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Critics of illegal immigration say one way to stop it is to go after businesses who hire illegal workers. Now one Loudoun County (web|news) group is encouraging you to only work with companies that follow the law.
Longtime northern Virginia business owners say illegal immigration has devastated certain industries, especially construction and remodeling. They say illegal workers earn significantly lower wages and that's helped cause their businesses to plummet by as much as 25 percent in the last few years.
"It's all about following the law," said Joe Budzinski. "I'm with a Sterling group called Help Save Loudoun.20:27
Budzinski is going door to door in Loudoun County, asking business owners to take a pledge not to hire illegal workers.
"We want to make it easy for citizens to find companies that play by the rules," he said. "Businesses that obey the law and hire legally are being punished because they're at a competitive disadvantage.
"You get two illegal workers for the price of one American worker."
The pledge struck a nerve with Gary Rizzo. He says he's witnessed his industry take a direct hit in northern Virginia from an influx of illegal immigrants.
"Once you dump a huge supply of labor into the marketplace, prevailing wages for the people who have been there are going to drop," said Rizzo.
Rizzo has watched some colleagues leave the business altogether, others are retiring and some even cave to the financial pressures: hiring illegals who work for half the wages -- something he will never do.
"I'm not a perfect individual by any stretch of the imagination, but I just don't believe in doing things that undercut my own economy," said Rizzo.
That frustration resonates with Joe Titman of JET Construction.
"I'd hire anybody. It doesn't matter the race, creed, color, religion. But I want somebody that's legal," said Titman.
He says right now, he can't hire anyone. He says he is no longer able to compete for jobs like decks and basements he used to rely on.
"Every time I try to bid on those, I get undercut and usually by contractors that are using illegal labor," said Titman. "A lot of homeowners are doing the same thing. They're bringing in some of these people. It's almost like creating another slave class."
Help Save Loudoun's new campaign appears to be gaining steam. in just a few weeks, more than twenty businesses took the pledge.
Help Save Loudoun's Honest Business Network
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