specs in foerign languages. It would save us the phone calls in broken english.By the way, those laws also protect the immigrants from having to be exploited and work in unsafe conditions. We are in a real situation here in the northeast, and it is getting worse.I also want to point out that I'm not implicating someone who needs a few shovels of dirt moved as part of the real problem, the discussion just promted me to vent.
No problem. I wouldn't hire illegals to work for me in my business under any circumstances. But our laws and policies toward immigrants are so hypocritical and senseless that I would still hire someone to move the dirt, and not worry about it. If I was the original poster. If I was me, I'd just move the dirt myself, but I'm part mule anyway. Not that part, tho! LOL
Allen in Boulder Creek
xosder, not to go politcally rouge here, but you are right.
I am amazed that labor is not all over this illegal immigration issue. Can anyone think the availability of "slave" labor does not depress legal worker wages? Simple supply and demand.
And it is just silly to say that these illegal workers are only taking jobs that Americans don't want. First off, there is something terribly wrong if we have one man on welfare while an illegal is working. That being as it may be, if you ridded the country of all illegals, I don't believe all the hotels in the country (maids, waiters, etc.) would close their doors! They would increase wages until some welfare guy said "hey now your talking turkey". Sure the price of a room would go up a buck or two. And you would have jobs paying decent wages.
And, yes we might have to pay a few extra bucks to get our lawns mowed or our houses drywalled.
And hopefully we can work to support our country in it's efforts.
Hiring illegals only helps to encourage the continued illegal border crossings plagueing our country.
Rake leaves, dig holes, move dirt, mop floors....whats the difference?
Have you tried looking into some form of "Day Labor Center" in your area?
Local HS kids are often looking for part time employment.
Talk to the guys at your local lumberyard.....quite often I find one of them has a buddy lookin` to make some bucks.
Heck.....I started out humpin` lumber on jobsites many moons ago. Had the GC felt such a trivial task could just as well have been done by an illegal, I might never have learned and eventually fallen in love with this trade.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
Find a temp. agency in the phone book. Then it's all legit, taxes and insurance are covered, and your back is safe.
But it will cost you a little more per man, but what price do you put on doing the right thing...Buic
Those people standing around outside the Home Depot are already living here, looking for work. Why not hire them if you need some day labor? I'm not so sure that not hiring them is "doing the right thing." They already live here many have families to feed. If I hire one of them and help put a little money in someone's pocket who needs it, I don't see that as a bad thing. When a congressman or woman is caught hiring illegals to clean their house, that's a bad thing.
Allen in Boulder Creek
Those people standing around outside the Home Depot are already living here, looking for work. Why not hire them if you need some day labor?
Yea and if the mess something up what recourse do you have? They check out your house talk to their gang banging friends and your home gets burged after all you saved a few bucks huh?
One of them get hurts on your property and you get sued and loose your home..well you got your work done cheap.
You hire them more come yea why not after all calif is already paying 5 bil a year to them in social services. the ER's are closing down b/c of them coming and getting the free health care..
Go ahead hire some..after all your saving a few bucks huh? Mess over the citizens and legal immigrants hose your self on the State and fed taxes but you saved a few bucks huh?
Cheaper to hire a guy with a Bobcat and truck. I know a guy here 200 bucks a load for his 7 yd dump truck and bobcat...
but you want to put him out of work..yea go hire a couple save a few bucks....
"Right on" Sancho
Sancho, in fairness to all posters here and particularly the original poster, many of us are assuming the labor in question is illegal. Could be a very reasonable assumption, but until stated as true it is an assumption.
Yea their legal, cant speak a lick of english..no address , no drivers license or any legal form of ID but they have a matricular counselar card from the mexican embassey.....wont take a check b/c they have no bank account.
You dont take out ssn /taxes disability ect on the b/c you just want to save a buck.
Do it right.
Go to a contractor, hire a demo crew, go to the guy like I said 7yd dump truck w/bobcat 200 bucks a load.... then you know.
Your opening yourself up to a hole lot of problems going and hiring those yahoos in front of the HD
Plus ya wont get robbed/sued either catch TB, polio ect either.
If you or a politician or anyone else hires a criminal, a fugative from the law, it's a bad thing.
Anyone who enters this country illegaly is just that.
There are plenty of people that one can hire legally, but they cost more. And in my opinion there lies the crux of the problem. Many people want something for less than it's legitamate(sp?) price. Doesn't matter if your talking about labor, rolex watches, designer clothes, or a hundred other things.
I like to get a good price as much as anyone, but I won't steal from one person (and in affect from all society), just to save money when I hire another. I believe it's very short sighted.
Anyone who wants to come here, enters legally, makes a bazzilion dollars, God bless 'em. They enter illegally, nothing matters after that... Buic
When a congressman or woman is caught hiring illegals to clean their house, that's a bad thing.
Why? Are the illegals they`re hiring not already living here?
Do the illegals they hire not have families to feed?
Sounds like you`re picking and choosing which illegals aren`t quite illegal and who should or shouldn`t be able to hire them.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
Why is it bad for a politician to hire illegals to clean house while it is OK for somebody else to shovel dirt? I thought this was sup[posed to be the kind of country where we are all subject to the same standards of behaviour
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moondancer:
The issue is much more complicated. Do you think those illegals pay any taxes on the money they make? Do you think they use government and medical services? Who pays? Not to mention again the depression of general wages and more people on welfare.
I realize it is easy to say, admit, and to see that it is really tough for us to have an impact on any of this. And it ticks me off that few in the government are going to fix it for us. It is a mess.
I've never hired an illegal, and I do my own dirt-hauling. But if I needed that kind of help, I don't think I'd have a problem picking up a couple of guys outside the Home Depot. I believe that our elected representatives should be setting an example for us. When they have illegals cleaning their house, they are adding to a problem we hired them to fix. And I think there is a difference in picking up a guy for a day's work, and having an illegal work for you year round, like many do. I know this is a huge problem, and the government should be doing more to solve it. In the meantime, the original poster has a bad back, and needs some help moving dirt, and these guys are readily available. I wouldn't have a problem with using them, but that's just me. If the government was doing more to do the right thing on this, then I might feel differently. But I live in a state that would suffer severely if all the illegals were suddenly deported. And I do believe they do work that most Americans just won't do.
Allen in Boulder Creek