BSC sues competitors over illegal labor

BOULDER, CO — A cleaning company is suing two of its competitors, claiming they were able to bid contracts at lower prices because they employ illegal immigrants, according to the Colorado Daily.

Last week, Dustbusters filed a lawsuit against Finishing Touch Janitorial Services and Porter Industries for allegedly using illegals to secure contracts for city and private buildings, the story stated.

According to the suit, "Finishing Touch was able to submit a lower bid than their competitors ... because they knowingly employ or contract with illegal aliens to perform the work and as such, are able to pay those workers less than legal workers."

The city of Boulder requires legal documentation for all workers before a contract is formed; there is no evidence that either company filed falsified paperwork, the story noted.

If either of the companies in question did hire illegals to work for them, it would be a contract violation; however, the companies could keep their city contracts by firing any ineligible workers and replacing them with verifiably legal workers, the story added.

According to the Pew Hispanic Center, 17 percent of all JanSan employees (an estimated 680,000 workers) are illegal immigrants.