PRESS RELEASE
–For immediate release: June 27, 2018–
Contact: John Doherty (617) 592-2230 jdoherty@iupat.org
Workers that Built Luxury Hotel in Nashville Deliver Lawsuit to M&R Drywall, a Contractor Based in Pompano Florida
Workers who helped build JW Marriott in Nashville, TN that were fired by Florida contractor after demanding payment for work, deliver Federal lawsuit
Pompano, FL – On Thursday, June 28th workers take another step in demanding justice after working long hours in the development of the new JW Marriott in downtown Nashville, only to have their wages stolen.
“This federal suit brings to light a business model that is rampant in the construction industry throughout Tennessee and has a profound effect on the local economy as well as, an enormous cost to taxpayers”, said Rosa Lozano, an organizer with Alianza Laboral, a worker advocacy center in Nashville. “
Although this violation occurred in Tennessee, these shameful business practices are a common occurrence throughout South Florida. In fact the principal contractor named in the suit is based here in Pompano and currently has two ongoing projects in the area. Turnberry Associates, the high profile developer on the J.W. Marriott is Nashville, is also based here in Aventura and has projects in process worldwide. “We would hope that neither Skanska nor Turnberry turn a blind eye in these allegations lest they become the business model for an industry that currently supports so many South Floridian families”, said IUPAT DC 78, Business Manager Wally Ilczyszyn.
In many states, employers’ misclassification of full-time employees as independent contractors to avoid paying taxes and benefits could cost the state as hundreds of millions in payroll taxes and unemployment insurance taxes annually. Money that could be going to schools and other state funded infrastructure. Over the last year, the number of workers speaking out on the issue has grown nationally.
According to a report published by a worker advocacy group, Community Labor United, “…across the country, employers are subcontracting and outsourcing their work and distancing themselves from their responsibilities to their employees. Through practices such as multi-layered contracting, the use of staffing or temporary employment firms, franchising, misclassifying employees as independent contractors, and other means, employers are turning traditionally secure jobs into low-wage poverty jobs. While sometimes these practices reflect more efficient ways of producing goods and services, too often they are the result of explicit employer strategies to evade labor laws and erode worker protections.”
Read the Full Report: http://bit.ly/GamingtheSystem
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THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF PAINTERS AND ALLIED TRADES (IUPAT)
Represents a growing community of over 160,000 active and retired craftspeople in the United States and Canada. The IUPAT membership extends far beyond the workplace.
Recognized as one of the most active unions in the labor movement, IUPAT members help shape their communities in many ways: through an abiding commitment to service, by fighting passionately for workers’ rights that benefit all working families, and through effective worker education and mobilization.