CPWR — The Center for Construction Research and Training: CERN Meeting

The meeting of the Construction Economics Research Network on December 5 and 6, 2007 addressed the role of immigrant workers in construction. The meeting opened with a presentation by Secretary-Treasurer Sean McGarvey on the Building and Construction Trades Department’s position on immigration legislation. The first panel provided demographic and social background on immigrants and where they worked within the construction sector. The second panel focused on measurement of the economic impact of immigrants on the construction industry. Presenters on the third panel both developed safety and health issues facing immigrant workers in construction and discussed programs to improve the safety and health of immigrant workers. Finally, the late afternoon of the first day was given over the two presentations on determining labor demand for craft labor.

It is not possible to distill eight hours of presentations into a brief review. Readers can view powerpoint presentations and papers from the meeting on this website. Several points emerging from this meeting should however be highlighted. First, as indicated by Secretary-Treasurer McGarvey, it is not economically feasible to remove the current undocumented immigrant population. This was reinforced by PEW Hispanic data showing that a large fraction of immigrant households include US citizen children. It is not possible for the industry and its members to ignore the effects and needs of current immigrants. Second, there is remarkably little research focused on immigrants in the construction industry. We know little about the distribution of immigrant workers by sector or trade, or about their economic impact on the industry and its workers. Finally, immigrants are particularly vulnerable with respect to safety and health conditions. Given that many work outside the labor regulatory system, they are vulnerable to economic exploitation and are, to a much greater degree than documented workers, at the mercy of their employers with respect to working conditions. Part of resolving the negative impacts of immigrants on documented and non-immigrant construction workers is to bring the undocumented within that regulatory system.

The Economics of Immigration:

December 6 - 7, 2007

Washington Room

Hotel Washington

15th and Pennsylvania Ave

Washington, D.C.

December 6, 2007

Noon – 1:00 Pre-conference lunch

1:00 – 1:15 Welcome

Pete Stafford, CPWR Executive Director

1:15 – 1:45 Building Trades position on Immigration

Sean McGarvey, BCTD Secretary-Treasurer