Construction Industry Calls on Local Leaders to Keep Work Sites Open

(UC) — Multiple organizations across the construction industry are calling on local leaders to consider construction work "essential" and keep work sites open as the coronavirus pandemic shuts down industries around the world. 

The leaders of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and North America’s Building Trades Union issued a joint statement to all levels of government in the U.S. asking them to classify construction work as “vital and essential to the critical industries that must remain in operation.” 

They argued that as the country works to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, construction workers provide critical skills to build and maintain the nation’s infrastructure.  

In New York City, the Building Trades Employers Association (BTEA) called for Mayor Bill de Blasio to “follow the lead of other major cities...in defining construction as an essential service and exempting the industry from work stoppages.” 

BTEA’s statement said construction work already complies with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines for stopping the spread of the virus and that construction workers already wear protective gear on the job.  

The statement went on to outline the additional precautions already being undertaken by BTEA contractors on job sites currently in operation.  

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