EEOC report berates construction for discrimination | Dump Trucks Charlotte NC

Capping a year of hearings and increased scrutiny on sexual and racial discrimination in the construction industry, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued a report Wednesday laying bare the continued prevalence of hate and bias on building jobsites. 

The agency called out the appearance of nooses and hate speech on projects, including references to slavery and lynching, while saying the sector stood out from other industries for the unique and deplorable nature of the biased actions that occurred toward women and workers of color. EEOC received at least 64 charges involving nooses in the construction industry between fiscal years 2015 and 2022, the report said.

“For years, some of the most egregious incidents of harassment and discrimination investigated by the EEOC have arisen in the construction industry,” the report said. “In many instances, men of color and women of all races and ethnicities face hostile columbus oh dump truck company environments based on race, national origin, sex or some combination of these characteristics, on jobsites across the country.”  

While acknowledging the efforts of some construction firms to foster a more inclusive columbus oh dump truck company environment for underrepresented people, the 110-page report concluded, “Nevertheless, discrimination remains a substantial barrier to entry, retention and advancement of women and people of color in construction decades after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed race, sex and national origin discrimination by employers and unions.”

The report broke down the underrepresentation of women and people of color in the sector, noting that women make up 11% of all workers in the construction workforce — including office and clerical positions — and 4% of tradesworkers. Black people make up 7% of construction workers, compared to 13% in the general workforce. 

And while Bureau of Labor Statistics data consistently shows that around a third of construction workers are Hispanic or Latino, the report said that within the industry’s ranks, Black and Hispanic or Latino employees were disproportionately concentrated in lower-paying positions. 

A vicious cycle of exclusion

The report said these types of discrepancies between the industry’s 87% White and 89% male workers contributed to a vicious cycle of fewer underrepresented individuals being hired for available positions. For years, the sector has struggled to fill open jobs, the number of which increased by 68,000 in April. 

“Harassment is pervasive on many jobsites and poses a significant barrier to the recruitment and retention of women and workers of color in the industry,” the report stated. 

It cited a 2021 survey of over 2,600 tradeswomen that found nearly one in four women reported experiencing near-constant sexual harassment, while one in five women of color reported always or frequently experiencing racial harassment on the job.

Going beyond its usual focus on civil rights, the agency called out the harassment on jobsites as a workplace safety issue, citing evidence in an academic study that suggested an increased risk of workplace injury for tradespeople who experience harassment. 

Finally, the report said that retaliation, while not unique to construction, was a “serious problem” in the industry. 

Given the fragmented structure of temporary assignments and subcontracting on jobsites, workers who experience discrimination often don’t know how to report it, while the threat of retaliation poses “a particularly steep barrier for workers seeking to assert their rights and change workplace culture.”

Contractors respond

Brian Turmail, vice president of public affairs for the Associated General Contractors of America, said the industry has been working aggressively to make construction more diverse and inclusive. 

He pointed to over 900 of the association’s members — out of a total of 27,000, or around 3% — that had signed onto its Culture of Care inclusion program, as well as digital advertising campaigns that reached traditionally underrepresented communities to encourage people to pursue high-paying careers in construction. 

Turmail also highlighted a 2018 paper the association published that made a business case for diversity and inclusion in construction. 

He said AGC welcomed the EEOC’s focus on the industry.