b'Business Managementincreased by 68,000 in April.It is encouraging that the EEOC is also now looking into Harassment is pervasive on many jobsites and posesthis issueespecially considering its missionand we a significant barrier to the recruitment and retention ofwelcome them to a conversation and a process that our women and workers of color in the industry, the reportmembers are already years into about the best and most stated. effective ways to create a more diverse and inclusive industry, Turmail said in an email. It cited a 2021 survey of over 2,600 tradeswomen thatAssociated Builders and Contractors also said it was found nearly one in four women reported experiencingonboard with combating the issues outlined in the report. near-constant sexual harassment, while one in five women of color reported always or frequently experiencing racialABCanditsmembersopposeviolence,coercion, harassment on the job. intimidation, racism and the denial of the rights of anyone, Going beyond its usual focus on civil rights, the agencyby anyone, at any time, said Greg Sizemore, vice president called out the harassment on jobsites as a workplaceof health, safety, environment and workforce development safety issue, citing evidence in an academic study thatat Associated Builders and Contractors.suggestedanincreasedriskofworkplaceinjuryforHe said that for more than 20 years, the groups Inclusion, tradespeople who experience harassment.Diversity and Equity Committee has hosted summits, Finally, the report said that retaliation, while not uniquewebinars,resourcegroupsandawardsprogramsto to construction, was a serious problem in the industry.champion a more diverse construction workforce. We believe everyone in America should be able to live and work in safe environments free from discrimination, harassment, brutality or lawlessness, and we are eager to share our strategy for developing a more diverse, equitable and inclusive construction workforce, Sizemore said. In a step to police themselves, industry stalwarts including Turner Construction, the largest contractor in the country, launched Construction Inclusion Week in 2021 to combat hate on jobsites. A Turner representative said EEOC had not approached the company prior to releasing the report.A longstanding problemWhile constructions reputation as a racist, White-guys-Given the fragmented structure of temporary assignmentsonly club has endured for years, it drew more attention and subcontracting on jobsites, workers who experienceduring the social unrest that erupted in the wake of George discrimination often dont know how to report it, while theFloyds murder. That year, Construction Dive brought threat of retaliation poses a particularly steep barrierattention to nearly two dozen hate incidents at jobsites for workers seeking to assert their rights and changenationally. workplace culture.The EEOCs report is the culmination of a year of focus Contractors respond on construction by the agency that started in May of 2022, Brian Turmail, vice president of public affairs for thewhen it held a hearing to look at harassment in the sector. AssociatedGeneralContractorsofAmerica,saidSince then, it has intensified its scrutiny on reports of the industry has been working aggressively to makediscrimination at construction firms, and designated the construction more diverse and inclusive.sector as an area of concern in its five-year enforcement plan. He pointed to over 900 of the associations membersoutEEOCs report said its next steps would be to continue of a total of 27,000, or around 3%that had signedto meet with unions, employers and industry groups and onto its Culture of Care inclusion program, as well asdevelop technical assistance to help ensure fair hiring digital advertising campaigns that reached traditionallyand equal treatment. underrepresented communities to encourage people to pursue high-paying careers in construction.It will provide industry-specific outreach and training on Turmail also highlighted a 2018 paper the associationharassment prevention, while continuing to investigate and published that made a business case for diversity andresolve charges of discrimination and pursuing litigation inclusion in construction.where necessary in construction.He said AGC welcomed the EEOCs focus on the industry. www.mrca.orgMidwest Roofer 9'