As steel frames begin to emerge above the treetops between the sixteen tower cranes which are raising them, curiosity and excitement continue to build among business and residential neighbors of the 385-acre ExxonMobil campus under construction just north of Houston. Several recent articles offer more information and images of the project, which is scheduled to be ready for move-in next year.In the most recent edition of The Lamp, ExxonMobil’s magazine for shareholders, there is a four-page article beginning on page 26 which contains artists’ renderings and design information about the project. Last month Nancy Sarnoff referred to that article in a piece she wrote for the online energy news publication Fuel Fix, where she highlights some of those design elements the completed campus will feature.
It has been three years since we began reporting about wage theft and worker misclassification here on Construction Citizen. In September 2010 Jim Kollaer reported that twenty-three states at that time had signed Wage Theft and/or Worker Misclassification bills into law. That number has now grown to thirty and may continue to grow as local governments grow tired of waiting for Congress to pass legislation on these issues at a national level.Back in 2010, there were two federal bills under consideration: The Fair Playing Field Act (SB 3786) and The Employee Misclassification Prevention Act (HR 5107). Neither of these ever made it out of committee.
August 23, 2013
On August 8, the Fe Y Justicia Worker Center (FJWC) held their annual Gala at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Houston. The event was a celebration of the Center’s accomplishments over the past year as well as a fundraiser to benefit their ongoing efforts to improve working conditions for low-wage workers in the Houston area. Guests bid on auction items, had their photos taken in the photo booth, enjoyed a delicious meal and live mariachi music, listened to keynote speaker David Bacon, and learned how they could get involved in their community. The evening ended, as always, with the announcement of the Worst Employer Award.The Fe Y Justicia Worker Center, formerly known as the Houston Interfaith Worker Justice Center, is a non-profit community-based organization which advocates for improved working conditions and standards in the Houston-area. Each year they select three of the most unethical cases of injustice to workers from the list of those they assisted with that year. Guests at the gala are then given a ballot with descriptions of each case and are asked to vote for which employer performed the worst wrongdoing. This year’s nominees included Full Service Construction, Inc., after company owner Fernando Chapa pulled out a gun and pointed it at community members who tried to appeal to his sense of morality after he successfully evaded Small Claims Court’s attempts to serve him.
August 22, 2013
A research report that was published last month by the Foundation of the Wall and Ceiling Industry (FWCI) has industry leaders talking about their workforce development programs. TitledAttracting Young People into Construction Field Positions, the report focuses on the need for employers to make their workplaces more attractive to the new generation which is now entering the job market. It resonates with one of the themes we have been reporting for the past three years, as the construction industry approaches a critical shortage of skilled workers.Steven Etkin, Executive Vice President and CEO of the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry (AWCI), said:“As the construction industry continues its recovery, competition for new young workers with other industries – construction, agriculture, and oil and gas – is going to intensify.
August 21, 2013
A new law in Tennessee gives the state’s Department of Labor (DOL) sharper teeth with which to take a bigger bite out of workers’ compensation fraud in the construction industry. As of July 1, 2013, the Tennessee DOL not only has the ability to fine a contractor for not having a workers’ compensation policy, but now can assess administrative penalties for the fraud as well as refer cases where the fraud is discovered to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation or to the local district attorney for further prosecution. The Society for Human Resource Management published an article written by Susan R. Heylman (subscription required) explaining the new authority this law gives the Tennessee DOL:“If the department finds that a construction company improperly classified workers as independent contractors rather than as employees, it may impose on the company fines of up to $1,000 or 1.5 times the average yearly workers’ compensation premium that the company should have paid for the workers.”
