We’re not surprised by the results of the survey. Workers on these jobs tell us they are dealing with unpaid wages and pressure to work through break times as well as a lack of drinking water and proper safety equipment.

The Building Justice campaign researched the report, “Poorly Built by Pulte,” after union organizers suspected poor working conditions likely would result in problematic homes. Their fears were confirmed when 59 percent of 411 surveyed homeowners cited defects in their homes.

The release of today’s report coincides with the launch of a new website, www.poorlybuiltbypulte.info. The site will enable Pulte and Del Webb homeowners to participate in an expanded survey, participate in forums, share photos, and post YouTube video links. Nevada Pulte and Del Webb homeowners will be the focus of a future report.

Pulte homeowner Terry Templeton, mother of seven, tearfully described her experience with Pulte:

The day after the Pulte superintendent called me to say there would be another delay in our home closing, I went out to visit our home site. Water had poured from a bad plumbing connection upstairs, flooded the house and the ceiling had collapsed.

Pulte had me convinced that I was the only one. It wasn’t until neighbors started coming to me for help and we started sharing stories that I realized we all had similar problems. Ironically, we were all being told the same thing—‘It’s not a defect, it will be taken care of, and you’re the only one with a problem.’ ”

Unfortunately, Templeton was not alone. The report is filled with accounts of dissatisfied homeowners. One homeowner from Chandler wrote in the survey:

Drywall, stucco, cracked patio, driveway, leaky pipes, etc. If this was a car I would get a new one under the Lemon Law. I have had nothing but problems. This house was worth $200, not $200,000.

Survey respondents also noted that model homes contained expensive upgrades and did not accurately reflect the homes they were sold. Matt O’Malley, lead researcher for the AFL-CIO working on the Building Justice campaign, sums up the situation this way.

Pulte points to its ranking as one of JD Power & Associates’ highest ranking homebuilders in terms of customer satisfaction—and its Del Webb brand ranked second for the Phoenix market in 2007. The results of our survey suggest that these awards overstate homeowners’ satisfaction with new Pulte homes.

Building Justice is a partnership comprised of IUPAT, the Sheet Metal Workers and the AFL-CIO.