“Nothing Gets Built Without These Hands: March for Dignity and Respect”
Northeast Park Neighborhood, Minneapolis, September 12, 2023
Over 300 members of neighborhood organizations, faith leaders, union members, community groups, and faith leaders walked alongside Twin Cities construction workers, who are members of Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha (CTUL), in a mile-long march calling on Solhem Companies, Yellow Tree, and United Properties to embrace the groundbreaking Building Dignity and Respect (BDR) Program.
The march started across the street from a massive 3.4-acre project proposed by Solhem (Youngblood Lumberyard) that would include up to 600 units in the area of the North East Park Neighborhood Association (NEPNA) in Minneapolis. As a developer, Solhem has had multiple contractors work on their projects that have a history of violations of workers’ rights, including wage theft, child labor, accusations of sexual assault, and more. Members of Northeast community joined the march and sent a message of solidarity to the workers after NEPNA passed a resolution that the neighborhood organization would not support the Youngblood project, or any other project in their neighborhood unless there are worker protections through the BDR Program.
The march culminated when workers delivered plaster molds of their hands to HenCen, one of Solhem’s most recent projects. Pastor Korla Masters of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America led a reflection on the moment, looking towards a vision of housing justice and worker justice. The powerful moment was followed by a moment of silence for all the untold stories of abuse workers face in the construction industry.
“Housing in the Twin Cities is built with our hands. We delivered plaster molds of our hands to bring this labor out of the shadows and into the public light. It’s time for housing developers to take responsibility and ensure basic dignity and respect for the workers who help build their wealth,” said Douglas Guerra, a construction worker and CTUL member.
We ended the march at Chute Park across the street from the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation offices, where people walked through the public art exhibit to learn more about the Building Dignity and Respect Campaign.
It was an amazing week of struggle and solidarity. More reports to come soon. In the meantime, help spread word by liking and sharing stories and images on social media: Twitter, Facebook
