Turner Construction and Meta kept a massive data center construction jobsite<\/a> idle in Nebraska for a third day Wednesday after two consecutive incidents of racist graffiti were discovered on the project last week. \u201cWe do regular inspections across our projects, and we\u2019re confident Friday\u2019s graffiti was new,\u201d Christopher McFadden, Turner vice president and spokesperson, told Construction Dive. \u201cSo the decision was made with Meta and with principals and trade partners to pause and do a bit of a reset on the path forward here.\u201d<\/p>\n Turner has been outspoken<\/a>\u00a0against hate as numerous racist displays have appeared on construction sites nationally in recent years.\u00a0Turner shut down other Meta jobsites<\/a>\u00a0in 2020 in Ohio and Iowa, when similarly racist epithets, as well as a noose, were found.\u00a0<\/p>\n The new graffiti is at least the fifth racist incident at a Meta construction<\/a> site \u2014\u00a0including a noose found earlier this summer<\/a>\u00a0at a Redmond, Washington project that had a Black worker\u2019s name taped to it \u2014\u00a0and one of several where Turner has stopped work on its projects in response. <\/p>\n When asked why the incidents keep happening on Meta and Turner sites, McFadden said the problem occurs regularly throughout the industry, but that some contractors and clients may not be as candid in addressing it. <\/p>\n \u201cWhat Turner and Meta and others working on the Meta projects have committed to is speaking up and taking actions when we see something,\u201d McFadden said. \u201cI\u2019m not confident that\u2019s universal at this point, others may choose to deal with it differently. But we, collectively, have chosen to take very public action.\u201d<\/p>\n Meta told Construction Dive it is being proactive with its construction vendors to address the issue. <\/p>\n \u201cWhile this is a challenge facing the entire industry, we\u2019re working with our general contractors to implement measures that will help prevent them at any of our construction sites,\u201d said Melanie Roe, Meta spokesperson, in an email. \u201cAt the Sarpy County site, we are working closely with Turner Construction and trade leaders to identify the perpetrators of these acts.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n McFadden said Turner notified local law enforcement of the incident, but couldn\u2019t confirm whether a reward was being offered in the case. At a Meta construction site in Utah, where M.A. Mortenson was the general contractor,\u00a0a $100,000 reward ultimately resulted in a worker being fired<\/a> from the job. <\/p>\n In a move that shows how widespread these racist incidents are in construction, Meta said it is developing a playbook on how to respond to such events, in partnership with the contractors who build its data centers in the U.S. The document includes guidance on what to do when an incident occurs, including site preservation and notifications. It also requires GCs to designate a diversity, equity and inclusion contact person.\u00a0<\/p>\n Meta said it is also requiring all of its data center general contractors to sign contracts that require them to maintain a workplace free of harassment and discrimination, and to report incidents when they occur. <\/p>\n The company said its contractors implement anonymous reporting channels at all of its jobsites. <\/p>\n McFadden said Turner had shared with Meta its own anti-bias toolkit, a copy of which was emailed to Construction Dive. He said the company has made unbranded copies of anti-hate videos<\/a> and jobsite posters available to its trade partners, as well. <\/p>\n Despite these efforts, racist incidents continue to plague the construction industry. This latest occurrence came as the sector prepares for its second annual Construction Inclusion Week Oct. 17-22, which was started by Turner and five other large contractors<\/a> to promote a more tolerant culture on jobsites.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n McFadden couldn\u2019t quantify the daily cost of the job being shut down, or when work would start again. But he said the work stoppage helps draw attention to the company\u2019s attitude toward these acts. <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s an individual or two who are acting in a way that\u2019s counter to the culture we want on our jobs,\u201d McFadden said. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to say what motivates someone to act in such a way and put at risk their future ability to provide for themselves and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n This item was originally posted here: Read More<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\nWorkers discovered an initial racial missive at the sprawling, $1.5 billion construction complex in Sarpy County, Nebraska, south of Omaha, on Wednesday, Sept. 14. \u00a0Turner held an initial stand down with workers to address the issue the next day.
\nBut on Friday, after Turner had emphasized its zero tolerance policy for hate on its jobsites, a new racial epithet was found in an area that had previously been cleared as free of graffiti. <\/p>\n