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Norampac Safety Meetings Held in Spanish

In this artistic representation, Norampac workers are arriving at the Norampac worksite. A happy Homeland Security Officer looks on.

A few weeks ago, we reported that seven illegal aliens were arrested at the Norampac plant. Norampac is the French Canadian company that received $142 million in tax incentives from Niagara County and the state of New York.

To maximize the help we gave them, they hired mostly out of state, non-union contractors to build their new $400 million container board plant in Niagara Falls.

In turn, Norampac's out-of-state contractors hired more out-of-state and illegal alien workers because this saves them more money.

The French Canadian firm had $4 billion in revenue in 2010.

The reason Norampac was given $142 million in taxpayer money was that they were supposed to hire local people. While the folks in Albany and the Niagara County IDA had the highest hopes they would, they did not put it in the contract that they would take away tax breaks if they did not hire locals.

One of Norampac's leading contractors is Triad Electrical of Chattanooga Tennessee, who is doing most of the electrical work.

Although two people have already died at the Niagara Falls Norampac plant while building it, and OSHA has fined the companies involved, we were impressed the other day when they had their safety meeting.

The only problem was that we could not understand all of it.

The safety meeting was conducted in Spanish.

Fortunately, almost every worker there, however, spoke only that language and it is hoped that they understood everything and will work safely up until the time Homeland Security makes another raid and they are deported safely back to their homes in Guatemala.

 

 

Niagara Falls Reporter - Publisher Frank Parlato Jr. www.niagarafallsreporter.com

JUN 25, 2013