Workers, Allies to Pulte Shareholders: You’re Responsible for Working Conditions

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Robert Masciola, deputy director of the AFL-CIO Center for Strategic Research, shares this recent action by workers and their allies at a recent Pulte shareholder meeting in the Detroit area.

Outraged Detroit community members demanded entry to Michigan-based Pulte Homes’ Annual Shareholders Meeting on Friday, armed with copies of a newly released report detailing the company’s lending practices. More than 100 Michigan residents, ranging from construction workers and seniors to Catholic priests and nuns, marched on the meeting held in Pontiac.

Metropolitan Detroit AFL-CIO President Saundra Williams welcomed supporters of the Building Justice campaign to Detroit to demand that Pulte take accountability for all its business practices.

Sheet metal workers and painters had flown in from Arizona to address company executives and the board of directors about working conditions at Pulte job sites but were denied entry to the meeting. The company claimed their credentials were not in order and refused to admit them. Workers wanted to remind the company they should take responsibility for worksite conditions. It has been reported that subcontractors, which employ these workers, don’t provide proper training, have unsafe working conditions and have denied workers payment for all the hours they have worked.

Outside, the crowd denounced Pulte’s mortgage lending record, saying the company originated too many high-risk loans during the boom and is not being held accountable for the devastating results.

Detroit retiree Ethel Schwartz, laughing as fellow protesters donned masks with the images of founder William Pulte and CEO Richard Dugas, got serious when she warned baby boomers in the crowd:

I want other Michigan seniors to get informed if they are considering purchasing a home from Pulte/Del Webb. Pulte Homes acted irresponsibly—why spend your pension and savings on a company like that?

Read the full report, “Pulte Homes and Risky Loans: The Hidden Cost of Selling New Homes,”  here.

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