Workers who are striking against Brandt Construction based out of Milan and their subsidiary Hy-Brand Industrial Contractors spoke before the Galesburg City Council last night.
They’ve recently gone on tour to the councils of Davenport, Rock Island, Muscatine and Moline to raise awareness to frame their employer as a “bad actor in the construction world”.
They alleged abusive practices by the company which include verbal and physical maltreatment from management as well as failing to provide proper equipment and training that would keep workers safe.
Dakota Upshaw, a striking worker says he’s personally witnessed multiple instances of manager’s hitting workers.
“The company treats their employees like slaves,” says Upshaw. “If conditions weren’t bad enough our foreman gives us unreasonable deadlines and there’s often verbal abuse towards employees.”
Striking Brandt employee, Nicole Pinnick says she was forced to drive a concrete truck without instruction or a commercial drivers license.
“I told them I did not feel safe and he told me I could just go home,” says Pinnick. “I eventually learned that if I injured someone I could lose my license or I could get personally sued. As I learned this I knew that I had to do something about the things that are wrong here.
Brandt did not return calls for comment and Hy-Brand refused when reached.
Brandt has been in existence since 1959, primarily constructing publicly-funded projects.
