Publication Date:
Thu, 2011-01-20 10:36
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Union members shut down a Mortgage Bankers Association conference in Washington, D.C., yesterday in protest of PulteGroup Inc.’s use of $900 million in tax breaks meant to spur job creation.
The Wall Street Journal [1]reported that approximately 200 union members took over the stage yesterday, shutting the conference down for approximately 10 minutes. Members of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, the Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades and the AFL-CIO organized the protest.
The protestors chanted, “Where are the jobs?,” and held a banner that said “Pulte: Where is the $900 million?”
Many attendees were unsure why the protestors chose to interrupt the Mortgage Bankers’ conference, but it was likely spurred by the attendance of Debra Still, chief executive of Pulte’s mortgage unit.
According to the Wall Street Journal, although the unions have been pressing Congress to investigate Pulte’s use of the $900 million, their real issue with Pulte is that it uses contractors that do not hire unionized workers.