August 08, 2013
Last week Houston City Council’s Public Safety Committee held a hearing to discuss a proposed city ordinance to eradicate wage theft in the Houston area. The hearing included a presentation by Houston City Attorney David Feldman who explained the details of the proposal, and statements from members of the public who support it. Following the hearing, Scott Braddock interviewed Ed Gonzalez, Mayor Pro Tem of Houston and chairman of the Public Safety Committee. Read the following transcript of that interview, or watch the 4-minute video below. Scott Braddock: Talk a little about how this came about. This has been something the people have been asking for – pleading for – for years. Why now?Ed Gonzalez: We heard those concerns here at Council. The mayor and myself had assured that we were listening. We know the bureaucratic process can be slow at times, but we promise that we were listening and considering the feedback.
August 01, 2013
A special exhibition of work by artist James Turrell is currently on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The exhibit is titled The Light Inside and displays amazing spaces created using light as the primary component of each work. The physical rooms which contain each piece called for precise and detailed construction because they are indeed part of the art itself. Before visiting the exhibition, I talked with some of the men from Marek Brothers Systems, Inc. who worked with Linbeck, the general contractor, on the construction of these “rooms.”Turrell is known for creating spaces which he calls “Ganzfelds.” The word means “complete field” in German, and in these spaces, Turrell attempts to blur the viewer’s perception of horizon and dimension. He wants the viewer to experience these spaces with “no up, no down, no left, and no right”. In a special edition of Arts InSight which aired on Houston’s PBS television station on June 27, Turrell explained:
July 03, 2013
Last week celebrity Mike Rowe appeared on the television newsmagazine Inside Edition to promote his newest initiative: Profoundly Disconnected. Mike Rowe is known as the host of the Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs, and also for his efforts to promote careers in the skilled trades through his non-profit organization mikeroweWORKS. The mikeroweWORKS Foundation supports careers in skilled trades through scholarships, community colleges and trade schools, and initiatives which recruit and support the industry. Profoundly Disconnected is part of that effort to raise awareness as well as scholarship funding to advance young people in skilled trades.This latest effort began when Rowe recalled seeing a poster when he was in high school which depicted a confident and happy young man wearing a graduation cap and gown while holding a diploma contrasted with a very dirty and dejected man wearing work coveralls while holding a wrench. The caption on the poster read “Work Smart NOT Hard”. The poster was obviously created as part of a college recruitment campaign; however, that kind of advice has led to the workforce crisis the United States is now facing. Construction companies cannot find enough skilled craftsmen to complete the jobs they build, and thousands of college graduates face unemployment or underemployment just as their student loans are coming due.
June 26, 2013
In an earlier blog, I told you about a drywall installation clinic at Pasadena ISD’s L.P. Card Career and Technical Center which was led by a team from the Houston division of Marek Brothers Systems. The purpose of the clinic was to inform the high school juniors and seniors of the types of construction careers which are available, advise them on how to successfully pursue these careers, and to teach some of the skills used in installing drywall in a hands-on workshop.The day began with a pastry breakfast provided by the Marek team, and with those professionals sharing information about their company and how they were able to advance within it. One of the students’ regular instructors, Lupe Garza, also spoke to them about careers in construction.
June 20, 2013
Florida legislators have once again stepped up efforts to crack down on payroll fraud by naming another special prosecutor to investigate and punish workers’ compensation fraud.Last month, the Palm Beach Post reported that Palm Beach County (containing the cities of West Palm Beach and Boca Raton) is now the latest county to assign a full-time special prosecutor charged with pursuing worker misclassification and workers’ compensation fraud. The article explains the role of State Attorney Dave Aronberg in procuring the $143,720 for this effort:“Aronberg, a former state senator, pushed for the money for the new initiative with the help of Florida Department of Financial Services leaders when he visited the state’s capitol during the recently ended legislative session.”Aronberg is quoted by the Palm Beach Post:“Workers compensation fraud has far-reaching effects, from costing Florida taxpayers millions to jeopardizing the health and recovery of workers who are injured on the job, to putting legitimate construction companies at an unfair disadvantage against competitors who cut corners and violate the law.”
June 12, 2013
