Workers Defense Project-Building Austin, Building Injustice-Press Release 1/2

Combining results from surveys of more than 300 Austin construction workers and industry-related data from federal and state agencies, the 68-page study, "Building Austin, Building Injustice," depicts an industry rampant with poor and dangerous working conditions. Although many builders, developers and contractors are model employers, the study notes, others cut costs by not paying some workers for overtime, not paying some at all, misclassifying others as independent contractors, and failing to provide proper safety equipment such as harnesses and helmets, violations of federal and state regulations.

"The report is just shocking in the way that it shows how the industry (in Austin) is really rife with these conditions that are pretty deplorable in terms of safety and health issues," said Richard Heyman, a UT professor and an adviser and researcher on the study. A specialist in urban development studies, Heyman said the report reveals systemic, structural failures.

Major findings:

Though overtime work in the construction industry is common, half of workers who did so reported receiving no overtime pay, a violation of wage and hour laws.

Nearly four in 10 workers were misclassified as independent contractors, denying them legal protections to overtime pay, workers' compensation coverage and benefits.

Sixty-four percent said they had received no basic health or safety training provided by OSHA. The training is voluntary.

A majority of workers lacked employer-based health insurance, pensions and sick or vacation days. Only 45 percent of workers said they had workers' compensation coverage. In Texas, employers can opt out of workers' comp.

Most workers earned $10 an hour. Using federal guidelines, the report calculated a poverty hourly wage as $10.56 an hour, based on a family of four.

Drawing on existing data, the report also says that Texas led the nation in construction-related deaths in 2007 with 142 fatalities, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Labor. Tzintzún said similar data is not available by city. Per capita data is not tracked by state.

Texas had 23,900 construction-related injuries in 2007, an incident rate of 3.7 per 100 full-time workers, according to the Department of Labor. In all private industries, Texas had 242,000 injuries in 2007, an incident rate of 3.3 per 100 full-time workers.

[Text From the Austin American Statesman, , June 17, 2009]

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Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Workers Defense Project
• Construction Report
• Austin
• Press Release
• Cristina Tzinzún
• Emily Timm
• Proyecto Defensa Laboral