....The assembly work in California, and the pouring of the concrete road surface, will be done by Americans. But construction of the bridge decks and the materials that went into them are a Made in China affair. California officials say the state saved hundreds of millions of dollars by turning to China.
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California decided not to apply for federal funding for the project because the Buy America provisos would probably have required purchasing more expensive steel and fabrication from United States manufacturers.
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Zhenhua put 3,000 employees to work on the project: steel-cutters, welders, polishers and engineers. The company built the main bridge tower, which was shipped in mid-2009, and a total of 28 bridge decks the massive triangular steel structures that will serve as the roadway platform.
Pan Zhongwang, a 55-year-old steel polisher, is a typical Zhenhua worker. He arrives at 7 a.m. and leaves at 11 p.m., often working seven days a week. He lives in a company dorm and earns about $12 a day.
It used to be $9 a day, now its $12, he said Wednesday morning, while polishing one of the decks for the new Bay Bridge. Everything is getting more expensive. They should raise our pay.
To ensure the bridge meets safety standards, 250 employees and consultants working for the state of California and American Bridge/Fluor also took up residence in Shanghai.
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California is essentially supporting a form of slavery. To be forced to work 7am to 11pm (16 hours) 7 days a week for $192.00 is slavery, even though there is pay involved.
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California decided not to apply for federal funding for the project because the Buy America provisos would probably have required purchasing more expensive steel and fabrication from United States manufacturers.
.....
Zhenhua put 3,000 employees to work on the project: steel-cutters, welders, polishers and engineers. The company built the main bridge tower, which was shipped in mid-2009, and a total of 28 bridge decks the massive triangular steel structures that will serve as the roadway platform.
Pan Zhongwang, a 55-year-old steel polisher, is a typical Zhenhua worker. He arrives at 7 a.m. and leaves at 11 p.m., often working seven days a week. He lives in a company dorm and earns about $12 a day.
It used to be $9 a day, now its $12, he said Wednesday morning, while polishing one of the decks for the new Bay Bridge. Everything is getting more expensive. They should raise our pay.
To ensure the bridge meets safety standards, 250 employees and consultants working for the state of California and American Bridge/Fluor also took up residence in Shanghai.
***************************************************************
California is essentially supporting a form of slavery. To be forced to work 7am to 11pm (16 hours) 7 days a week for $192.00 is slavery, even though there is pay involved.