Labor & Employment Law

Pulte CEO Hides from Protestors

By admin

Ben Horowitz, researcher for Painters and Allied Trades District Council 15, sends us this report.

Almost 300 workers showed up in Troy, Mich., to ask PulteGroup CEO Richard Dugas what his company has done with almost $900 million in tax refunds from the federal government. Dugas was scheduled to speak at a luncheon for the Detroit Economic Council. The event was postponed at the last minute.

Says Saundra Williams, president of the Detroit Metro AFL-CIO:

PulteGroup received almost $900 million in tax refunds thanks to legislation intended to create jobs. Where did the money go? Where are the jobs?

While the tables for the luncheon sat empty, community and labor leaders from Detroit spoke to a full room of union members and community leaders. After a prayer for justice from Pastor John Pitts, Jr. of the Praise Temple International, Angel Rangel, a sheet metal worker from Arizona, talked about poor working conditions on PulteGroup sites.

Aides representing Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and state senator Vincent Gregory joined the call for answers from PulteGroup, reading statements from the legislators. Representatives from SMWIA and IUPAT thanked their brothers and sisters for coming out in solidarity and the crowd erupted into a chant.

The action is part of a national campaign to hold the nation?s largest homebuilder accountable for its actions both in the financial arena and the market place. The home builder has been dogged by reports of low quality, violations of environmental regulations and worker complaints about failure to maintain wage standards.

Said Pastor John Pitts, Jr.:

Dugas was supposed to give a speech on leadership in tough times. What kind of leader runs away from accountability and won’t answer the tough questions?

PulteGroup received nearly $900 million through the Worker, Homeownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009. The Act was intended to create jobs and extend benefits to the unemployed. Instead, PulteGroup is spending the cash on increasing the ranks of the unemployed by laying off more and more people. Recently, the company reported spending $8 million on employee severances and related costs, and announced plans to cut 350 jobs and close a plant in Tolleson, Ariz., that makes doors, frames, trusses and other components for its new homes. Since receiving the $900 million in tax refunds, PulteGroup has not indicated to its investors that it is spending money on creating jobs.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on December 16, 2010 (boomark / email).