tagged w/ Workers Defense Project
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On Thursday, August 4th at Holiday Inn Midtown (6000 Middle Fiskville Rd, Austin TX) a dozen construction workers will lead a protest to reclaim over $10,000 in wages from a recent remodel at the hotel.
"It's just not right that we worked hard and didn't get paid" said Quirino Juarez, a construction worker who performed framing and drywall work at the Holiday Inn Midtown. Juarez along with 11 other workers worked under Mely's Construction, a San Antonio-based sub-contractor, in January and February of 2011. Over thirty workers are owed wages for work on the hotel, although only 12 have come forward so far.
WDP has attempted to negotiate a fair settlement with the general contractor and Holiday Inn management. However, all parties have avoided responsibility, promising to pay numerous times but never following through. "The job is done, the rooms look really great. They raised their rates and are benefitting from the remodel but we've received nothing", said Heladio Liborio who is owed two weeks of wages for drywall work at the Holiday Inn project. "It's been hard to pay my rent, bills and take care of my family."
According to Bloomberg News, InterContinental Hotel Group, owner of the Holiday Inn franchise, saw a 38% increase in profits in 2010 due mostly to remodels like that done by these workers1. The worldwide makeover has given the company a fresh new image and a higher level of revenue. Meanwhile the workers who helped remodel Holiday Inn Midtown in Austin have yet to receive payment for their work.
"Holiday Inn has an opportunity to be a leader in corporate responsibility by ensuring that those that work so hard to make it one of the nations most profitable hotel chains are compensated for their work" stated Patricia Zavala, Workplace Justice Coordinator at WDP.
A ZGraphix Video Production.
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Video produced for Austin Indymedia by Jeff Zavala
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Photography by Jason Cato
Learn more about Workers Defense Project/Proyecto Defensa Laboral: http://workersdefense.orgOn Thursday, August 4th at Holiday Inn Midtown (6000 Middle Fiskville Rd, Austin TX) a... more
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AUSTIN, TX - After nearly a year of failed negotiations three construction workers are filing a class action lawsuit for an estimated $120,000 in back wages owed to them and other workers on the job. The workers who performed plaster work at Gables Park Plaza and 21Rio luxury condos say they were regularly shorted on pay and never received overtime - even though they commonly worked 60 or more hours a week. The workers are filing suit under the Fair Labor Standards Act in federal court against the Dallas-based company, Greater Metroplex Interiors (GMI) to recover their wages. GMI hired Capoera Construction to provide workers on the project, but Capoera disappeared after three of the workers were killed in a construction accident.
"We often worked up to 70 hours, six days a week with no rest breaks. We were denied overtime pay and were not paid at all for our final weeks of work. We simply want what is fair, and what we are owed" stated Filimon Salas, a plaintiff who was at the 21 Rio site last summer when three of his co-workers were killed on the job after a faulty scaffold collapse.
The workers in the case decided to file suit after unsuccessfully trying to negotiate a settlement with contractors and owners of the buildings. Yet, more than a year later the workers have still not been paid in full for their honest work. "These workers have tried to negotiate in good faith to recover what is legally owed to them, yet no one has wanted to take responsibility for these clear violations of their right to be paid for their work," said Craig Deats, one of the attorney's representing the workers in the case.
Attorneys in the case have filed a class action suit to allow more plaintiffs to join later. According to Deats there appear to be many more employees who worked on these buildings without receiving full wages but who are unaware of or possibly afraid to enforce their rights.
"With Austin construction workers having a one in five chance of not being paid their wages[1], we are not surprised that these violations have occurred," said Patricia Zavala of Workers Defense Project. "However, we believe that builders and contractors can do more to ensure safe and equitable working conditions." Zavala explained that builders have a unique opportunity to ensure that Austin is built sustainably- including for the workforce.
Workers Defense Project is a local organization dedicated to improving working conditions for low-wage workers in construction and other industries. http://workersdefense.org
What: Press Conference Announcing Class Action Lawsuit
When: Tuesday, October 19th 9:15am
Where: Gables Park Plaza 115 Sandra Muraida Way, Austin, TX. 78703.
