Building and Construction Trades Fight Construction Misclassification and Exploitation

Carson City, Nev. — Today, the Building and Construction Trades of Northern Nevada, the Southern Nevada Building Trades Unions, and the Nevada AFL-CIO released the following statement on AB227, legislation introduced in the Nevada State Legislature by Assemblywoman Maggie Carlton to stop construction misclassification and the negative impact it poses on Nevada’s economy and worker safety. AB227 would protect consumers, protect workers, and ensure that construction jobs in Nevada continue to offer good pay where workers can retire with dignity.

“Across the country, tens of thousands of hard-working men and women are cheated by temp agencies who refuse to take responsibility for their workers. 12,000 construction workers are misclassified in Nevada alone. This is recognized as an illegal practice in the state of Nevada. We’ve got case after case from the Labor Commissioner that demonstrates this. Passing AB227 would correct NRS to make sure it never happens again,” said Rob Benner, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of BCTNN. 

“Good contractors in Nevada are put at a disadvantage because temp agencies use loopholes in the law to get away with misclassifying their workers, leaving homeowners in the lurch and workers injured on the job without the health coverage they need,” said Bill Stanley, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Southern Nevada Building Trades Unions. “This practice puts downwards pressure on all wages, hurting families across the region by exploiting workers and paying them half what they should be earning.”

“This legislation is vital to dramatically reduce construction misclassification fraud, and worker abuse in Nevada,” said Rusty McAllister, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of Nevada AFL-CIO. “Misclassification has likely cost state taxpayers nearly $50 million dollars annually. With this bill, we can not only level the playing field for all contractors, but also ensure that taxpayer dollars are not wasted to cover the missteps of bad actors.”

This legislation has support from both the BCTNN, SNBTU, the Northern and Southern Central Labor Councils, and the Nevada AFL-CIO. 

Video of Benner explaining the need for AB227 can be found here.