RIO RANCHO, N.M. — Since the Great Recession, cities like Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, and Hobbs, New Mexico, have seen construction booms. Homes and skyscrapers have popped up almost overnight thanks to cheap labor Latino immigrants provide contractors. But at what cost? “Building the American Dream,” a new VOCES/PBS documentary, examines the effects of this construction boom in the American Southwest on Latino workers by telling the stories of those erecting buildings in Texas. The film dives into the lives of one Mexican immigrant family in Texas after their construction worker son dies while on the job. A Salvadorian electrician couple is cheated out of wages and tries to force a contractor to pay despite having no union to back them up, Meanwhile, advocates work to try to convince lawmakers and city officials to make lives better for workers, not by demanding insurance or workers’ compensation, but through a simple request: water breaks. Director Chelsea Hernandez said she’d been working on the film since 2009 and its a microcosm of the exploitation Latino construction workers face in the U.S. “It’s something that came organically and by talking to the workers I met,” said Hernandez, a third-generation Mexican American filmmaker from Austin, Texas. Related Articles Bosselman: To cut emissions, Denver must become a dense, walkable, 15-minute city Carroll: To survive, RTD should abandon the northwest rail line and cut back low-ridership routes Pueblo’s rail-rolling facility to be most modern in North America, solidifies city’s “Steel City” moniker Booming Front Range cities take first steps to build $500 million dam, reservoir near Holy Cross Wilderness Shared streets move Denver further from car focus toward pedestrians, bicycles She was introduced to her subjects and the advocacy group the Workers Defense Project after observing the workers plight in Texas, which outlaws most regulations aimed at protecting laborers.
New Pbs Film Probes Construction Boom On Latino Workers
Russell Contreras, Denver Post: Business
Sun, 09/13/2020 - 9:16am
Topics: rio rancho n.m since great recession dallas houston phoenix hobbs new mexico building american dream voces/pbs american southwest a salvadorian director chelsea hernandez u.s it s mexican american austin related articles bosselman carroll rtd pueblo s north america steel city booming front range holy cross wilderness shared latino public broadcasting hispanic heritage month united states i latino pbs texas mexican denver cut cost
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