March 26, 2025
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Area Standards, Political Action
A strong union needs skills, benefits and ACTION!
More than 200 members of Carpenters Local 326, the IBEW, elected officials, and the Bridgeport community rallied on Saturday to expose an out-of-state contractor violating labor laws. Check out the coverage in the CT Post here and News 12 Connecticut here.
Carpenters Local 326 Business Manager Marc Okun spoke out against the devastating illegal tactics, “We’re here not because we’re connected to this job- because we are not- but because we have the loudest voice!”
Also in attendance were IBEW 488’s Don McInerney, State Senator Herron Gaston, and City Councilwoman Jeanette Herron, all standing in solidarity for fair labor practices and the fight against construction employer tax fraud.
“The developer who’s renovating this high-rise was issued three stop-work orders last month by the Connecticut Department of Labor for the kind of alleged labor violations that take jobs away from Bridgeport workers,” said Jeanette Herron of the Bridgeport City Council. “They come in and pay workers under the table, or pay them as independent contractors, which means the workers don’t get Social Security credits or protection if they get hurt — and the local tax base is robbed of a substantial revenue stream. It’s wrong on so many different levels and we are here to say, ‘Not in our city’,” Herron said.
With Tax Day fast approaching, shady contractors continue to get away with wage theft, tax fraud, and undercutting honest workers. But the UBC is standing up—for exploited workers, for law-abiding contractors, and for everyday taxpayers who deserve fairness. In the coming weeks, we’re joining a nationwide movement with the UBC, mobilizing across our seven-state region to expose contractor tax fraud and demand accountability. Learn more at stoptaxfraud.net