Trump’s Polish Workers: Explosive Revelation About Illegal Workers Threatens Trump Campaign

The story about Trump’s Polish workers goes back years, but it took a new turn with a fresh re-examination by Time. This new information suggests that Trump’s claim that he did not know about the use of illegal Polish workers in the construction of his famous Manhattan-based Trump Tower is inaccurate. Should these revelations prove true, the implications for Trump – who has built much of his campaign on the concept of protecting American workers and their wages – could be devastating.

FBI informant Sullivan later testified “That (Trump) had some illegal Polish employees on the job.” https://t.co/l6TKDVpera

— ?????? ????? (@DarickR) August 27, 2016

In the late ’70s and early ’80s, Donald Trump was in the middle of carrying out construction of his dream building, modestly referred to as Trump Tower. The purpose of this building was to make it clear that Trump had arrived, that he was no longer merely his father’s son and that he was ready for the “big time.”

The huge glass tower was to be the center of his operations and a symbol of his success. As has been demonstrated over the years, concepts like “success” and “winners” are near and dear to Trump’s heart. But the costs were tremendous in this project, and – not surprisingly – Trump was willing to cut corners in any way he could.

This is where the illegal Polish workers came in. According to the story, Trump spotted some Polish workers working on a building not far from his construction site and hired them on the spot. It turned out that Trump wanted these men to secretly help tear down the building that was on the site where he wanted to erect Trump Tower. It had to be secret because Trump was going to pay them – as non-union workers – far less than they would have been entitled to as union workers.

Also, because they were non-union workers, Trump was able to evade basic rules. These workers operated in unsafe conditions, without proper equipment and with wages barely above minimum wage. Trump’s Polish workers were not paid directly by him. They were employed by a sub-contractor, which in Trump’s Byzantine approach to business practices naturally meant he was free and clear of any impropriety in the matter.

Except the undocumented Polish guys I got to work on Trump Tower. What a deal I got there. Fabulous. https://t.co/KBRENaxPai

— Schooley (@Rschooley) August 27, 2016

Unfortunately for Trump, a question of payments to the Polish workers later arose that threw a monkey wrench into his best laid plans. Whether this was because Trump failed to pay the contractor – who in turn couldn’t pay the workers – or because the contractor pocketed all the money and didn’t pay the workers, the result was the same.

The unpaid Polish workers demanded their missing money and put Trump on the spot. There was actually a possibility that Trump’s entire project could have failed because of his use of non-union, illegal workers. At one point, Trump even threatened to have the workers deported if they continued causing him trouble.

Trump rebukes Hiring undocumented workers YET HE HIRED Polish wkers, DIDN'T PAY THEM then THREATENED to Reprt them to INS~He oozes hypocracy

— Valerie Jay ?aka The Irish Girl?????? (@TheIrishGirl12) August 27, 2016

While Trump eventually seemed to have paid the Polish workers after sufficient pressure, that wasn’t the end of his troubles. It was ultimately revealed that Trump owed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the local union for dues that would have been paid if these workers had been union workers to begin with.

Trump fell back on his favorite defense mechanism, litigation. As The Atlantic points out, Trump literally spent years fighting a holding action against the necessity of paying this money before ultimately settling and making – presumably – some sort of payment. Unfortunately, the documents regarding this settlement arrangement are sealed and – as of yet – the courts have refused to open them for perusal.

Still, even without these documents, the very fact that Republican nominee Donald Trump – supposed champion of the oppressed worker in the United States – used illegal Polish workers to construct his most famous building should make him seem like a staggering hypocrite to his current supporters. If the documents related to the settlement agreement with the union over Trump’s Polish workers are ever opened – which seems like an increasing possibility – things might get even bleaker for Trump’s campaign.

[Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images]