Reshaping the Construction Industry

Marvin Mundo and Marciano Cruz are members of Houston Interfaith Worker Justice Center.  They are also parents and hardworking Houstonians who did their fair day's work renovating Jane Long Middle School and Sharpstown High School, but never received their fair day's pay.  Mundo and Cruz worked under the employment of Lawman’s Construction, a subcontractor for Fort Bend Mechanical, on these two Houston Independent School District (HISD) construction sites and, according to their reports, they are still collectively owed over $11,000 in unpaid wages a year later.Mundo and Cruz came to the Worker Center almost a year ago after the work on both sites was completed in March of last year.  They reported the issue to the Worker Center after multiple attempts to resolve it on their own with their employer, Lawman’s Construction.  The workers were in contact with Ricky Peters, owner of Lawman’s Construction,

The latest article from Robert Charles Lesser & Co (RCLCO) shows an interesting chart of the demographic changes in the housing market and could be viewed as a predictor of the next phase of housing starts around the country.Written by Gregg Logan, the Managing Director of the firm, the article is part two of a series that looks at the current housing market as analyzed by demographic.  The categories are the Eisenhowers and Great Generation, the Baby Boomers, Generation X and Gen Y.  This one focuses on the impact of Generation Y as they enter the home buying marketplace.The economy is having a major impact on how fast this generation of 30 and under moves from the multifamily market into the home buying market.  Logan writes:“The rate at which Generation Y is forming new households is currently lower than Generation X before them, as young people in their early 20’s today have found themselves in a tougher job market,

Over 250 of the nation’s leading specialty contractors will gather at the Hyatt Regency in San Antonio later this week for the 2012 American Subcontractor’s Association Business Forum and Convention.  This is the keynote event for the non- profit association of the nation’s leading Specialty Contractors.This year’s convention will showcase leading suppliers, provide education updates and highlight the nation’s leading subcontractors.  The convention schedule lists a number of workshops, social events and the annual business meeting.

Mike Rowe, host of the Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs, was the celebrity contestant on the television game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire today.  He will continue to play on tomorrow’s episode.Like many game shows, from time to time Millionaire invites celebrities to come on the show and play for charities of their choice.  Rowe is playing for the non-profit he set up, the mikeroweWORKS Foundation.  The mission of the foundation is “to promote the skilled trades in areas of public awareness, reducing stigmas, education, career planning and job opportunities”.  Here is what Rowe says on his website about the reasons he started the foundation:“I established this foundation to give something back, and challenge the prevailing definition of a ‘good job’.  For decades, we have put a premium on a four-year degree, and told an entire generation that Trade Schools and skilled labor are ‘alternatives’ to ‘higher education’.  That attitude is warping expectations, wrecking opportunity, and destroying our country.”