Dallas Iron Workers Suffer Abuse & Neglect on the Job

From WRB members Danna Pyke and Rosemarie Rieger:

Did you know that Dallas iron workers are being abused and neglected on the job? Hearing their stories of lack of adequate water, verbal abuse and being forced (against OSHA standards) to buy their own safety equipment was sobering and motivating. Learning that they were not treated when injured on the job, that they worked in fear of falling due to unstable scaffolding and that little safety training was offered. . .well, that left us feeling angry.

We are members of the North Texas Jobs with Justice Workers' Rights Board. The Board is composed of concerned community leaders, including clergy, social workers, academics, labor organizers, teachers, students and lawyers. Workers' Rights Boards review worker complaints and conduct hearings, giving employers the chance to respond. Boards, like the one in Dallas, can act as mediators between employees with unresolved grievances and employers who may be too focused on their company's profit margin.

Last fall, we were alerted to the struggle of workers employed by Great Western Erectors. Great Western Erectors (GWE) is based in Dallas and is one of the largest rebar and concrete reinforcing contractors in the nation. Our Workers' Rights Board assembled to hear testimony of workers and to begin the process of connecting with employers. Previously, groups of workers had met with GWE, hoping to have problems of safety and adequate water addressed by their management. Workers attempting to organize to gain rights were threatened with loss of job and blacklisting. The GWE workers had become discouraged and were interested in finding new ways to get their on-the-job needs met.

Following the hearing, the Workers' Rights Board began to discern how best to intervene between workers with complaints and their employer. Because GWE had been unresponsive, we decided to contact GWE's “employer”, Austin Industries. Great Western Erector is hired as a subcontractor by Austin Industries in Dallas. The Austin Industries website notes that:

"Austin Industries maintains a healthy, competitive and trust-based relationship with our subcontractors. We believe fair treatment and trust must be reciprocal to maintain a quality relationship."

Encouraged by this statement, we wrote a letter to Austin Industries, appealing to them to use their influence to improve working conditions for their subcontracted employees. We respectfully requested a meeting with them to discuss how best to meet the needs of employees and employers. We received no response to the letter, or to subsequent follow up letters. Numerous phone calls to Austin Industries went unreturned, as well. When a Workers' Rights Board member eventually made phone contact with an Austin Industries representative, she was told they were powerless to change the working conditions for their subcontracted employees.

A follow up hearing this summer revealed that iron workers in Dallas are still subjected to inadequate water and unsafe working conditions. The discussion continues between the workers and the Workers' Rights Board. Justice and fairness for all are our goals. Austin Industries, we invite you to join us at the table.

Town Hall Meeting Brings Together Labor Activists, Religious Leaders


PCCS co-founder Joerg Rieger joined Texas AFL-CIO President Becky Moeller as featured speakers at the Town Hall Meeting for Economic Justice on September 25, 2009. Sponsored by North Texas Jobs with Justice and held at UAW 848 Hall in Grand Prairie, Texas, the gathering drew a diverse crowd of 65, including labor activists, religious leaders, and candidates for public office.

By bringing together labor activists and religious leaders for a frank discussion of healthcare and economic issues, the Town Hall Meeting was a major step forward in the process of building a progressive coalition in the north Texas area.

Moeller gave an update on Texas AFL-CIO's efforts to push for universal access to healthcare and to build new alliances. She also spoke about the need for workers to seek coalitions with the religious community, and expressed her appreciation for Rieger's efforts on this front.

In his remarks, Rieger drew attention to the increasingly religious nature of mainstream economics, which holds to blind faith in the benevolence of the market despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. He also noted that while the Bible explicitly calls for economic justice, and the major mainline Christian denominations officially support worker rights, local congregations do little to make members aware of those teachings. Workers, Rieger said, should urge their church leaders to support their struggles for economic justice. Rieger also mentioned how PCCS is helping to facilitate coalition-building between religious leaders, labor activists, and other progressives.

