What is Building Justice?

“The pressure at work was constant, I used to cut myself with the sheet metal of the boxes, there was not even a first aid kit available.” –Rodolfo, Sheet Metal Worker

Although residential construction is a booming and profitable industry, workers have not fared nearly as well as the industry that employs them.  However, the Building Justice campaign is working to resolve this inequity.  The campaign is working to raise industry standards for residential construction workers through the collective bargaining process.  Through collective bargaining, workers in this industry will gain the necessary representation to help them realize critical objectives that include:

• A just working environment that includes fair wages;

• Being paid for every hour worked, and overtime pay;

• Safer working conditions;

• Improved training;

• Health care plans that are affordable;

• Sick days and vacation days; and

• A voice on the job in order to participate in workplace decisions.

“This is heavy work and they make us work long shifts every day.  Normally we work 50 hours a week; but we have to do it because the salary is so low, and even working this amount of hours you just barely get what is necessary to support your family.” –Rogelio, drywall industry

Workers should be prospering at the same time as their employers and their industry do.  Residential construction in the United States is close to a $600 billion per year industry.  Since 2000, the value of residential construction has grown by 55%.  But more importantly for large home development companies, the median sales price for homes in the US has increased 62% over this period, from $154,400 in January 2000 to $250,000 in February 2007 according to the US Census Bureau.

During the same period where housing prices increased 62%, the stock price for some of the largest US home developers went up by well over 200% (with some increasing in excess of 500%).  Nonetheless, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the average hourly wages for residential construction workers increased just 21% - and that’s even before inflation is taken into account.

The Building Justice campaign is a partnership organizing campaign comprised of the International Union of Painters (IUPAT) and the Sheet Metal Workers International Association (SMWIA), with the support of the AFL-CIO.

The campaign’s primary focus at this time is the southwestern U.S.  The residential construction sector continues to remain strong in this region even with the national slump in home sales and prices.  Because of this regional focus, the campaign has initially elected to engage Pulte Homes in its effort to raise industry standards.  Pulte Homes is a leading company in the U.S. residential construction industry and a very significant player in both Arizona and Nevada.  In 2006, nearly one-quarter of the company’s overall home settlement revenues came from the Phoenix and Las Vegas markets.  Subcontractors working directly for Pulte Homes employ tens of thousands of residential construction workers in these two states.

The campaign’s goal is to get Pulte Homes to help raise industry standards by  providing safe working environments and ensuring that each and every subcontractor hired by Pulte is in full compliance with the law.

We believe that companies such as Pulte Homes should be held to high standards.  Multi-billion dollar home development companies should not be allowed to engage in such business practices that undermine community standards and do not provide an opportunity to the workers who build their homes, to one day have the opportunity to purchase one. 

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