Photos by Jason Cato
Workers from 21Rio Hold Vigil to Remember Deceased co-workers
and call for an end to gross workplace abuse
Who: Workers Defense Project and Workers at the 21 Rio Construction Site
What: Workers Defense Project, 21Rio Construction Workers, and faith leaders
When: Wednesday, December 16th 7pm
Where: 21 Rio Apartments, 2101 Rio Grande St.
AUSTIN, TX---Six months after construction workers Wilson Joel Irias Cerritos, Raudel Ramirez Camacho and Jesus Angel Lopez Perez fell 11 stories to their deaths while working on 21Rio apartments complex, their co-workers will hold a candlelight vigil in their memory.
The vigil will draw attention to the abysmal working conditions on the 21Rio site, that left three workers dead, and left nearly 2 dozen other co-workers grossly underpaid for their hard work on the site. These workers were denied overtime pay and not paid at all for their final weeks of work at the 21 Rio worksite, after their three co-workers were killed in an accident that is being investigated as a negligent homicide. In all, workers estimate that they are owed over $55,000.00[1] in back wages on the 21Rio site.
When the subcontractor they worked for disappeared after the accident, German Zaravia and his co-workers advised contractors about the issue but no action was taken to make payment. Since then, Workers Defense Project has attempted to negotiate a fair settlement with contractors and owners of the building.
“We did our work, we even risked our lives out there on that worksite. No one should have to die for their job and no one should have to fight just to be paid,” says German Zaravia, who is owed $7,000 in back wages and was working on the site the day of the accident. “We are holding this vigil because when they died we were too afraid to come forward, but now we want all of Austin to know what we construction workers and our families are suffering.”
A recent study by Workers Defense Project and the University of Texas found that Texas leads the nation in construction deaths, with a worker dying every 2.5 days in the state and that construction workers have a one in five chance of not being paid their wages.[2]
“We’ve seen that employers who are willing to cut corners on safety are also likely to show a complete disregard for workers’ rights,” explains Emily Timm of the Workers Defense Project, a local organization dedicated to improving working conditions for low-wage workers in construction and other industries. “Its not a coincidence that wage theft would take place on a worksite that had gross safety violations.”
The accident and concurrent employment abuses highlight the need for greater oversight on construction worksites in Austin. In October, the City of Austin passed a resolution requiring city staff to present recommendations for a construction safety program by January 22nd.
OSHA is investigating and is required to release its determination this month. The accident is being investigated by APD as a negligent homicide.
This is a Z Graphix production, Produced by Jeffry Zavala
http://www.zgraphix.org
For More Information Go To:
http://www.workersdefense.org
http://www.buildaustin.org
[1] Workers for the same subcontractor are owed a total of $120,000 for work done on 21Rio and one other site in Austin during the same time period. Specifically, $55,000 is owed to 18 workers for work done on 21Rio.
[2] Cox, Lauren et al. Building Austin, Building Injustice: Working Conditions in Austin’s Construction Industry. June 2009.
No comments:
Post a Comment