Following the speakers, the audience engaged in a lively Q&A session, which provided additional insights and inspiration. There was criticism of the "Blue Dog" Democrats and their resistance to healthcare reform, and support for the Employee Free Choice Act. Audience members also noted that healthcare reform would lessen the bleeding of American jobs to other countries, and would lessen the unemployment crisis by making it possible for more older workers to retire.

Coalition for Justice at Great Western Erectors

An important part of the work of WRB Dallas has been to support workers on strike for safe working conditions at Great Western Erectors. A 2008 Whitepaper discusses their concerns and the coalitions that support their struggle. Here's an excerpt:

Great Western Erectors based in Dallas, Texas is one of the largest rebar and concrete reinforcing contractors in the nation. Great Western employs some 300 workers at a time--with operations primarily in Phoenix, Arizona; Denver, Colorado; and Dallas, Texas...
In May 2005, workers went on strike because of the company's refusal to provide adequate drinking water on all jobsites for the employees. Since then, Great Western workers are still on strike over the mistreatment, disregard and indifference the company shows its workers...
Among the workers' other concerns are the generally poor working conditions and the lack of vacations and affordable family health insurance. Additionally, wokers are often forced to work through breaks and lunch periods by managers who are regularly abusive and disrespectful...

Read the full whitepaper here.

KDFW-TV Coverage of Sep 5 WRB Hearing

The North Texas Jobs with Justice website also has a rundown of the WRB hearing.

Updated Press Release September 4, 2009

Contact:
Dr. Joerg Rieger, Co-convener of the Workers’ Rights Board,
Wendland-Cook Professor of Constructive Theology, SMU

Update:
Unemployment in Construction Industry has risen to 18.2 Percent: Are Companies Putting Even More Pressures on Remaining Workers?

Event:
Construction Workers in Dallas without Water and Safety Equipment: Workers’ Rights Board Investigates Labor Rights Violations on Labor Day Weekend

Time:
Saturday, September 5, 2009, from 10 a.m.-noon.

Place:
Beckley Courthouse, 410 S. Beckley Ave., Dallas, TX, in the courtroom of the Honorable Judge Luis Sepulveda.

Just in time for the Labor Day Weekend, the Workers’ Rights Board of North Texas Jobs with Justice will have a hearing on Saturday, September 5, from 10 am-noon.

At this event, the Workers’ Rights Board will hear cases of construction workers in the Dallas area. Common problems on many building sites include insufficient drinking water in the summer heat, lack of safety equipment, and a pervasive lack of fair treatment of workers.

While worker rights abuses in construction are not uncommon, the current economic crisis and the special challenges of labor in Texas have exacerbated this problem.

The public and the media are invited to witness this hearing, as the members of the Workers’ Rights Board are investigating the current abuses and make decisions about how to respond to the crisis, which has the potential to give the city of Dallas and its inhabitants a bad name.

Information about Workers’ Rights Boards:

At a time when the rights of workers are increasingly under attack, North Texas Jobs with Justice has formed a Workers’ Rights Board. About a dozen of these boards already exist in other cities across the U.S. Their goal is to bring together community leaders from all sectors who understand that workers’ rights are an important pillar of the community.

Members of Workers’ Rights Boards include state representatives, religious leaders, organizers and activists, educators and academics, lawyers, journalists, and many others. The work of a Workers’ Rights Board includes hearings where workers can present their struggles, addressing the violations of workers’ rights through writing letters to employers demanding fair treatment, delegation visits to management or public officials, speaking out through the media when necessary, and demonstrating solidarity with workers in various other ways. The Dallas Workers’ Rights Board works closely with North Texas Jobs with Justice in order to identify worthy campaigns and issues.

Jobs with Justice has a long history of bringing together a broad range of community leaders, including faith communities and other organizations who care about the common good. For further information about Workers’ Rights Boards please check the following link: http://www.jwj.org/projects/wrb/history.html.