Reply to Why is private sector construction still working in DC?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Construction is exempt as ‘essential infrastructure’ under most executive orders across the country. I work for a GC and it really is a hard balance. If we shut our sites down then our subcontractors and their employees won’t get paid. Most of those employees live paycheck-to-paycheck and they’re desperate for work.

This isn’t just self-serving commentary—if we had a national healthcare system and more paid leave, the answer would be different. More evidence of this—in jobs near borders where one state prohibits construction and the other allows it, we are seeing surplus labor coming over the border. Nobody wants to get sick but they want to feed their families even more.[/quote]

I’m sympathetic to the workers but there are lots of sectors that are affected right now.  Private construction projects have been halted in MA, MI, WA, NY and other states, except for emergency construction like for hospitals. It will be on Bowser’s head when there’s a spike in cases next week and the week following  in DC with many contractors affected.  Building more luxury apartments is not essential activity during a pandemic ![/quote]

Definitely better for their children to starve & their families to become homeless. [/quote]

+1
It's not only "luxury homes" being built, but even if it were, what do you expect the laborers, the tradespeople, and others to do? Are you aware that a single condo or office building can involve 50+ subcontractors, such as the concrete guys, the drywall people, the carpenters, and each is separate businesses that have their employees to pay and take care of? And that of these hundreds of people, some subcontractors that require just physical labor with no skill, might even have an undocumented person mixed in their group? Illegals are human beings too, no? If they stop getting paid, what do you suggest they do? You know that illegals providing labor in all kinds of areas is a reality in this country, and that people can buy certain grocery items for cheaper because of the undocumented people are working under minimum wage, right? I don't mean to get the topic off track, but sometimes the affluent, the comfortably privileged, white collar workers, whatever you want to name it, have no clue beyond their little bubble

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So why should construction workers, including the illegals among them, be privileged when restaurant dishwashers, nail salon workers, barbers and all sorts of other workers are out of luck and many out of work?  I know, campaign contributions from the big developers to the mayor. [/quote]

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