The local Asociación de Maestros Constructores de Obras Autorizados, a union of construction foremen, has protested the intense use of Haitian workers in construction projects. There is a boom in construction in general in the city of Santo Domingo and private contractors have been hiring brigades of Haitian workers. For the Haitians it is a move up from trench opening, sugar cane cutting and other farming work. The construction foremen say the abundant supply of Haitian workers has depressed the wages Dominican construction workers would be making. The spokesman for the association of construction foremen estimated 80% of construction workers are today Haitians. He said that Dominican labor code establishes that only 20% of the personnel of any business can be foreign.
