March 22, 2019 (Nashville). When luxury hotels and general contractors refuse to take responsibility for all workers on their sites, Nashville won’t sit quietly. Workers and community members took to the streets twice in the past week, sounding the (bull)horn against treacherous conditions in construction.
On Saturday, instead of the typical high-end tourists with suitcases in tow, JW Marriott management was greeted by dozens of workers and supporters banging pots, pans, drums and other noisemakers for a 7AM Wake Up Call. “It is unacceptable they must shout so loud, just to have their voices heard,” added Samantha Rae, in between chants and drumming.
This was followed by a Mega March for Worker Justice on Wednesday, where around 70 people marched from JW Marriott to general contractor Skanska’s local corporate offices to the massive 5th + Broadway development project. Several workers and their spouses, with children in tow, spoke about their struggle for justice. Elizabeth, the wife of one of the workers demanding justice, said, “In addition to not getting paid overtime pay for a year, he was working 12 hours a day those last two weeks, and wasn’t paid at all for those weeks. The bills came, rent was due, and we were all in that situation. Of course, we want our money, but we also want laws and regulations so this never happens to anyone else. We must stand together as workers.”
Metro Council member Colby Sledge, standing in front of Skanka’s office, said “When we work, we deserve our pay, and here we have the example of Skanska. We demand that we need better protections for workers in Nashville.”
Nearly 100 workers who helped build the JW Marriott — as employees of subcontractors on the Skanska site — filed a $1.6 million federal lawsuit in May 2018 alleging widespread wage theft. They’re also demanding that Skanska implement high-road standards with worker-led monitoring for all of their Nashville-area worksites to ensure no more workers have to experience the same mistreatment.
It’s time to hold billionaire construction contractors and luxury developers accountable. We cannot remain silent in the face of injustice. Keep following our facebook page for ways you can speak out with us.
Wake Up Call action photos taken by Kyle Lincoln.