MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A tree-trimming contractor for MLGW went before Memphis city council members Tuesday, fielding tough questions about hiring workers from out of the country.
ABC Professional Tree Services was contracted by MLGW to trim trees on power lines.
Houston-based ABC told council members that Memphians were not responding to the call to work.
ABC said last year, the company was trying to hire about 200 workers in Memphis and eight people applied.
Of the eight, five showed up for interviews.
ABC offered jobs to four of the five, but only one person agreed to work for the company.
To fill the void, ABC said it hired workers from outside the country.
MLGW President Jerry Collins said most of those workers were from Mexico.
“We have workers here that are willing to work,” said concerned MLGW customer Sherrie Hopper.
She brought her concerns to the City Council.
She said that when she researched the company, she found a 2012 release from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which stated ABC admitted to hiring undocumented workers.
ABC said it followed the law in the way it advertised positions like putting ads in the newspaper.
Council member Janis Fullilove said there should have been more efforts to find local workers.
“You would’ve seen that and you would’ve had more than eight people that were looking for employment here in Memphis,” Fullilove said.
“We would love to have as many local workers as possible, but in order for them to go to work for a company, they need to express some interest,” said MLGW President Jerry Collins.
ABC and MLGW said all the workers had proper documentation.
WREG learned there were 209 ABC employees in Memphis currently making $13.60 per hour.
Collins could not clarify off-hand how many of the employees are Memphians.
However, he said the majority of tree trimming workers were not local.
The council asked ABC to work with the Workforce Investment Network (WIN) to hire more Memphis workers.
ABC and MLGW are supposed to report back to the council in 30 days.
