Gypsum industry news

US: The US construction industry is reportedly bracing for heightened labour shortages amid on-going federal enforcement actions against suspected illegal immigrants. Forbes has reported that sections of the workforce are ‘shaken,’ with some builders at one San Francisco firm avoiding certain tasks or not coming to work at all. Authorities have already deported three of the firm’s workers.

The National Association of Home Builders has proposed a new visa programme for construction workers and supportive pathways to legal residency for those already working in the industry. 61% of gypsum wallboard installers in the US were born in other countries.

The on-going US construction labour shortage reportedly cost the industry US$10.8bn in 2024, reducing new single-family homebuilding by 19,000 units.

US: Workers have walked out of Saint-Gobain CertainTeed’s Blue Diamond gypsum plant in Nevada after rejecting the company's final contract offer. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has reported that 70 of the plant’s employees will participate in the action in protest against the contract offer, which fell ‘way short of acceptable.’

US: A court has ordered Apodaca Wall Systems and Empire Wall Systems to pay workers for withheld overtime wages after violating the Fair Labor Standards Act. Due News has reported that the companies must each pay US$3.73m to a combined total of 1400 employees, along with a US$125,000 penalty to the US Department of Labor.