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Produced by Jeff Zavala.
http://zgraphix.orgAUSTIN, TX - After nearly a year of failed negotiations three construction workers are... more
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Rally, March, Protest, Celebration! People here in Austin and all across the world came together on May 1st to stand for All Workers Rights. We stood in solidarity with the struggle for Justice, Equality and Dignity for all citizen and immigrant workers. All of us must work together to reshape immigration policy. The issues are:
Livable Wages, Creating Jobs with Justice, Immigration Reform, Stop the Raids, Re-unite Families, Stop the Deportations, End the Criminalization, Stop the Militarization and Just and Humane REFORM.
This is a ZGraphix.org Production
Produced by Jeff Zavala.
Photography by Jason Cato.Rally, March, Protest, Celebration! People here in Austin and all across the world... more
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On May 1st 2010, millions of activists across the country pushed for immigration reform in the streets for May Day rallies, expressing anger about the controversial Arizona immigration law. The new law, SB 1070, requires police to question people about their immigration status. Several thousands joined the AIRC march at the Texas State Capitol building to protest the law and to call for just and humane immigration reform.
May 1st is celebrated all over the world as labor day, May Day started in the U.S. in Chicago in 1886 during the fight for the 8-hour day. Immigrant workers know about “los martires de Chicago”–the Chicago martyrs, unionists who were executed on trumped-up charges of fomenting the Haymarket “riot” in 1886. We need to reclaim May Day as the real Labor Day, a day of struggle, and we thank immigrants for making this holiday big in the U.S. again.
Sponsored by the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition. Speakers, music, entertainment. One of the scheduled speakers is Linda Chavez-Thompson, former vice president of the AFL-CIO and candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Texas.
This is a ZGraphix production. http://zgraphix.org/
Produced by Jeff Zavala.
Photography by Jason Cato.On May 1st 2010, millions of activists across the country pushed for immigration... more
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Austin’s first May Day demonstration focused on immigrant rights was in 2006. I was stunned then by an Austin crowd as large as any I had ever seen -- 30,000 -- massive numbers, snaking through downtown streets to the federal building. That was the year of the first national mobilizations for comprehensive immigration reform. There were unprecedented turnouts occurring in every major U.S. city, including Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. Other Texas cities -- Houston, Dallas, El Paso and San Antonio -- had large demonstrations that year.
Those national mobilizations met with considerable blowback. There were rants on cable television about Mexican flags. Vigilante Minute Men got publicity for assembling on the border. More important, there were raids on places of employment, deportations, and jailings. Along with repression, the collapsing U.S. construction sector and increased violence associated with Mexican drug cartels made for a perfect storm of declining participation in subsequent years.
Arizona’s law changed all that. The broad strokes of that recent legislation make the mere suspicion of undocumented status cause for questioning and detention. The potential impact on Latinos ignited Austin’s community as well as communities across the nation.
Organizers at the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition (AIRC) had been holding their meetings in a small office. They moved to a church hall to accommodate the growing interest. AIRC describes itself as a grassroots, action-oriented coalition of immigrants, students, and allies including labor, faith, and community organizations. That is who they turned out for a spirited rally at the state Capitol and a march down Congress Avenue to City Hall.
Conchero dancers reminded those attending of the real non-immigrants in this country -- Native Americans. Linda Chavez, former union organizer and Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor, addressed the crowd. Marchers chanted:
Si se puede
[Yes, we can]
Obama, escucha, estamos en la lucha
[Obama, listen, we are in the struggle]
El pueblo unido, jamas sera vencido
[The people united will never be defeated]
Like it or not, President Obama, comprehensive immigration reform demands have moved from the shadows onto center stage.
May 1st is celebrated all over the world as labor day, May Day started in the U.S. in Chicago in 1886 during the fight for the 8-hour day. Immigrant workers know about “los martires de Chicago”–the Chicago martyrs, unionists who were executed on trumped-up charges of fomenting the Haymarket “riot” in 1886. We need to reclaim May Day as the real Labor Day, a day of struggle, and we thank immigrants for making this holiday big in the U.S. again. Sponsored by the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition. Speakers, music, entertainment. One of the scheduled speakers is Linda Chavez-Thompson, former vice president of the AFL-CIO and candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Texas.
