“I haven’t worked with an American for three years. I’m a...

“I haven’t worked with an American for three years.  I’m a union drywall finisher, and my job has completely been taken over by Central and South Americans.  All of them have union cards now.  Can you imagine being the only one on your crew who doesn’t speak Spanish?  There’s nobody to talk to.  You have no clue what people are saying.  It’s isolating.  And all of them stick together too.  My last three foremen were from El Salvador, Paraguay, and Peru.  And whenever work dries up, I’m the first one trimmed from the crew.  Always.  No matter how hard I work.  I used to get angry about it.  It felt like I’d been sold out by the mayor and the union bosses.  I even started having racist thoughts.  But that’s not me, man.  I know they aren’t bad people.  They’re just sticking together like any of us would.  How can you blame them?  My parents were immigrants.  I grew up in New York.  I’ve got friends from all over the world.  So I’m not going to start thinking like that.  I’m not going there.  That’s not who I am.”