THE CONSTRUCTION WORKER PROJECT
Construction workers from Latin America build many of the homes and offices in this growing area. Whether roofers, painters, carpenters, dry-wallers, or plumbers, these men and women bring great expertise, and work long hours. Many have been here for more than decade: they pay taxes, send their children to local schools; worship at neighborhood churches; and by now consider the area home. Yet they face many challenges. Their jobs are dangerous and physically demanding. Most Latino workers do not receive retirement, vacation, and sick leave benefits because they lack papers, despite doing such essential work. They are often separated from loved ones back in Mexico and Central America, and must live with the fear of ICE raids and deportation. Despite these many obstacles, Latino workers have raised up the buildings where we live and work with their sweat, skill, and a vision of a better life for themselves and their families.
The Construction Worker Project is a collaboration between Duke undergraduates and local construction workers to document the lives of these men and women and what they contribute to our society. It includes the installation at the top of this page based on the Durham skyline, which was created by artist Hermes Illana, an immigrant from Brazil himself, which is 4 feet by 12 feet and available for free exhibit in schools and elsewhere. Its design makes visible the sometimes-invisible work that goes into creating the city. Photographs were taken by students, construction workers, and Hermes Illana; all the quotes come from interviews conducted by students with workers. The eight construction workers (without last names to protect identities) who participated in the project are: Ernesto, Saul, Marvin, Omar, Tere, Melvin, Fredy, Filemón. You can learn more about their stories under the biographies tab above.
The Construction Worker Project has been generously supported by the Dean of Academic Affairs for Trinity College of Arts and Sciences; the Franklin Humanities Institute; and the Department of Cultural Anthropology. For more information, contact Orin Starn, ostarn@duke.edu
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EL PROYECTO DE TRABAJADORES DE CONSTRUCCIÓN
Trabajadores Latinos construyen muchas de las casas y oficinas en el área del Triángulo. Ya sean techadores, pintores, carpinteros, dry-wallers o plomeros, estos hombres y mujeres aportan una gran experiencia y trabajan largas horas. Muchos de ellos han vivido aquí por más de una década; pagan impuestos; envían a sus hijos a escuelas locales; asisten a iglesias de vecindario; y ya consideran a esta zona como su casa. Sin embargo, enfrentan muchos desafíos. Sus trabajos son peligrosos y físicamente exigentes. Aunque desempeñan labores tan vitales para el beneficio de toda la sociedad, la mayoría de ellos tampoco reciben ni beneficios de jubilación ni vacaciones pagadas, por carecer de documentos. A menudo también están separados de queridos familiares y amigos en México y América Central, y tienen que vivir con el temor de las redadas de ICE y la deportación. A pesar de estas muchas dificultades, los trabajadores de construcción latinos han logrado crear una nueva vida para ellos mismos y sus familias en en esta zona. Han levantado los edificios donde vivimos y trabajamos con su esfuerzo, habilidad, y una visión de una vida mejor.
El Proyecto de Trabajadores de Construcción es una colaboración entre estudiantes de Duke y los mismos trabajadores de construcción para documentar sus vidas y lo tanto que contribuyen a nuestra región. Incluye el poster que se vee arriba basada en el horizonte de Durham, el cual fue creado por el artista Hermes Illana, el también un inmigrante, de Brasil. El diseño hace visible el trabajo a veces invisible que entra la creación de la ciudad. Las fotografías fueron tomadas por estudiantes, trabajadores de la construcción, y Hermes Illana; las citas provienen de entrevistas realizadas por estudiantes con trabajadores. El poster es 12 por 4 pies y puede ser expuesto en cualquier escuela u otro lugar público sin costo. Los ocho trabajadores de construcción (sin apellidos para proteger las identidades) que participaron en el proyecto son: Ernesto, Saul, Marvin, Omar, Tere, Melvin, Fredy, Filemón. Para más detalles sobre sus historias, vea la sección arriba de “Biografías.”
El Proyecto de Trabajadores de la Construcción ha sido generosamente apoyado por el Dean of Academic of Affairs of Trinity College of Arts and Sciences; el Franklin Humanities Institute; y el Departamento de Antropología Cultural. Para mayor información, contacte a Orin Starn, ostarn@duke.edu
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Below are cited various facts and figures regarding Latinos and American construction:
- About 73% of the 2.8 million Hispanics working in construction in 2015 were born outside the U.S., and nearly 1.7 million (59%) were not U.S. citizens
- In 2015, 48% of Hispanic construction workers resided in the South region of the U.S.
- In 2015, about 88% of Hispanic workers had jobs in production occupations, compared to 67% of non-Hispanic workers. Only 8% of Hispanic workers were employed in managerial or professional occupations in 2015, while 25% of non-Hispanic workers were in such occupations that year.
- Durham’s Hispanic population has grown to about 36,000 people – about 14 percent of the city’s 288,000 in 2010
- A third of Durham’s Latino population lives below poverty level. Many of the Latino immigrants in the city have lower educational achievement than the rest of the population, a gap heightened by the presence of Duke, North Carolina Central University and other nearby universities.
- Since the onset of the Great Recession in 2007, the pace of growth of the U.S. Hispanic population has slowed given fewer immigrants and a falling birth rate, bringing the annual average growth rate down from 4.4% to 2.8%
- Roughly one in five of all workplace fatalities happened in construction in 2017. Put another way, about 80 workers each month lose their lives doing construction work. Workers who are young, Hispanic and work for small construction firms have the highest fatality rates of any group of workers in the country, according to a new NIOSH and ASSE report that explores the overlapping vulnerabilities facing young Hispanic immigrants in the construction industry.
- In North Carolina, construction contributed $19.8 billion (3.7%) of the state’s GDP of $540.5 billion
- As of January 18, 2019, approximately 30.7% (3,433) of all employed construction workers in the United States (11,181 total) identified as Hispanic/Latino.
- Within some construction occupations, more than half of the workers were of Hispanic origin; this includes drywall installation (61.2%), roofing (54.4%), and painting (51.7%)
- Hispanic are over- represented in the construction industry, given that they account for 15% of the total U.S. population
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Sources:
[1] https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat18.htm
[2] https://www.osha.gov/oshstats/commonstats.html
[3] https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cfoi.pdf
[4] https://demography.cpc.unc.edu/2017/10/17/nc-in-focus-hispanic-employment-business-ownership/
[6] https://www.cnn.com/2013/09/20/us/hispanics-in-the-u-s-/index.html
