“I want to make a clear message so that developers, when you’re going to sleep at night, you understand what’s happening to us. I want you to remember the contractors you hired that didn’t pay the workers…when are you going to pay the workers?” said construction worker and CTUL member Pedro Carbajal in Spanish through a translator. “We are the ones that work every day…we are the ones that are sweating.”
People hear of good wages in the construction industry, but the reality can be different for those who have nonunion jobs or work for corrupt contractors. According to a report from the Midwest Economic Policy Institute, one in five workers in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota experiences wage theft, and the payroll fraud costs taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. On top of that, construction is one of the most dangerous and unsafe industries to work in, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A worker-led conversation on human rights
“I’m owed approximately 110,000 dollars in stolen wages,” said Daniel Sanchez in Spanish through a translator. Sanchez worked with a company called Prime Construction Solutions, which works with many Twin Cities projects. “We know that we’re not going to change this industry by getting rid of just one subcontractor,” said Sanchez. “Developers need to work with us to put an end to wage theft and other abuses in the industry.”
Construction workers have been trying to start a conversation with building and real estate developers on wage theft and labor trafficking, but haven’t received much of a response. They’ve invited almost a dozen developers to meet with workers and join a new program holding them to better labor standards.
CTUL and the Building Dignity and Respect Standards Council hosted a press conference on Thursday, urging developers and contractors to change their business models and participate in the Building Dignity and Respect (BDR) program. The human rights program is modeled after the Worker-driven Social Responsibility Network and inspired by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers in Florida and the Fair Food Program.”