The SureBuilt factory in Melrose Park, near Chicago, announced on June 17 that they filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) through the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT). Workers of SureBuilt Concrete Forms & Accessories—a company specializing in producing materials for the construction industry—have faced years of preventable injuries, including severed fingers and broken limbs. With an NLRB election set for July 23, the IUPAT has called for an organizing blitz for two weeks leading up to the vote
SureBuilt Workers Face Fire and Amputations
Earlier this year, on March 13, a fire broke out in the Chicago factory. Workers reported that the company failed to contact the fire department and stated that smoke detectors did not function.
Teresa Velasquez, a four-year employee at SureBuilt and witness to the fire, said to labor-faith organization Arise Chicago: “I saw my coworker trying to put out the fire and I was so scared he would be burned. No alarms went off, and the company didn’t take us outside.”
That same week, a machine caught a worker’s arm, cutting him and breaking his arm. This was not the worker’s first injury at SureBuilt.
Maribel, a SureBuilt employee, said to Arise Chicago, “In my three years here, I’ve witnessed many preventable injuries. I saw a coworker’s fingers get cut off. Last year alone, there were 23 injuries at SureBuilt. This is why we’re organizing—for safer jobs, better wages, and access to benefits.”
Other workers report severe on-site injuries that have led to multiple workers needing amputations.
Workers Stand Up to Union Busting
In response to workers organizing, SureBuilt has hired the Labor Relations Institute (LRI)—a firm known for advising corporations on union-busting—at rates exceeding $400/hour.
The company has also exploited ethnic divisions between workers. The factory employs roughly 150 workers across two shifts, primarily Mexican and Polish immigrants. A member of the worker organizing committee—a committee formed by the IUPAT and the leaders of the unionization campaign—told The Worker that Polish employees receive up to 5 weeks of paid vacation, while Mexican workers—some with nearly 30 years at the company—get only 2 weeks. In captive-audience meetings, management also invoked fears over immigration status, falsely claiming unionization would force the company to use E-Verify and jeopardize jobs. E-Verify is a web-based system that allows employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees using federal databases.
Such tactics of disinformation and intimidation are increasingly common amid rising worker mobilizations since 2022. NLRB data shows union election petitions rose 27% since 2023 (totaling 3,286 filings) and more than doubled since 2021. This coincides with the deepening imperialist economic crisis, forcing workers to work longer hours for worse pay amid soaring inflation.
Workers have remained undeterred in the face of such slimy tactics. At a press conference at the IUPAT District Council 14 building, workers chanted, “¿Qué queremos? ¡La unión! ¿Cuándo? ¡Ahora!” (What do we want? The union! When? Now!).
Image: Worker rally outside of SureBuilt Concrete Forms & Accessories, March 2025. Source: Arise Chicago
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