Construction Citizen's blog

Workers who helped build the new international terminal at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta were finally paid thousands of dollars which they were owed in overtime pay.  In the television report, investigative reporter Richard Belcher of Channel 2 News in Atlanta, Georgia explained that the workers were misclassified as independent contractors instead of employees, and were given a “ten ninety nine” form instead of a W-2 by their employer, Colt’s Drywall Inc.

The injustice came to light when some of the employees informed Jimmy Gibbs, a troubleshooter for the carpenters’ union, that they were not being paid as employees.  Gibbs alerted the US Department of Labor who then discovered that not only were the workers not having taxes withheld from their pay, but they were also working more Read more »

Armstrong World Industries Inc., a leading designer and manufacturer of floors, ceilings and cabinets, has a unique and interesting vehicle that they use to educate customers about their products.  Recently the Armstrong Ceiling and Wall Systems Mobile Training Solutions Center stopped at Kirksey Architecture for a day of demonstrations and education.

The Armstrong Ceiling and Wall Systems Mobile Training Solutions Center is a customized trailer for a semi-trailer truck which has been converted into a travelling product showroom and classroom.  Armstrong representatives bring the trailer to the office parking lots of construction companies and offer training and demonstrations Read more »

The view from Interstate 45 is changing as the new ExxonMobil campus aka Project Delta and the nearby future retail and residential development Springwoods Village take shape.

Up until last fall, the intersections where Spring Crossing Blvd led away to the east from the freeway’s northbound and southbound frontage roads were controlled with stop signs.  Now that Springwoods Village Pkwy leads west from that point, and appears to be one of the main entrance routes to the future ExxonMobil complex, four-way traffic lights are already operating.  Read more »

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The American Subcontractors Association (ASA) presented a 2011 Excellence in Ethics Certificate to Marek Brothers Systems Inc., Houston for achieving “the highest standards of internal and external integrity for a subcontracting firm.”

Mike Holland, president of Marek Brothers Systems in Houston, received the award for the firm.  He remarked:

“We are honored by ASA’s recognition of the operating principles we have embraced for decades.  The Marek organization places great value on the good work ASA does for its members and the construction industry.  ASA member companies represent the best of the best and the Excellence in Ethics program establishes the ‘blue chip’ standard the Marek Companies strive to achieve in everything we do.”

Marek Brothers was one of seven construction subcontractors to receive an Excellence in Ethics Certificate during ASA’s annual meeting on March 2 in conjunction with Read more »

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.”   Read more »

Representatives from Construction Citizen recently visited the offices and training facilities of Houston’s SER-Jobs for Progress, guided by the executive director of SER, Nory Angel.  SER, which means “to be” in Spanish, was originally started in 1965 as a volunteer organization to help Hispanic veterans find jobs, but has since grown into a multifaceted organization which provides a variety of services to individuals living in low-income communities.

SER offers vocational job training to veterans, youth and adults in areas such as Green Core Construction, Weatherization and Retrofitting, Home Energy Rating Systems, and Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC).  They also offer career assessment and counseling, classes in business etiquette, help with resume preparation, and many other services to help individuals find and maintain employment.  Read more »

Anders Lewendal is a homebuilder from Bozeman, Montana who also holds a degree in economics.  Last month, on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, journalist David Muir featured him and his endeavor to create more jobs in America by convincing contractors to build with American-made products.  Lewendal asserts that if every builder used 5% more American materials, over 220,000 jobs would be created in our country.

The videos below feature a home Lewendal is building using 100 percent American-made materials – the nails and screws, the tape, the paint, the insulation, the duct sealant, the door hinges, the windows – everything.  To accomplish this, he used a list of American manufacturers who produce the building materials needed.  Compiled by The All American Home, this list is growing, and includes companies from over 33 states.  Lewendal encourages other contractors to join him in this effort to build with more American-made products.   Read more »

Earlier this month, Jim Kollaer interviewed Saied Alavi, operations manager for Marek Brothers Systems, about the volunteer work he and others in the construction industry are providing to build a home for a disabled veteran through the Homes for Our Troops program.  In a blog last week, Kollaer wrote about the project and the veteran, Lance Corporal Daniel Peterson, who will receive the house after an explosion in Afghanistan led to the amputations of both of his legs when he was 20 years old.

Back in November, Alavi was approached by a friend from business partner SpawGlass who wanted Read more »

Subcontracting companies working at Pulte Homes sites in Massachusetts have been found guilty of wage theft, payroll fraud, and unemployment insurance violations.  The subcontractors have been ordered to pay more than $400,000 in unpaid wages and penalties, and more than $141,000 has been recovered in previously outstanding revenue for Massachusetts’ unemployment system.

Pulte Homes of New England LLC and Pulte Braintree LLC operated several construction sites which were investigated after Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office and the Joint Enforcement Task Force on the Underground Economy and Employee Read more »

Last month Cornerstone, the quarterly magazine of American General Contractors Houston (AGC), published an article about the Construction Career Collaborative (C³), the initiative advanced by socially responsible owners, contractors and specialty contractors in the Houston area to improve the commercial construction industry by embracing principles that will lead to a sustainable craft workforce.  Titled Building a Viable Career Path: C³ Brings Owners and Contractors Together in Favor of Training, Fair Wages, and High-Quality Craft Workers, the article offers a comprehensive view of C³ from its task force origin two years ago through its development and promotion to its current position preparing to launch with a few “beta” projects.   Read more »