LOS ANGELES, April 11, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hundreds of Southwest Carpenters and their families will rally in Buena Park Saturday, April 13th, to shine a spotlight on the corrupt practices of contractors who steal billions of dollars from our communities – money that should be spent on education, public safety and infrastructure. Tax fraud is just one aspect of the illegal business practices plaguing the industry, along with wage theft, independent contractor misclassification, and workers’ compensation insurance fraud.
The Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters (SWRCC) will be joined by some of the nation’s most prominent leaders in the fight to crack down on these destructive and illegal business practices, including Secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency Julie Su, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, Assemblywoman (80th District) Lorena Gonzalez, and Senior Deputy District Attorney, Orange County DA’s Office Donde McCament. Additionally, there will be representatives from the business, public safety and education community to highlight the broader negative impact of this issue to all sectors of society.
“Contractors who don’t play by the rules and engage in criminal activities are hurting working families and responsible law-abiding contractors,” said Dan Langford, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the SWRCC. “This is a serious threat to our industry, and to the ability to create the kind of jobs that provide a pathway to the middle class.”
Construction industry tax fraud and related crimes and violations are happening every day on large-scale projects, costing our communities an estimated $2.6 billion dollars in lost federal and state taxes.
“Cracking down on this issue is critical right now,” said Pete Rodriguez, President of the SWRCC. “We’re facing a serious housing crisis and we need to be able to attract a skilled workforce to construct new projects. But we can’t build our way to the future with fraud and wage theft.”
The April 13th rally in Buena Park is part of the nationwide Construction Industry Tax Fraud Days of Action by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America to raise awareness and generate action against tax fraud and related crimes.
About the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters (SWRCC)
The SWRCC represents over 52,000 union carpenters in six states. The Union is dedicated to raising the safety and standards for all skilled carpenters and advocating for the rights of workers, their families, and their communities. The SWRCC is proud to be affiliated with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. For more, visit www.swcarpenters.org