O.C. COLUMN LEFT/ JAIME SOTO : Strike Points Up Long Legacy of Exploitation : Factors behind work stoppage by drywallers illustrate business’ competitive disregard for society’s most vulnerable.

In January, 1989, the Orange County Human Relations Commission published a report entitled “Zero Dollars Per Hour: A Report on Labor Exploitation in Orange County.” It outlined the brutal business reality when the reckless pursuit of profit and competitive edge disregards what workers are due for their labors.

Safety violations, underpayment of wages, non-payment of wages and lack of medical benefits are all part of the persistent litany of life for many in the most vulnerable sectors of the county economy.

Of the eight testimonies in the report that had to do with the construction industry, two mentioned the situation of the drywall industry. Everyone pays for the chronic abuses that can plague construction sites, but the burden of that cost is largely born by those who, like drywall workers, must work under the exacting demands of so-called “market forces.”

Some three years and a recession later, the stubbornly dismal lot of drywall workers is again in the public eye. This time the scene is not a hearing room with carefully prepared testimony. It is a crowded labor hall where stoic but anxious men, almost all Latinos, are gathered to harness together their courage and their voices so that they might be heard.

The work stoppage is not a carefully orchestrated labor stunt. These men have come together one by one. Some may question the wisdom of their actions in these recessionary times. To these considerations, one worker’s response was: “We have always been hungry.” It may in part be desperation, but the recent prevailing mood of 500 men in the labor hall was defiance. The men are together looking for union recognition, an increase in wages, and medical benefits. However, the reports of violence and vandalism are disconcerting and counterproductive.

The workers are largely immigrants. The meetings are conducted in Spanish. Their strike has had its effect on the construction industry in Southern California. It is hard to fathom that while this goes on, politicians at the state and federal levels are falsely portraying these workers and their families as burdens on society--Gov. Pete Wilson’s welfare initiative being the most glaring example. This does not jibe.

It would seem that society has placed the burden on those who are making an earnest effort to share in the growth of our communities. They are not out to drain our resources. Their plight is the result of companies passing on the cost of doing business to the working poor instead of providing them just compensation.

Those who are debating welfare, health care and social service cuts--claiming an undue fiscal burden of incorporating the burgeoning immigrant communities into California society--should take a careful look at the forces that have brought about the work stoppage. The immigrant worker is a part of life here in Orange County. In a backhanded fashion, the impact of the drywall workers’ strike shows that they are vital and contributing members of our community. I hope that many will reassess their views of the immigrant community. These men have taken their misery and frustration out from the shadows, and what they have endured for their labors should make many of us uncomfortable. They are now asking for fair treatment and just compensation.

Orange County has prided itself on the competitive spirit that thrives here. This must be tempered by a spirit of partnership and teamwork based upon mutual trust and respect in the workplace that is extended to the immigrant as well. Competitiveness alone will not do the job. Unchecked, it has too many negative consequences for the economically vulnerable and their families.

Social services are a necessary and vital community insurance against the rough edges of economic life. This important facet of the social contract that serves us all should be adequately funded and efficiently administered. But it is not by any means a substitute for fair pay. The case of drywall workers is only one example. They complain of being unable to house and care adequately for their families, having to postpone health care and then look for “the cheapest clinics.”

The economic development of this county and state must consider the equitable participation of its workers. To expect that the government’s safety net will always cover the social costs of doing business and compensate for the persistent abuse and exploitation of California’s workers is to lay an unfair burden on them both. Who indeed is taking advantage of the system?