Digi-Key, a leading distributor of electronic components, is in the midst of an ambitious $300 million expansion of the company’s campus in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. The Digi-Key project, which benefits from $44 million in state tax subsidies, has been hailed as a Greater Minnesota success story. At the same time, problems have dogged construction of the 2.2 million square-foot facility under the management of Chicago-based General Contractor McShane Construction Company.
In mid-November, the project saw the tragic death of an Iron Worker due to injuries sustained on the job. More recently, Latino workers installing concrete at the facility have alleged that they have been underpaid and mistreated over the past year.
Workers have raised concerns about the following issues:
Discrimination
Latino Millennium Concrete workers say that they’ve been paid less and treated differently than other employees doing similar work for the same employer -- a claim that appears to be supported by certified payroll reports from the project.
“I've noticed certain things, but I don't know if it’s because of racism, discrimination, or because we are Hispanic. I don't know, but I’ve noticed how it’s different for Hispanic workers and American workers…they give preference to the American workers -- better pay, better treatment, everything is better for them than for the Hispanic workers.”
“That week we didn’t work very much, I worked 39 hours, but I was only paid for 35... It feels bad because I’ve worked for the company for four years, and the problems with the hours are nothing new. It’s been happening for quite a while. Hours go missing and you try to get them back. I’d say it doesn’t matter to them whether you’re short.”
“I’ve had coworkers who were missing work hours [on their paychecks], and they’ve spoken to the boss about it. They say the company will pay [the missing hours], but it doesn’t happen.”
“We were pouring cement in the columns. Only cement work. I asked him why aren't we being paid cement [rates] for this work?”
Abuse and intimidation
Millennium employees say that they have been subjected to verbal abuse and discouraged from talking to union representatives. They also say they were reassigned to lower-paying jobs on another project after meeting with a union organizer.
“Millennium workers are afraid of [one of the supervisors] because he behaves as if he were trying to scare us and subjects us to verbal abuse.”
“There was a time when [the union] guys came and they didn't want us to talk to you. They said if we wanted to eat something they would pay for it, but we shouldn’t talk to you because you would say things that weren’t true… that day they wouldn’t let us talk with you guys.”Injured and kicked to the curb
“On October 17th, the day after we met with [the union organizer], Millennium sent us away from the Digi-Key job to Iowa because they said there wasn’t enough work for us at Digi-Key.”
“On Thursday, December 6, I was working on the measurement to set up rebar. I stumbled over the pins that protruded from the trays where the concrete was poured… I continued working on the project until December 22, when we went on vacation, despite the continuous pain… The supervisors saw me walking with a limp, but never offered to help... [By January 10,] the pain was so bad that I fell to the ground while working… On Friday, January 25, I went to a chiropractor, as I do not have insurance and could not afford a doctor… On Monday, January 28, I went to the Millennium office in Iowa City with [the note]...... But when I called the office the next day, the person who answered told me that there was no one by [my name] working for the company, as if I did not exist [and the supervisor] told me they did not want me back working for the company.”“On Thursday, December 6, I was working on the measurement to set up rebar. I stumbled over the pins that protruded from the trays where the concrete was poured… I continued working on the project until December 22, when we went on vacation, despite the continuous pain… The supervisors saw me walking with a limp, but never offered to help... [By January 10,] the pain was so bad that I fell to the ground while working… On Friday, January 25, I went to a chiropractor, as I do not have insurance and could not afford a doctor… On Monday, January 28, I went to the Millennium office in Iowa City with [the note]...... But when I called the office the next day, the person who answered told me that there was no one by [my name] working for the company, as if I did not exist [and the supervisor] told me they did not want me back working for the company.”