FLINT - After an alarming incident last week in which a construction worker apparently fell from a window, Senator John J. Gleason (D-Flushing) announced today that last Friday he called upon the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth to investigate the accident at the Durant Hotel redevelopment site and that the investigation is currently moving forward.

“Construction sites are always potentially dangerous work environments, and it’s up to employers and their employees to uphold the highest standards of safety and caution to protect themselves and others,” Gleason said. “I hope that this is just an unfortunate, freak accident, but to ensure that it is and that no one else is in danger, I have asked DLEG to investigate this incident and the overall work conditions at this project.”

Last Tuesday, September 8, a Flint resident was driving by the old Durant Hotel when she witnessed a worker fall out of a window after tossing a large piece of debris out the window and to the ground below. The worker landed in a pile of rubble and suffered a broken ankle.

Earlier this summer, Senator Gleason joined almost forty members of the Flint labor community to protest the hiring of nonunion workers at the Durant Hotel redevelopment job site. While the project could be a boon for the revitalization of downtown Flint and the restoration of a historic landmark, Gleason and the local construction laborers he stood by had hoped it would also mean Genesee County union contractor jobs. The developers of the project, however, have relied heavily on nonunion contractors, and this latest incident calls into question the qualifications and safety practices of the workforce currently on the job.

“Union labor isn’t just about securing fair wages or benefits, it’s also about establishing standard and universal guidelines for a safe and healthy work environment, something it seems the Durant Hotel project is in desperate need of,” Gleason said.

# # #