This is a ZGraphix production.Austin’s first May Day demonstration focused on immigrant rights was in 2006. I... more
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AUSTIN -- Luxury condos were the backdrop for two protests yesterday, April 28, in Austin. The Workers Defense Project, also known as Proyecto Defensa Laboral, brought 120 workers and supporters into the streets at two different sites demanding wages and safe working conditions.
“Three of my co-workers were killed, and the rest of us are still owed our money. When is it enough?” said Gumercindo Rodriquez, who performed plaster work at 21 Rio and Gables Park Plaza. Gumercindo, along with two dozen other workers are owed over $120,000 in wages by a Dallas-based contractor, GMI (Greater Metroplex Interiors).
Protesters focused attention on Gables Park Plaza, a high-end condo on the north side of Town Lake in Austin. At that site, wages have gone unpaid. Later, demonstrators moved into the West Campus where 21 Rio has also refused to pay final wages. It was at this luxury high rise that three workers died last summer when faulty scaffolding collapsed.
A recent study by the Workers Defense Project and the University of Texas found that workers who are denied payment are most likely not to receive appropriate safety training or equipment. The report also found that Texas leads the nation in construction deaths, with a worker dying every 2.5 days in the state and that Austin construction workers have a one in five chance of not being paid their wages.
The issue of immigrant rights has once again captured media attention as debate heats up over Arizona’s recent draconian legislation. “Show me your papers or go to jail” is an approach that collapses civil liberties.
In this atmosphere, the organizing work of the Workers Defense Project brings humanity back into the discourse. The plaster and stucco of luxury condos depended on immigrant labor. For the workers who toiled 70-hour work weeks, six days a week, without rest breaks or overtime pay, the human issue is simply to be paid for their work. For the three men who lost their lives at 21 Rio, the human issue is a safe working environment.
The protesters remembered those who died at 21 Rio by calling out their names.
Wilson, Presente!
Raudel, Presente!
Jesus Angel, Presente!
No los vamos olvidar.
We will not forget.
Visit http://www.WorkersDefense.org to learn how you can help bring justice for workers in Austin!
This is a http://ZGraphix.org production. Produced by Jeffry Zavala.AUSTIN -- Luxury condos were the backdrop for two protests yesterday, April 28, in... more
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Six months after construction workers Wilson Joel Irias Cerritos, Raudel Ramirez Camacho and Jesus Angel Lopez Perez fell 11 stories to their deaths while working on 21Rio apartments complex, their co-workers will hold a candlelight vigil in their memory.
The vigil will draw attention to the abysmal working conditions on the 21Rio site, that left three workers dead, and left nearly 2 dozen other co-workers grossly underpaid for their hard work on the site. These workers were denied overtime pay and not paid at all for their final weeks of work at the 21 Rio worksite, after their three co-workers were killed in an accident that is being investigated as a negligent homicide. In all, workers estimate that they are owed over $55,000.00 in back wages on the 21Rio site.
When the subcontractor they worked for disappeared after the accident, German Zaravia and his co-workers advised contractors about the issue but no action was taken to make payment. Since then, Workers Defense Project has attempted to negotiate a fair settlement with contractors and owners of the building.
We did our work, we even risked our lives out there on that worksite. No one should have to die for their job and no one should have to fight just to be paid, says German Zaravia, who is owed $7,000 in back wages and was working on the site the day of the accident. We are holding this vigil because when they died we were too afraid to come forward, but now we want all of Austin to know what we construction workers and our families are suffering.
A recent study by Workers Defense Project and the University of Texas found that Texas leads the nation in construction deaths, with a worker dying every 2.5 days in the state and that construction workers have a one in five chance of not being paid their wages.
Weve seen that employers who are willing to cut corners on safety are also likely to show a complete disregard for workers rights, explains Emily Timm of the Workers Defense Project, a local organization dedicated to improving working conditions for low-wage workers in construction and other industries. Its not a coincidence that wage theft would take place on a worksite that had gross safety violations.
