The Pittsburgh City Council recently voted to establish the Joint Task Force on Construction Industry Fraud amid allegations of widespread fraud in the industry.
The board will identify and combat “unfair trade practices, including tax fraud” committed by the city’s construction businesses. The focus will be on wage violations that result in underpayment or nonpayment of taxes, and low, under-the-table pay rates that prevent some workers from being able to support their families.
A carpenters union claims that Pennsylvania has lost hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid taxes as a result of underpayment of taxes by construction firms. Though some workers who are paid off the books may be undocumented immigrants, the bill makes no mention of monitoring undocumented workers.
The task force will include representatives from the city council, mayor’s office, Pittsburgh Regional Building and Construction Trades Council, Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, and the Pittsburgh Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Sep 20, 2018
North Carolina law banning use of recent climate science could worsen Hurricane Florence impact
Policies may have undermined ability to make coastal regions more resilient.
Codes and Standards | Sep 19, 2018
AIA endorses building owner participation in cap-and-trade programs
Would spur more energy conservation in buildings and cut carbon emissions.
Codes and Standards | Sep 18, 2018
ConsensusDocs Coalition publishes new Lean Addendum
Industry-first document to facilitate lean tools without need to sign multi-party IPD agreement.
Codes and Standards | Sep 14, 2018
IAPMO seeks comments on proposals for 2021 plumbing and mechanical codes
Deadline is Jan. 3, 2019.
Codes and Standards | Sep 13, 2018
As ICC prepares to vote on codes for tall wood buildings, opposition is still strong
Influential body will vote in October on new provisions to allow 18-story wood-framed structures.
Codes and Standards | Sep 12, 2018
Saltwater incursion into Miami’s aquifer may make city uninhabitable later this century
Rising sea levels likely to claim drinking water before land is under water.
Codes and Standards | Sep 11, 2018
Smart Surfaces Coalition will help cities reduce urban heat island effect
Surfaces can reflect away heat and help prevent flooding.
Codes and Standards | Sep 7, 2018
Certified Green Buildings may have an advantage in capital markets
Research supports financial case for certification.
Codes and Standards | Sep 7, 2018
NIST releases report outlining steps to bolster disaster resiliency
Offers immediate occupancy building codes and performance standards strategies.
Codes and Standards | Sep 6, 2018
Coalition of mayors around the globe pledge net-zero buildings by 2030
New construction to produce as much energy as it consumes.
