Monday, November 11, 2024
HomeArchitectureReport exposes alarming labor conditions in South Florida's construction industry including low...

Report exposes alarming labor conditions in South Florida’s construction industry including low pay, safety hazards and lack of benefits

A new report by WeCount!, a nonprofit workers’ organization based in Homestead, has raised urgent concerns about labor conditions in South Florida’s burgeoning construction industry. Behind the Skylines: Labor Conditions in South Florida’s Commercial Construction Industry, the report highlights issues of low pay, safety hazards, and limited access to benefits among the region’s workforce.

Based on surveys of over 300 construction workers currently engaged in projects worth at least $10 million in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, the report reveals that more than 80% of workers struggled to afford basic necessities, such as rent or mortgage payments, during the past year. Over half reported difficulties in paying for groceries, utilities, and medical care.

“Across South Florida: development is booming. With record-setting construction employment, this should be a great time to be a construction worker,” the report states. “Historically, jobs in the construction industry have been regarded as “good” blue-collar jobs that provided a pathway into the middle class through family-supporting wages, opportunities for advancement, and the prospects of a comfortable retirement at the end of a career.

“However, the results of this WeCount! study of working conditions in the commercial construction industry in Miami and Fort Lauderdale reveal that in most building trades occupations, wages are low, employment benefits are not provided, and health and safety risks are common.

“The impacts on workers are significant—they face economic hardships, have few opportunities for career advancement, and must cope with heightened risks of injury on the job. Health and safety in the workplace is of particular concern for construction workers, as the industry has seen the number of injuries and deaths rise with industry growth.”

Findings paint a grim picture of worker benefits: only one in four respondents had access to employer-provided medical insurance, while less than 25% received paid sick days, paid vacation, or life insurance. The average hourly wage among respondents stood at $19, but nearly half of laborers earned less than $15.

While wages in South Florida’s construction sector have seen some increases since 2016, the report argues that these raises have not kept pace with inflation. In fact, the median construction wage in Miami was just $14 an hour seven years ago, underscoring the ongoing struggle for financial stability among workers.

Safety concerns are equally pressing. Despite enduring record heat this past summer, 14% of workers reported having no breaks aside from their lunch hour, and three-quarters indicated they received only one additional break per shift. Although most reported access to water provided by employers, 6% stated that no water was available at their worksites.

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that 91 construction workers died on the job in Florida in 2022, translating to one death every four days. A staggering 46 of those fatalities were linked to falls, slips, and trips, with most incidents occurring within the specialty contractor sub-industry. Ten percent of surveyed workers reported job-related injuries, with medical expenses typically covered by company insurance.

Many workers in the US experience fluctuating work schedules, and increasing numbers work multiple jobs in different industries due to the seasonality and instability of their industries.

“Construction workers in South Florida are no strangers to such insecurity,” the report stated, noting outdoor workers are subject to lost wages when rain or other weather events stop work, but construction workers must also deal with work stoppages due to construction permitting delays, financing issues, or poor management, as well as delays caused by other contractors when work is not completed on schedule.

Construction workers, especially those employed by small companies with fewer contracts, may frequently experience layoffs when work is slow.

The irregular nature of construction jobs most deeply impacts the lowest-paid workers in the industry, who may have to go days or weeks without work. With the cost of living is rising sharply across South Florida, the bitter irony is that the very workers who are helping to build cities like Miami and Fort Lauderdale can no longer afford to live there.

Florida’s construction industry is facing record labor shortages and is consistently unable to meet the need for skilled labor that the demand for new development requires. At the same time, the impacts of the climate crisis are exacerbating precarity and risk for workers: from the record levels of extreme heat across South Florida to the intensifying storms.

The report suggests that unionizing more of the workforce could provide a vital solution to these issues. It cites a 2022 study from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, which found that union construction workers earn, on average, 46% higher incomes and are significantly less likely to live in poverty or depend on Medicaid.

Just 7% of the surveyed construction workers are union members, yet 62% expressed interest in joining a union, highlighting a potential path for improved conditions and benefits.

RELATED ARTICLES
- Advertisment -

Most Popular

Recent Comments