Union and Non-union Construction Workers Unite to Call for Real Wage Theft Enforcement

More than 100 construction workers and their allies filled the foyer of Minneapolis City Hall on October 15th to advocate for real enforcement of laws that are intended to protect workers but fall far short in reality. After the rally, they took their message straight to United Propoerties, calling on the developer to A new report from North Star Policy Action confirms what workers themselves have been saying loud and clear: the current system, which relies on workers coming forward rather than proactive enforcement, is leaving immigrants and other vulnerable workers behind. 

Centro de Trabajadores en la Lucha (CTUL) members who work in non-union construction anchored the event, including Maria Contreras, who described her struggles to make ends meet from her job’s inconsistent pay. Speakers also emphasized the fears that keep immigrant workers from coming forward when their labor rights are violated. These fears have only become more acute as ICE raids target immigrants on the job and at court proceedings. 

CTUL’s member-leaders were joined at the podium by North Star Policy Action researcher Aaron Rosenthal, who authored the report, City Council President Elliott Payne, who pledged to partner with workers to address the enforcement gap; Whittier (Neighborhood) Alliance Executive Director Anna Schmitz, who voiced her neighborhood’s support for all workers being fairly paid; and Jordan Fry, service director at District Council 82 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, who emphasized his union’s deep commitment to standing with non-union construction workers to fight against wage theft, harassment, and other violations of their rights. 

Many members of the Laborers and Carpenters Unions were also there in support. Workers Confluence is proud to suppor the long-running partnership between CTUL and the Building Trades (LIUNA Minnesota and North Dakota, North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters, and the Minneapolis Building Trades Council), which has brought these injustices to light and developed the solutions proposed in the North Star report.

Highlighted among those solutions: tying construction permits to compliance with municipal labor standards, and embracing independent monitoring such as the model offered through the Building Dignity and Respect Standards Council (BDC). In 2024 two nonprofit developers in Minneapolis, Hope Community and Alliance Housing, signed onto the Building Dignity and Respect monitoring program, and BDC is in talks with multiple for profit developers as well. 

This includes United Properties, which is why workers and their allies marched to the United Propoerties office after the City Hall event with the intention of delivering over 1,000 postcards signed by Minneapolis residents in support of the campaign. Workers who have experienced wage theft also hoped to meet with United executives and share their stories face-to-face, but no one from the company was willing to meet with them.  

Ending wage theft and worker exploitation in the construction industry will take commitment and cooperation – from city and state officials, from union and nonunion workers, from monitors, advocates, and high-road employers willing to embrace transparency. But the determination on display at Minneapolis City Hall on October 15th made it clear that these workers and their allies are united in their fight for safety, family-sustaining wages, and a voice on the job.

Read more:

Minnesota Public Radio – Advocates Want the City of Minneapolis to do More to End Wage Theft, Worker Harrassment