Justice for Roofers


"Justice for Arizona Roofers"
"Justicia para Techeros de Arizona"

AN OPEN LETTER TO MAJOR HOMEBUILDER CORPORATIONS:

We, the undersigned, join to endorse the "Justice for Arizona Roofers" campaign which has been launched by a coalition of religious, civic, labor and retiree organizations. Our groups fully support the campaign's call for moral and civic leadership on the part of large homebuilding companies in ensuring a living wage and decent working conditions for their construction workers.

Roofing workers, in particular, do hot, dirty and dangerous work on homes almost none of them could afford to live in. Major developers, as leaders in the business community and in a prospering economy, have an obligation to ensure that their contractors do not exploit their workers, often the most vulnerable as immigrants and poor families, and instead treat them fairly and with dignity.

Southwest-area roofers are struggling to improve their working conditions. These roofers toil in conditions that are simply atrocious:

  • NO OR INADEQUATE OVERTIME PAY: Construction workers at some companies are cheated out of wages. Some do not receive overtime pay. Others are not paid even straight time for all hours worked.
  • WORKING WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE: Some contractors do not offer any health coverage at all. Others offer insurance that is too expensive for workers to afford. Many construction workers are forced to rely on public assistance for family health care.
  • RACIAL DISCRIMINATION: Latina/o construction workers are often paid far less than white workers with the same seniority and experience. And when they try to stand up for themselves, the contractors often threaten to call in the INS [Immigration and Naturalization Service] and send them back to their native country.
  • WORKING WITHOUT WATER IN THE DESERT: Roofers on far too many job sites don't have access to drinking water - a condition that is simply unacceptable in the Southwest.
  • NO BREAKS OR LUNCH PERIODS
  • RETALIATION AGAINST WORKERS FOR ORGANIZING TO IMPROVE WAGES AND WORKING CONDITIONS: Many contractors illegally prevent workers from improving their situation through threats, disciplinary action and termination.
  • A HIGH RATE OF WORKPLACE INJURIES: The U.S. roofing industry has one of the highest rate of injury of any major industry .

These conditions are simply unacceptable in our 21st-century economy and must be corrected.

WE CALL upon major homebuilders to adopt and implement subcontracting practices that guarantee workers are treated fairly, that respect workers' legal and moral right to form a union to solve workplace problems, and that ensure that workers are not fired or harassed for seeking a voice at work.

CURRENT ENDORSERS OF OUR CAMPAIGN


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