Home Is Where the Exploitation Is

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Pulte Homes, the country’s fourth-largest housing developer, faces strikes in two cities over its contracting practices. Pulte outsources building operations like drywalling and painting to contractors. But workers building Pulte houses know who’s ultimately responsible when they face unsafe working conditions, low wages, long hours, unaffordable health care, and nonpayment of overtime.

Attempts to organize or speak out are met with intimidation and threats of replacement. Harassed employees in Phoenix and Las Vegas have gone on strike against their subcontracting firms and are agitating against Pulte. Workers hired to build homes for Pulte by contractors are picketing developments and leafleting prospective home buyers.

They say management enforces speed-up that jeopardizes workers’ health and safety. Workers employed by Pulte’s subcontractors regularly cite lack of OSHA-mandated safety equipment and training on the job. Some have had to build makeshift scaffolds and provide their own safety masks. Worse yet, some do without protection. Workers say they don’t receive time off or workers compensation for injuries, and must work when injured to protect their jobs. Workers who complain about unsafe conditions are fired.

Many Pulte subcontractors pay piece rate and refuse to pay overtime. Others alter employee timesheets so that workers are paid for 40 hours even when working many more.

Join the striking workers and help build justice at Pulte Homes. Demand Pulte CEO Richard Dugas respect workers’ rights by subcontracting only to firms that do the same. Write to: Pulte Homes, 100 Bloomfield Homes Parkway, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304. To get involved with the campaign in the Phoenix or Las Vegas areas, contact Will Tanzman with Interfaith Worker Justice at 773-206-1524 or June Rosten with the AFL-CIO at 202-230-4689.