Building Dignity: can a code of conduct stop abuse of US construction workers?

Minnesota advocates hope to end exploitation of construction workers by making developers make ethical standards pledge

After putting up a new interior wall for a six-story dorm for University of Minnesota students, Ivan Gonzalez confessed to some problems with a job that he, along with dozens of other immigrant workers, were rushing to finish.

Inside a second-floor dorm room-to-be, Gonzalez said he typically worked 10-hour days, six days a week doing drywall, and was paid $220 a day, often in cash. There's no overtime pay, no benefits," Gonzalez said, noting he sometimes worked 13-hour days.