Elizabeth McPherson's blog

Last Monday morning on the NBC TODAY show, Jane Pauley of AARP’s Your Life Calling interviewed structural engineer and educator Charlie Thornton, a veteran and advocate of an industry in which he clearly takes enormous pride.

Thornton was brought up with tremendous respect for construction by his dad, a bricklayer who taught his trade to Charlie and to other young people from the neighborhood.  Charlie’s dad got other contractors to hire Charlie, and told the contractors to make him work hard so that he would be inspired to go to college.  Charlie ended up earning a bachelor’s degree [node:read-more:link]

Republican presidential candidates Rick Perry and Mitt Romney exchanged heated words during Tuesday’s debate after Perry accused Romney of hiring illegal immigrants to work as landscapers at Romney’s home.  Perry stated that many illegal immigrants cross into the US from Mexico because they are drawn to available jobs.  In the video below he proclaimed:

“Those people who hire illegals ought to be penalized.  And Mitt, you lose all of your standing from my perspective, because you hired illegals in your home, and you knew about it for a year.  And the idea that you stand here before us and talk about that you’re strong on immigration is on its face the height of hypocrisy.”   [node:read-more:link]

Some employers who have been paying employees as independent contractors have now been given a chance to reclassify these workers and move forward without paying the penalties and interest which they previously would have owed for payroll taxes not collected.  In an effort to stop the widespread practice of payroll fraud in the United States, the Internal Revenue Service has offered a new program under which companies who qualify may voluntarily correct the way they pay their workers, and move forward with a clean slate.

On September 21 the IRS announced the Voluntary Classification Settlement Program (VCSP) for employers who meet certain criteria.  An article posted on the IRS’s website explains how a company may qualify for the program: 

On Thursday, October 6, the Houston Interfaith Worker Justice Center (HIWJ) hosted an event to raise awareness of the wage theft crisis in America.  The Houston Wage Theft Forum featured moderator Francisco “Pancho” Arguelles Paz y Puente: former teacher, activist, author, co-founder of HIWJ, and current co-director of Colectivo Flatlander.  Attendees were invited to come and hear from a panel of workers from various industries who shared their experiences of wage theft abuse and from responsible business professionals who are struggling to remain competitive in a market where others are cheating their workers.  Dinner was provided as well as listening devices through which the entire evening was translated so that anyone who was not bilingual in English and Spanish could understand what each speaker said during the evening, which alternated between the two languages.  The purpose of the event was to encourage citizens to join the fight to make Houston, and ultimately the United States, a “zero tolerance place for wage theft [node:read-more:link]

The federal minimum wage in the United States is $7.25 per hour, but 18 states and the District of Columbia have higher minimum wage rates, as they have laws which adjust the minimum wage each year to keep pace with inflation.  Last week, CNN Money reported that Colorado, Montana, Ohio, Washington and Oregon have announced their increased 2012 rates, and that similar announcements are expected from Arizona, Florida and Vermont.  Legislation is pending in California, Maryland, Illinois and Massachusetts to implement annual adjustments to wage rates in those states.  Washington has the highest minimum wage rate in the country, which will be $9.04 in 2012.   [node:read-more:link]

Previously we interviewed subcontractor and human rights activist Brandon Darby about human trafficking in the U.S. and its impact on the construction industry.  During the interview, Darby stated: “Many people confuse the issue of human trafficking with illegal immigration, but they are not the same.”

The office of New Mexico Attorney General Gary King does not assist with immigration status, but does endeavor to help immigrants who are treated unfairly or unlawfully.  In their brochure titled Immigrant Consumer Services, the AG’s office explains:

“As immigrants adjust to life in America; enter the workplace; pay taxes; seek education; open bank accounts; and purchase goods and services, they often fall prey to consumer abuses that thrive in the low-income communities in which many immigrants live.”   [node:read-more:link]

Last week, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis and IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman signed a “memorandum of understanding” between the US Department of Labor and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).  The agreement is part of a continued effort to put and end to the practice by unethical employers of misclassifying their employees as independent contractors in order to avoid paying workers’ compensation insurance fees, overtime pay, federal payroll taxes and unemployment insurance for those workers.

Representatives of state labor agencies from Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, [node:read-more:link]

Two weeks ago, 2000 high school students participated in the Dallas ISD Districtwide College Fair, an event which included information to prepare students for college as well as information to prepare interested students in workforce careers.  The Career Education and Workforce Partnerships division of the Dallas Independent School District sponsored various “career clusters”, providing information about various careers available for students to pursue.  The Dallas division of Marek Brothers Systems represented the Architecture & Construction industry and sponsored a booth for that cluster.  Two of their former workforce development trainees who are now supervisors in the company shared the benefits of the Marek workforce development program to the participants.  Harold Curry, Safety Manager for Marek Brothers in Dallas, provided photos taken at the event for this blog post. [node:read-more:link]

According to press releases from the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida in recent weeks, two separate contractors have each been convicted of issuing corporate checks to fictitious companies, cashing those checks at local check cashing stores, and then using the cash to pay their workers “off the books” without collecting and reporting employment taxes and without paying the workers overtime pay.

Richard Rosaire Routhier owned and operated Drymension Inc in Lake Worth, Florida, offering commercial and residential drywall installation.  Over a period of 6 years, Routhier issued corporate checks to several shell companies which were created as a way to avoid paying taxes and which did not actually perform any work for Drymension.  He then used the cash to pay his employees without withholding employment taxes [node:read-more:link]

Construction on the new Isle of Capri Casino in Cape Girardeau, Missouri continues this week as  Delta Companies Inc began pouring the massive concrete “swimming pool” which will lie beneath the casino floor.  Missouri law only allows casino gambling on certain types of licensed excursion boats; therefore the gaming floor of the resort will be constructed on a “barge” which will float in water two feet deep.

An article in the newspaper Southeast Missourian by Melissa Miller reveals the enormity of this concrete job.  Jason Barber, account representative with Delta Companies explained:

“To make up the 2,300 cubic yards of concrete needed for the project, Delta Companies used 500 tons [node:read-more:link]