Philadelphia, PA, April 17, 2024 – In coordination between the Carpenters Contractor Trust and Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters (EAS Carpenters Union) Industry and Labor Compliance Department, the Annual virtual roundtable hosted officials from five Attorneys’ General offices on April 12th to educate EAS Carpenters Union staff, membership, and local elected leaders throughout the region on wage theft and tax fraud.

Over two million construction workers are estimated to be misclassified annually in the United States. Tax fraud and wage theft denies employees access to critical protections they are entitled to such as overtime, minimum wage, family and medical leave, and, in some cases, safe workplaces. This practice strips workers of their legal protections and siphons off approximately $8.4 billion each year from government resources, undermining public services and fair market competition that not only impacts the construction industry, but throughout all sectors of the US economy.

“I firmly believe that by actively enforcing our labor laws and statutory regulations across multiple industries, we send a powerful message within the construction sector,” said New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. “We’re going to continue to prioritize the work on misclassification because it matters to the women and men doing work on the ground, as well as to the integrity of our businesses.”

Speakers for the event included Delaware Deputy Attorney General Oliver Cleary, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb, Deputy Chief of Staff & Chief Counsel to the Pennsylvania Attorney General Kristen E. Heine, and Deputy to the Maryland Attorney General Leonard Howie. William Waterkotte, Eastern District Vice President for the International United Brotherhood of Carpenters, and Matt Capece, Representative of the General President Doug McCarron of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (UBC) also participated in the event

For more information about Construction Industry Tax Fraud Days of Action, please visit: stoptaxfraud.net

About The Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters
The Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters is a labor union that develops, trains, and empowers the hardworking men and women of the skilled construction trades. The EAS Carpenters Union has a strong presence in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia, overseeing 25 local unions representing over 42,000 union carpenters. Our members are professionally trained in various crafts outside of general carpentry, including interior systems, high-rise construction, concrete, and heavy highway infrastructure. Our specialty crafts include pile drivers, dock builders, commercial divers, floor layers, millworkers/cabinet makers, millwrights, and tradeshow workers.

For more information about EAS Carpenters Union, please visit: eascarpenters.org.

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