The accident and concurrent employment abuses highlight the need for greater oversight on construction worksites in Austin. In October, the City of Austin passed a resolution requiring city staff to present recommendations for a construction safety program by January 22nd.
On June 10, Wilson Joel Irias Cerritos, Raudel Ramirez Camacho and Jesus Angel Lopez Perez fell 11 stories to their deaths when a mast climber scaffolding they were working on failed and broke apart.
OSHA is investigating and is required to release its determination this month. The accident is being investigated by APD as a negligent homicide.Six months after construction workers Wilson Joel Irias Cerritos, Raudel Ramirez... more
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Six months after construction workers Wilson Joel Irias Cerritos, Raudel Ramirez Camacho and Jesus Angel Lopez Perez fell 11 stories to their deaths while working on 21Rio apartments complex, their co-workers will hold a candlelight vigil in their memory.
The vigil will draw attention to the abysmal working conditions on the 21Rio site, that left three workers dead, and left nearly 2 dozen other co-workers grossly underpaid for their hard work on the site. These workers were denied overtime pay and not paid at all for their final weeks of work at the 21 Rio worksite, after their three co-workers were killed in an accident that is being investigated as a negligent homicide. In all, workers estimate that they are owed over $55,000.00 in back wages on the 21Rio site.
When the subcontractor they worked for disappeared after the accident, German Zaravia and his co-workers advised contractors about the issue but no action was taken to make payment. Since then, Workers Defense Project has attempted to negotiate a fair settlement with contractors and owners of the building.
We did our work, we even risked our lives out there on that worksite. No one should have to die for their job and no one should have to fight just to be paid, says German Zaravia, who is owed $7,000 in back wages and was working on the site the day of the accident. We are holding this vigil because when they died we were too afraid to come forward, but now we want all of Austin to know what we construction workers and our families are suffering.
A recent study by Workers Defense Project and the University of Texas found that Texas leads the nation in construction deaths, with a worker dying every 2.5 days in the state and that construction workers have a one in five chance of not being paid their wages.
Weve seen that employers who are willing to cut corners on safety are also likely to show a complete disregard for workers rights, explains Emily Timm of the Workers Defense Project, a local organization dedicated to improving working conditions for low-wage workers in construction and other industries. Its not a coincidence that wage theft would take place on a worksite that had gross safety violations.
The accident and concurrent employment abuses highlight the need for greater oversight on construction worksites in Austin. In October, the City of Austin passed a resolution requiring city staff to present recommendations for a construction safety program by January 22nd.
On June 10, Wilson Joel Irias Cerritos, Raudel Ramirez Camacho and Jesus Angel Lopez Perez fell 11 stories to their deaths when a mast climber scaffolding they were working on failed and broke apart.
OSHA is investigating and is required to release its determination this month. The accident is being investigated by APD as a negligent homicide.Six months after construction workers Wilson Joel Irias Cerritos, Raudel Ramirez... more
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Workers Defense Project calls for an end to gross workplace abuses
Who: Workers Defense Project, 21Rio Construction Workers, Community Activists and Faith Leaders
What: Workers Defense Project and Workers at the 21 Rio Construction Site
When: Wednesday, December 16th 7pm
Where: 21 Rio Apartments, 2101 Rio Grande St.
AUSTIN, TX---Six months after construction workers Wilson Joel Irias Cerritos, Raudel Ramirez Camacho and Jesus Angel Lopez Perez fell 11 stories to their deaths while working on 21Rio apartments complex, their co-workers will hold a candlelight vigil in their memory.
The vigil will draw attention to the abysmal working conditions on the 21Rio site, that left three workers dead, and left nearly 2 dozen other co-workers grossly underpaid for their hard work on the site. These workers were denied overtime pay and not paid at all for their final weeks of work at the 21 Rio worksite, after their three co-workers were killed in an accident that is being investigated as a negligent homicide. In all, workers estimate that they are owed over $55,000.00 in back wages on the 21Rio site.
