Indictments handed down!

 It came as no surprise to the Carpenters Union when it was announced last Friday, February 22nd, 2008, that several former managers and supervisors from Tufly Drywall, Inc. had been indicted by the federal Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska.  The indictment follows a raid of Tufly Drywall, Inc.’s offices last summer by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies.  (See KETV Omaha news story, June 26, 2008.)

 The indictment alleges that, from 2004 to 2007, agents of Tufly Drywall, Inc. conspired to transport and harbor illegal aliens, and to induce illegal aliens to reside in the U.S., while work was performed by Tufly Drywall, Inc. on the Zorinsky Federal Building in Omaha. 

 For months now, the Carpenters Union has been sounding the alarm over Tufly Drywall, Inc.’s use of misclassified 1099 “independent contractors.”  During the same time period, we have been alerting general contractors and project owners to Tufly Drywall, Inc.’s failure to maintain area standards for its workers.  In our minds, this latest news about the federal indictments simply provides one more reason to avoid doing business with Tufly Drywall, Inc.

 In light of the foregoing, you should ask yourself this question:  Why would any self-respecting general contractor or project owner want to be associated with a subcontractor like Tufly Drywall, Inc.?