ASU approaches the concept of the New Amer-ican University with several idealistic principles, which include a focus on the individual as well as transforming society.
Unfortunately, the very buildings of ASU are not being built on this same idealistic foundation. ASU currently has several building projects being constructed for the New American University at the expense of workers' rights.
Jorge Espejo and Esteban Nortiz are two of 19 workers on strike hoping to reform their employer's abuses. Jobs for these gentlemen at the Texas-based Great Western Erectors are certainly no-frills. As the workers told me though a translator, they receive no vacation, no retirement and no health insurance for family members. Water isn't even provided on the worksite. The company is kind enough to provide them with a jug to get their own water.
So what do the workers get? Espejo and Nortiz said $10.50 an hour. According to them, it's low for rebar. Paradise Rebar, a company that does the same thing as Great Western, pays the highest wages in the Valley - $21 an hour, plus benefits. In addition to poor wages, workers said they receive, at most, a 15-minute break and one half-hour break per day - even if they pull a 16-hour shift.
These workers also face unsafe working conditions. For example, the employees said they always carry their tools, which are harnessed to them. These tools can weigh up to 35 pounds.
To make matters worse, the working environment is also hostile. Espejo and Nortiz, among others, said the foreman is reputed to use offensive and racially charged language. And when workers have complaints, they are met with apathy. According to the AFL-CIO, at another Great Western jobsite in Phoenix, strikers went to meet with the general contractor with the hope of resolving some of these issues, but they were intimidated when Rick Aldrich, the project superintendent, signaled that he had a gun attached to his belt.
So how does a company like Great Western get away with this? Well, most of the workers are Hispanic immigrants, many of which are undocumented. And of approximately 250 workers, only 19 have gone on strike - most fear losing their jobs.
And how has ASU become associated with this company? Through the University's expansion projects, ASU contracted Core Construction for buildings. They subcontracted Powers Steel, which subcontracted Great Western for rebar. Due to extensive contracting and all the red tape caused by company bureaucracy, other companies may sympathize with the workers' cause but fail to take any responsibility.
Previously unaware, the situation has been brought to the attention of ASU by those on strike. The Office of General Counsel should be conducting research on the matter.
As far as the workers are concerned, they want a contract with the company to form a union and reforms of company abuses. They simply want justice and fairness in the workplace. They also want a better future for their families. Those on strike are continuing their three-month struggle for social justice. They protest every workday, 4:30-6 a.m., choosing a different Great Western site in the Valley each day. They protest once a week at ASU on Lemon Street and Rural Road.
It is morally irresponsible for us, as a university, to continue business with this company while workers are being treated unjustly. If we are to truly espouse the principles of the New American University and transform society, then the structures of our university should be built on a foundation of justice and dignity for human beings. That is a future worthy of the New American University.
Rick Beitman is a political science and French junior. Reach him at richard.beitman@asu.edu.
