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José Ignacio, VT construction worker at press conference: “Just like we know that the community is facing challenges, we know that the community is capable of creating solutions.”
Douglas Guerra, construction worker and CTUL Board President: “It is a win-win for both the workers and the companies that join the program. Workers can expect decent conditions and fair pay, while construction companies can be at the forefront of a system that will change the entire industry.”
In yet another groundbreaking victory for advancing workers’ fundamental human rights through the Worker-driven Social Responsibility model, the Vermont Construction Company has committed to join the groundbreaking Building Dignity and Respect Program, marking the first expansion of the BDR Program beyond the state of Minnesota. BDR was founded in 2020 in Minneapolis [[link removed]] and was inspired in its structure and function by the CIW’s Fair Food Program.
This latest news out of Vermont comes on the heels of BDR’s first big breakthrough [[link removed]] late last year when two Minneapolis developers became the first corporations to sign the legally-binding agreements that provide the enforcement power behind BDR and all other WSR programs. With this newfound market power behind them, construction workers in both states can now play the role of the frontline monitors of their own rights at the worksite, ensuring their safety and essential rights are protected. This news holds the potential to be, in short, a transformative moment for the entire construction industry. This is also an especially exciting moment for the state of Vermont, which now boasts two active WSR programs: the new, expanded BDR program as well as Milk with Dignity, which protects the state’s dairy workers by harnessing the purchasing power of Vermont’s iconic Ben & Jerry’s ice cream brand to enforce farmworkers’ rights on dozens of Vermont dairy farms.
Indeed, in industries around the US and the rest of the world, worker and human rights organizations are increasingly looking to WSR in order to safeguard the dignity of low-wage workers by entering into binding legal agreements with corporations at the top of supply chains. With the exponential growth of the groundbreaking Fair Food Program in agriculture both domestically and abroad, the equally impressive track record and growth of the Bangladesh Accord (today the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry [[link removed]'s%20prescribed] ), Milk with Dignity in the dairy industry, and now this exciting news in construction, the future is growing brighter every day for the WSR model.
Be sure to check out an excerpt of the joint press release below, as well as this Vermont Public story [[link removed]] for more media coverage of the signing, where you’ll find the inspiring words of José Ignacio, a Vermont construction worker, who said at the press conference: “Just like we know that the community is facing challenges, we know that the community is capable of creating solutions.”
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Press release: Vermont Construction Company to join Building Dignity and Respect Program
Vermont Construction Company has signed an agreement of cooperation [[link removed]] announcing its commitment to become the first Vermont builder to join a worker-driven program monitoring and enforcing labor and housing standards. The commitment will bring the Building Dignity and Respect Program to Vermont’s fast-growing construction industry and provide much-needed protections to a sector lacking in regulation.
Surrounded by workers and speaking at a signing ceremony outside the Colchester offices of Vermont Construction Company [[link removed]] (VCC), Co-Founder David Richards said: “The Vermont Construction Company is proud to support efforts to improve the welfare of construction workers in Vermont. As an inaugural member, VCC has signed a formal Term Sheet and will help support a third-party auditor to review subcontractor pay, safety, and housing. We welcome the oversight and guidance of the Building Dignity and Respect Standards Council.”
José Ignacio, a construction worker , joined the owners of Vermont Construction Company at the podium. Speaking in Spanish, he lauded the commitment: “Vermont needs more construction workers to address the state’s housing crisis, but many of us who find work in the industry do not have the protections we need to keep ourselves safe or prevent abuse. We are glad that Vermont Construction is making this commitment to the workers on its projects, and we will join together to make sure that workers are treated with the respect and dignity that we all deserve.”
The Building Dignity and Respect (BDR) Program was born out of the vision of construction workers in the Minneapolis-based workers’ center Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha [[link removed]] (CTUL) to address widespread abuse to wages, safety, and retaliation. CTUL has worked to highlight the current abuses in the industry and is calling on multi-family housing developers in the Twin Cities to join the program. The organization has recently secured commitments [[link removed]] from two non-profit developers...
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