Reshaping the Construction Industry

The work we do at Construction Citizen to advance a socially responsible, sustainable and value added construction industry isn't just being noticed by those in the industry itself.  Others, including professional services firms, have started to take note and some even are taking action.I recently sat down with Tony Fierro, President of K & S Insurance Agency in Rockwall, Texas, to talk about why he's made the decision to “join the movement,” as he put it.  Until Fierro made his commitment, all of our great sponsors had been contractors.  Since K & S Insurance is the first non-contractor to join, Fierro felt it was important to explain why he made the decision and encourage others to do the same.  

Editor’s note: More and more news outlets are covering the epidemic levels of cheating in the construction industry and we’re thrilled to see it.  One of the latest and best examples is The Dallas Morning News Editorial Board, which has now said worker misclassification is part of the “Dark Side” of the Texas economic miracle.  We are told that the editorial board, at least in part, was inspired by the work we’ve done at Construction Citizen to expose the problem.  The following editorial was originally published in The Dallas Morning News.  Reprinted with permission.Editorial: The dark side of Texas’ economic miracleEvery day, Texans celebrate the fruits of light government regulation: Housing is cheaper here, the economy is healthy, and jobs are available.The construction crane easily could be declared the state bird.But our economic miracle has a troubling byproduct: Texas leads the nation in worker fatalities, according to a recent Dallas Morning News analysis of federal data.  The special report by James Gordon reveals that over the last decade, 579 more deaths happened on the job than statistically should have occurred in a state the size of Texas.  

President Obama over the weekend backed away from his own timeline on executive action for immigration policy, something that's been a top concern for construction and other industries that find it difficult to find a sufficient number of authorized workers.In the 3½-minute video below from NBC’s Meet the Press, Obama blamed the delay on the shifting politics of the issue brought on by the crisis along the Texas-Mexico border.  That’s after NBC’s Chuck Todd pressed the president on whether he is dragging his feet because Democratic senators in Republican states fear a backlash at the polls in November:“‘The truth of the matter is that the politics did shift midsummer because of that problem,’ Obama said.  ‘I want to spend some time, even as we're getting all our ducks in a row for the executive action, I also want to make sure that the public understands why we're doing this, why it's the right thing for the American people, why it's the right thing for the American economy.’”  

The advice KBR Pipe Supervisor Chris Pullen offers to new craft professionals on the worksite is a testament to his own career.“Don’t stop.  Don’t give up.  Get the training you can.  Try and learn from everyone around you.”Pullen applies his own advice during his regimented days, fitting in a work schedule, night classes and family time.  His career goals in the construction industry push him to fill his agenda, even from the very start of his craft profession.  The option to enter the construction industry seemed like the right decision to Pullen.  He says he likes to build things, and the industry presented opportunities for growth.  But at times, his path up the career ladder was a trying trip.