PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Gilfredo Valentin on Construction Worker Wages and the Construction Justice Act
2:05:35
·
122 sec
Gilfredo Valentin, a former construction worker, shares his personal experience with low wages in the construction industry and advocates for the Construction Justice Act. He describes the struggles of living on $15 an hour and the improvement in his quality of life after earning $40 an hour.
- Valentin worked on affordable housing projects funded by the city, but received low wages and no health insurance
- He emphasizes the importance of fair wages, healthcare, and retirement savings for construction workers
- Valentin urges the City Council to support the Construction Justice Act to ensure better working conditions in the construction industry
Gilfredo Valentin
2:05:35
So sorry.
2:05:36
Good afternoon.
2:05:37
My name is Alfredo Allentine.
2:05:40
I remember when I first started in construction, I thought $15 a an hour was enough to feed myself and my family.
2:05:48
I had just been released from prison, so it felt like a lot of money for me at the time.
2:05:53
I soon came to realize that it wasn't enough.
2:05:57
I was living check to check barely making enough to survive.
2:06:02
Sometimes I was going without lunch because I didn't have enough to cover my meals for the week.
2:06:09
I felt like I was being forced to choose between paying a rent or buying groceries.
2:06:15
It was ravaged this morning.
2:06:17
It was so much pressure that I lost my ability to laugh.
2:06:22
Later on, I learned that most of the job sites I was working on then were new affordable housing projects that received city funding.
2:06:32
All day, I worked for a roofing contractor and sweating over a hard kettle.
2:06:38
Mixed and tall and spread an ass for.
2:06:42
I did the most for pennies on a dollar, and I never received health insurance from that company.
2:06:48
Now that I make at least $40 an hour now, I no longer worry about putting food on the table.
2:06:55
Doesn't feel like I'm drowning anymore.
2:06:58
I can finally breathe and enjoy time with my family for too long constructions, workers like myself, have been paid public wages on tax paid funded projects.
2:07:12
The city council could change this reality in this time to do the right thing.
2:07:18
Affordable housing should be built with fair wages.
2:07:22
We cannot forget the importance of health care and retirement savings.
2:07:27
I know my worth, and there's at least a $40 package.
2:07:32
I ask you to please support the construction justice act.
2:07:37
Thank you.
