As Pat Kiley recently wrote about in his recent series Construction Craftwork as a Career, construction craftwork has seen a decline in Houston and around the country over the...
Social Responsibility
Sophisticated project owners and developers pick premier contractors who are principled, are socially responsible and develop their workforce. They know that contractors who build lasting, high quality employee relationships and career paths for their craftspeople consistently deliver the best value and results. Their practices produce tax revenue and stability to communities while also lowering social service burdens.
Knowledgeable owners and developers avoid using contractors who are are unprincipled and who use misclassified or undocumented workers who are often paid in cash and lack the skills, long-term commitment and support necessary for producing top quality work. They know these second-rate practices not only lead to poor results and hidden costs but also have social consequences in their communities including uncollected taxes, increased social services costs and lower incomes.
What do socially responsible contractors get in return for being responsible?
Do "socially indifferent" or "socially irresponsible" owners, developers and contractors in your community face consequences to their reputation and business?
At Construction Citizen, we’re always looking for examples of communities being made better by creative thinkers in the construction industry. One program that's been touted...
As you can imagine, the movement of hundreds of oil field workers and construction equipment into the Shale areas of west and south Texas is causing real pain for construction...
A Houston construction worker was threatened at gunpoint by his employer last Friday because he simply asked to be paid wages he was owed, faith leaders told Construction Citizen....
The following was originally published in the September issues of Construction News, a monthly industry periodical in the four major metropolitan areas of Texas. It was written by...
An update of the 2010 report on wage theft in the 50 states was released by the Progressive States Network is entitled Where Theft is Legal: Mapping Wage Theft Laws in the 50...
A specialty contractor has come to the rescue of a homeowner in McAllen, Texas who had been cheated by the first contractor she had hired to repair her damaged shingle roof....
The following information was provided by Workers Defense Project (WDP), an Austin-based advocacy group for low-income workers.This evening a vigil will be held for José Lainez, a...
After I posted my thoughts on blue collar workers, this is one of the comments I received on Scott Braddock: A Voice for Texas from a reader:“It is not just the academic types who...