When the subcontractor they worked for disappeared after the accident, German Zaravia and his co-workers advised contractors about the issue but no action was taken to make payment. Since then, Workers Defense Project has attempted to negotiate a fair settlement with contractors and owners of the building.
We did our work, we even risked our lives out there on that worksite. No one should have to die for their job and no one should have to fight just to be paid, says German Zaravia, who is owed $7,000 in back wages and was working on the site the day of the accident. We are holding this vigil because when they died we were too afraid to come forward, but now we want all of Austin to know what we construction workers and our families are suffering.
A recent study by Workers Defense Project and the University of Texas found that Texas leads the nation in construction deaths, with a worker dying every 2.5 days in the state and that construction workers have a one in five chance of not being paid their wages.
Weve seen that employers who are willing to cut corners on safety are also likely to show a complete disregard for workers rights, explains Emily Timm of the Workers Defense Project, a local organization dedicated to improving working conditions for low-wage workers in construction and other industries. Its not a coincidence that wage theft would take place on a worksite that had gross safety violations.
The accident and concurrent employment abuses highlight the need for greater oversight on construction worksites in Austin. In October, the City of Austin passed a resolution requiring city staff to present recommendations for a construction safety program by January 22nd.
On June 10, Wilson Joel Irias Cerritos, Raudel Ramirez Camacho and Jesus Angel Lopez Perez fell 11 stories to their deaths when a mast climber scaffolding they were working on failed and broke apart.
OSHA is investigating and is required to release its determination this month. The accident is being investigated by APD as a negligent homicide.Workers Defense Project calls for an end to gross workplace abuses
Who: Workers... more
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Homeowners of Texas, Workers Defense Project and Labor Unions discuss the problems with Corporate Residential Home Builders. Laborers International Union of North America (LiUNA) has organized a caravan from Los Angeles to Pulte Homes' headquarters in Bloomfield, Michigan in order to call attention to the company's role in the housing crisis, especially their high profits and receipt of bailout funds as others lose homes and jobs.Homeowners of Texas, Workers Defense Project and Labor Unions discuss the problems... more
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Workers Defense Project and community supporters gathered at the Central Texas Division of Centex Homes in North Austin to demand payment for unpaid wages. A group of four workers report they are owed $2,700 for carpentry work they performed on three homes.
In May of 2009, Marcos Cuevas, Franklin Barahona, Salvador Gamiño, and Santos Arriaza worked for a subcontractor of Centex to perform carpentry work on Centex homes. The subcontractor never paid the four workers nearly $3,000 in wages.
Workers Defense Project has tried to negotiate directly with Centex and their subcontractors for payment, but the homebuilder has refused to pay. Dallas-based Centex merged with Pulte Homes in August 2009 to create the largest homebuilder in the country. Their combined stock is valued at $3.1 billion. Pulte has taken $450 million dollars from taxpayer-funded bailouts.
Workers, advocates and community supporters sent a delegation to the Centex corporate office demanding to pay these workers their hard-earned wages. Homebuilders need to take responsibility for labor practices on their work sites, Stated Selena Fernandez of Workers Defense Project.
The Laborers International Union of North America (LiUNA) held a community forum bringing together homeowners of Pulte and Centex and the workers who built the homes to discuss how these large homebuilders arent holding up their end of the bargain.
Take Action! Call Centex/Pulte and ask them to make sure these workers are paid for their hard work! (512) 532-3300
Visit: http://www.workersdefense.orgWorkers Defense Project and community supporters gathered at the Central Texas... more
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Workers Defense Project and community supporters gathered outside Cobra Studios in Austin to protest COBALT COMPANIES for the $20,000.00 in unpaid wages owed to eleven workers who worked on their work site at Cobra Studios Apartments.
In the context of economic downturn, where low-wage workers bear the burden of hard times, Workers Defense Project is calling upon Cobalt Companies to take responsibility for the labor abuses on their work site.
In October and November of 2008, Antonio Melo, Antonio Olvera, Fausto Elias, and 8 other workers worked for a subcontractor of Cobalt Companies to perform masonry work on Cobra Studios Apartments in East Austin. The subcontractor never paid the eleven workers for their work and they are still owed nearly $20,000 in back wages.
