Representatives from Construction Citizen attended an extraordinary Workforce Development Meeting at Marek Brothers Systems, Inc. on January 12, 2011. The meeting was opened...
The political protests and related violence over the past few weeks in Egypt have not surprisingly impeded progress on construction projects in that country. Many international companies have evacuated their employees to their home countries, while local firms have closed offices and asked their staff to remain at home. Prior to the unrest, those in the industry were looking forward to a successful year as the government had promised to fund several large infrastructure projects and construction projects in general were on the increase.Engineering News-Record (ENR.com) reported today on the situation after talking with representatives from several firms with ongoing projects there.
February 10, 2011
In an article posted by The Huffington Post earlier this month, columnist Afton Branche writes about wage theft and other abuse which day laborers endure far too often at the hands of unscrupulous employers. The article was inspired by the release this month of a study prepared by the Immigrants’ Rights/International Human Rights Clinic at the Seton Hall Law School Center for Social Justice in Newark.Titled All Work and No Pay: Day Laborers, Wage Theft, and Workplace Justice in New Jersey, the study’s findings are based on interviews with day laborers found at pick-up lots across the state of New Jersey. The study points out that wage theft
January 28, 2011
Mike Holland, Division President for Marek Brothers Systems Houston, shared his thoughts with me prior to a goal-setting meeting earlier this month about workforce planning....
January 26, 2011
In a January 19th Houston Chronicle article entitled, Working: A plea for fair play, L.M. Sixel discusses how due to the economy, many construction companies are resorting to misclassifying their workers as 1099 or independent contractors instead of employees in order to get out of paying payroll taxes and benefits.Marek Brothers Systems, a Houston-based commercial interior construction firm, rightfully classifies its 2,000 workers as employees, which, according to the article, means "Marek pays the employer's half of Social Security taxes, pays unemployment insurance taxes, and provides employees a 401(k) plan and subsidized health insurance."
January 20, 2011
In spite of the recession, luxury retailers continue to market to the wealthy who visit Las Vegas from all over the world each year. Vegas is the home of the famous Caesars...
January 13, 2011
Steel construction on One World Trade Center, formerly called the Freedom Tower, reached the 52nd floor just before Christmas last month, marking the half-way point toward...
January 10, 2011
Cyndi Mergele, Senior Manager at Padgett, Stratemann & Co., L.L.P. in San Antonio, wrote an interesting article for the Construction News, a newspaper focusing on the...
January 05, 2011
As the year winds down and we prepare to take on 2011, many of us will take a moment or two to reflect on where we are and perhaps even commit to a few changes to propel us closer...
December 30, 2010
Interfaith Worker Justice declared November 18, 2010 a National Day of Action Against Wage Theft, and helped organize actions in 50 cities across the United States. Interfaith Worker Justice Executive Director Kim Bobo spoke at the rally and press event held in Washington, D.C. She talked about the various events occurring that day around the country, including the Justice Bus in Houston which we wrote about earlier. Other actions included a Jazz Funeral in New Orleans
where participants celebrated the death of wage theft, mayoral proclamations in Grand Rapids and Miami, and the announcement of a new partnership between the Denver community and the Department of Labor.
December 27, 2010
