Inflatable Pig, Cat Used to Protest Alleged Worker Misclassification

Thursday, June 9, 2016 | 0

A carpenters’ organization is using 10-foot-tall inflatable animals to call attention to a construction company’s alleged failure to provide proper workers’ compensation coverage and misclassification of workers as independent contractors in New Haven.

The New England Regional Council of Carpenters brought out the two inflatables, named Fat Cat and Greedy Pig, on Tuesday for a lunch-hour protest near a construction site where a parking garage is being replaced with studio apartments. NERCC representatives passed out fliers and talked to passers-by about construction company practices, the New Haven Independent reported.

The protest came after the state Labor Department issued a stop-work order this week to Hurricane Construction of East Haven, which was cited for its alleged failure to obtain proper worker’s compensation insurance and misrepresentation of employees as independent contractors.

NERCC representatives said the practices have become more common as the city undergoes a construction boom.

The construction company didn’t respond to the newspaper’s request for comment. A representative of Metro Star, the developer that hired Hurricane, said the company is reviewing Hurricane’s records but hadn’t found evidence of wrongdoing.