The Workers Defense Project has tried to resolve the issue directly with Cobalt Companies and their subcontractors. Cobalt Companies negotiated with PDL and agreed to a payment plan where they would pay $15,000 of wages owed now and $5,000 later. The agreement was drafted, the terms were all agreed upon, and then Cobalt Companies backed out.
Workers, advocates and community supporters urged Cobalt Companies to ensure that Austin development occurs in a way that benefits everyone in the community, including the workers who are building our city.
Cobalt Companies is a local residential and commercial building company that has 30 years of experience working on construction projects in Austin. They specialize in high-end homes, town-homes, and commercial properties that range from half-million to multi-million dollar projects, such as the Cobra Studios.
After much effort and long hours on the part of the Workers Defense Project, ultimately Cobalt Co. lived up to their legal responsibility and made sure the workers were paid their due in a check for $18,000!
This is a Z Graphix Production, Directed by Jason Cato and
Produced by Jeffry Zavala.
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Photography by Jason Cato
Cinematography by Keegan Godsey and Jeffry Zavala
To learn more go to:
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http://buildaustin.orgWorkers Defense Project and community supporters gathered outside Cobra Studios in... more
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Thousands of activists gathered on the south steps of the Capitol on Friday evening and marched to City Hall in support of improving treatment of immigrant workers and the reformation of laws to recognize them as contributing members of American society.
International Workers Day, commonly known as May Day is the annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of the international labor movement over the past century. Activists across the country use this day to call for better treatment of immigrants.
When you work a day, you should get paid a day, said Teresa Parkinson, a volunteer with the Workers Defense Project, an immigrant rights organization.
Parkinson said there are businesses, restaurants and construction companies in Austin that do not pay immigrants for their work. If the workers report these businesses for malpractice, they risk being deported.
I know immigrants are being mistreated, Parkinson said. They have a right as humans to be paid for the work that they do.
Caroline Keating-Guerra, an organizer of Fridays march, summed up the event as a rally for immigrant rights reform, which includes immigrant access to health care and education, a pathway to legalization and ending government raids and family separation.
In a speech prior to the march, Eric Tang, an assistant professor in UTs College of Liberal Arts, described May Day as a celebration of the relationship between humans and the work they do. He said Americans must ensure that the rights people earn for being contributing members of society are respected.
Many times [immigrants] are marginalized, ghettoized and pushed out of the mainstream of American society, Tang said.
Martín Ruiz, a member of the Workers Defense Project, said the government needs to recognize immigrant participation.
[This march] is more than about being Hispanic, Russian, Asian, rich or poor, Ruiz said. Its a day that workers can take to the streets and reclaim a more dignified life for themselves and their families.
This is a Z Graphix Production, Directed by Jason Cato Produced by Jeffry Zavala.
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Photography by Jason Cato
Cinematography by Keegan Godsey and Jeffry Zavala
To learn more go to:
http://workersdefense.org
http://buildaustin.orgThousands of activists gathered on the south steps of the Capitol on Friday evening... more
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Combining results from surveys of more than 300 Austin construction workers and industry-related data from federal and state agencies, the 68-page study, "Building Austin, Building Injustice," depicts an industry rampant with poor and dangerous working conditions. Although many builders, developers and contractors are model employers, the study notes, others cut costs by not paying some workers for overtime, not paying some at all, misclassifying others as independent contractors, and failing to provide proper safety equipment such as harnesses and helmets, violations of federal and state regulations.
"The report is just shocking in the way that it shows how the industry (in Austin) is really rife with these conditions that are pretty deplorable in terms of safety and health issues," said Richard Heyman, a UT professor and an adviser and researcher on the study. A specialist in urban development studies, Heyman said the report reveals systemic, structural failures.
Major findings:
Though overtime work in the construction industry is common, half of workers who did so reported receiving no overtime pay, a violation of wage and hour laws.
Nearly four in 10 workers were misclassified as independent contractors, denying them legal protections to overtime pay, workers' compensation coverage and benefits.
