Undocumented and unprotected - By Robert Knox, The Boston Globe
On a commercial construction project in Hanover, a worker from Ecuador reached down from a ladder to shake the hand of a union organizer and discuss his presence on a job site a continent away from home. The Ecuadoran -- a recent hire at the Village Square strip mall work site -- said he crossed the border this year to look for work in the United States. Guided by friends, he found it in the construction boom south of Boston, working for $11 an hour for 10 hours a day. He is paid in cash and considered an independent contractor.
Other carpenters working with him from countries such as Brazil and Mexico have similar arrangements, and travel daily to Hanover from living quarters in Fall River, according to Mario Majia , a representative of the New England Regional Council of Carpenters.