Travis County Contractor Condemned For 'Wetback' Comments

AUSTIN, TX — Travis County officials on Tuesday condemned the use of an ethnic slur to describe immigrants allegedly used by a contractor amid a recent discussion on labor interests, according to a published report.

Multiple sources told the Austin Monitor that Aaron Cabaza, who owns Aaron Concrete Contractors, became agitated during the discussion and used the term "wetbacks" when referring to Mexican immigrants. The pejorative was allegedly used during a discussion on preparing a set of proposals to bolster protections for workers on county projects, according to the report.

Included in the discussion were ten recommendation designed to ensure contractors like Cabaza commit to paying laborers appropriate wages, providing federally approved safety training and implement related work site safety measures.

Matt Friestman, president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 520, labeled Cabaza’s subsequent input as incendiary. He added that Cabaza grew groused at the prospect of having to create more paperwork as a result of the bolstered worker safeguards.

“He said, ‘Just put in whatever the heck you want,’” Friestman recounted to the Monitor. “‘It doesn’t matter. We’re going to pay them whatever you say we have to pay them. Look, I grew up in South Texas and down there, we used to work these wetbacks. But we were good to them. We would house them and we would feed them, and we were good to them.’”

Matt Gonzales with Laborers’ International Union Local 1095 corroborated Friestman’s account: “A gasp kind of went across the room, and a hush fell among the Travis County staff,” Gonzales said of the moments immediately following the comment, the Austin Monitor reported.

Friedman then stood up and asked the contractor to refrain from such slurs before the meeting broke up for a 10-minute break. Staff members then admonished Cabaza as well, labeling his use of the term "unacceptable." An audio recording of the meeting exists but has not been made available, the Austin Monitor noted in its report.

Phil Thoden, president of the Austin chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America, also confirmed Cabaza's use of the term, calling the contractor a "straight talker," suggesting such candor stems from his upbringing in the Rio Grande Valley largely populated by immigrants.

For his part, Cabaza has not responded to multiple attempts to reach him for comment, according to the report.

>>> Read the full story at Austin Monitor

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