Sixty-four percent said they had received no basic health or safety training provided by OSHA. The training is voluntary.
A majority of workers lacked employer-based health insurance, pensions and sick or vacation days. Only 45 percent of workers said they had workers' compensation coverage. In Texas, employers can opt out of workers' comp.
Most workers earned $10 an hour. Using federal guidelines, the report calculated a poverty hourly wage as $10.56 an hour, based on a family of four.
Drawing on existing data, the report also says that Texas led the nation in construction-related deaths in 2007 with 142 fatalities, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Labor. Tzintzún said similar data is not available by city. Per capita data is not tracked by state.
Texas had 23,900 construction-related injuries in 2007, an incident rate of 3.7 per 100 full-time workers, according to the Department of Labor. In all private industries, Texas had 242,000 injuries in 2007, an incident rate of 3.3 per 100 full-time workers.
This is a Z Graphix Production, Produced by Jeffry Zavala and Directed by Jason Cato.
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Photography by Jason Cato
Cinematography by Jeffry Zavala
To learn more go to,
http://workersdefense.org
http://buildaustin.orgCombining results from surveys of more than 300 Austin construction workers and... more
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Gov. Rick Perry and employees within the state insurance building did not meet the typical sound of 5 p.m. traffic Wednesday.
Instead, some encountered signs adorned with criticism of Perrys policies, drums keeping protestors in rhythm and the voices of construction workers along with members of Austins Workers Defense Project and Californias Laborers International Union of North America chanting, Workers rights are under attack! What do we do? Stand up, fight back!
Project Director Cristina Tzintzún said the defense group organized the event in response to a television interview Perry had at a Construction Expo in late June, in which he stated that [Texas] has enough oversight to keep our citizens safe.
Catherine Frazier, a spokeswoman for the governors office, said the issues scope is wider than Texas alone.
This issue falls under federal jurisdiction and Governor Perry expects the federal government will fulfill its role to keep Texas construction workers safe without burdening Texas employers with duplicative regulations, Frazier said.
According to a recent report by the project titled Building Austin, Building Injustice, 142 construction workers died in Texas in 2007, which is more than any other state in the country. The report also states that 50 percent of workers do not receive overtime pay and that 41 percent go without a rest break.
Tzintzún said that only 77 Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigators cover the 10 million workers in Texas. The project states that the International Labor Organization recommended 1,023 investigators be responsible for Texas workers.
Elizabeth Todd, OSHA acting regional director, said the administration will be increasing the number of inspectors in Texas.
We want to raise awareness and reduce the number of construction-related fatalities in the state because we do have a high number of construction-related fatalities, Todd said. If there are unsafe working conditions, we are going to try and go out there and find out.
Tzintzún said the problem lies in construction oversight.
We believe there is a larger problem in Texas of contractors not being held accountable for safe working conditions on the job site, Tzintzún said. Its important that [the Legislature] steps up to the plate by ensuring people dont die needlessly on the job.
The protest also focused on the West Campus construction accident in June at the 21 Rio apartment complex where three construction workers fell to their deaths as a result of a scaffold failure.
Austin Police Department Lt. Mark Spangler said APD obtained a search warrant to investigate the incident.
The areas we are looking at are, Did this accident have a genesis? Spangler said. What caused that equipment to fail? Was it mechanical? Was it human error? Was it an oversight? Thats the full spectrum of what we are looking at.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation and APD will conduct interviews as well as an examination of all equipment used in the scaffolding. The warrant stated negligent homicide as a possibility.
Randy Harris, a member of a laborers union from Illinois, said he was protesting to make the construction worker case a national issue.
Nobody deserves to be hurt or killed at work, Harris said. We want people to be able to go to work, feed their families and go home.
This is a Z Graphix Production, Produced by Jeffry Zavala and Directed by Jason Cato.
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Communications by Selena Fernandez
Cinematography by Jeffry Zavala
Photography by Charlie Lockwood & Jeffry Zavala
To learn more go to,
http://workersdefense.org
http://buildaustin.orgGov. Rick Perry and employees within the state insurance building did not meet the... more
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