Important News
PulteGroup, Inc. Statement Regarding Hiring Practices PulteGroup takes its responsibility to comply with federal laws pertaining to employment authorization very seriously. We will investigate any suspected violation of our policies thoroughly. The Company follows all applicable laws pertaining to verification of identity and work authorization for its employees. In the case of workers hired by a contractor to perform work on behalf of PulteGroup, under its contract with PulteGroup the contractor agrees to bear responsibility for verification of identity and work authorization and to comply with all required applicable federal and state laws. If a contractor is found to be in violation of federal immigration laws in performance of their work for PulteGroup, their contract with us can be terminated. Class Action Lawsuit Against Centex Dismissed with Prejudice Seven other similar suits filed by same law firm also dismissed According to press releases issued by plaintiffs’ attorneys (McCune Wright, LLP) at the time the eight class actions were originally filed, the suits were based on reports issued by the Laborer’s International Union of North America (“LiUNA”) that attempt to blame large homebuilders for the nationwide mortgage crisis. According to PulteGroup, Inc. (Centex is a subsidiary of PulteGroup), for some time, LiUNA and other union groups have engaged in an intimidation campaign against PulteGroup in order to coerce the Company to force its independent trade partners to sign union agreements. As part of that campaign, these union groups have been behind false claims that PulteGroup and other residential homebuilders engaged in improper practices with respect to the sale of homes. They have pressed these same false claims through official-looking, but misleading, reports, lawsuits, media articles and testimony before various State and Federal regulatory and rulemaking proceedings. The Court found that the injuries alleged by the plaintiffs were speculative and could not be linked to the alleged misconduct of the homebuilders. The Court concluded that factors beyond the control of the homebuilders such as rising unemployment in the region, changes in the housing market, and the general economic downturn, all contributed to plaintiffs’ claims of injury. The swift dismissals, which came only six months after the cases were filed, were all with prejudice, meaning that the plaintiff’s attorneys cannot amend their complaints. With these eight decisions, there have now been a total of eleven cases in which courts have dismissed lawsuits that attempt to blame the mortgage crisis on homebuilders. A copy of the final order can be found here.
National Labor Relations Board Dismisses Laborers' International Union of North America Charge Against Pulte Homes, Inc. Latest Setback in Union's Ongoing Corporate Campaign Against the Company BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich., Mar 05, 2010 -- Pulte Homes, Inc. (NYSE: PHM), announced today that the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for Region 28 has dismissed a charge filed by the Laborers' International Union of North America (LiUNA) that alleged Pulte Homes, Inc. violated the National Labor Relations Act. LiUNA alleged that Pulte interfered with its subcontractors' employees' rights to join a union. The NLRB refused to issue a complaint in the matter, finding that "there is insufficient evidence to establish that [Pulte] has violated the Act in any manner." In dismissing LiUNA's charge, the NLRB found the union's allegations lacked merit, and that "further proceedings are not warranted." This dismissal is the third time in the past month that LiUNA has been rebuked for its misguided and unfounded attacks, according to the Company. On February 18, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California dismissed with prejudice a putative class action lawsuit filed against Pulte that drew heavily from LiUNA and other union-related reports/lawsuits. One day earlier, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri denied a LiUNA motion to dismiss a Pulte Homes of St. Louis' lawsuit alleging the union and its agents violated federal and state law when they barged into the Company's private employee meeting and orchestrated an attack against employees. For some time, LiUNA has waged a "corporate campaign" against Pulte and other large homebuilders, seeking to damage Pulte's reputation by making false or misleading claims, according to the Company. Pulte believes at the root of the issue is LiUNA's need to increase membership after losing hundreds of thousands of members over the past decade. In the case of Pulte, LiUNA is trying to coerce the Company to force Pulte subcontractors to sign union agreements and deprive workers of their free choice regarding whether to join a union. Court Denies Laborers’ Intentional Union of North America (LiUNA) Motion to Dismiss Lawsuit Filed by Pulte Homes of St. Louis (formerly The Jones Company Homes, LLC)ST. LOUIS, MO – February 23, 2010 – Pulte Homes of St. Louis (formerly The Jones Company Homes, LLC) announced today that The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri has denied a motion filed by the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA) to dismiss the lawsuit filed by the Company against the Union. Filed on December 1, 2009, the Company’s lawsuit alleges that LiUNA and its agents violated federal and state law when the Union barged into a private employee meeting held by the Company and orchestrated an attack against employees attending the meeting. Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that LiUNA’s conduct at the meeting included assaulting employees, destruction of property and other unlawful activities. In the ruling, the Court held that the allegations made by Pulte Homes of St. Louis are sufficient to raise a right to relief under federal labor law. Class Action Lawsuit Against Pulte Homes, Inc. Dismissed With PrejudiceBLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On February 18, 2010, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California dismissed with prejudice a putative class action lawsuit filed against Pulte Homes, Inc., Pulte Home Corporation and Pulte Mortgage, LLC. The lawsuit alleged, among other things, that Pulte engaged in misconduct that contributed to the mortgage crisis. The suit drew from reports issued by the Laborer’s International Union of North America (“LiUNA”) and other union-related groups that attempt to blame Pulte and other large home builders for the mortgage crisis. In fact, the attorneys who drafted the suit lifted sections of one union sponsored report and inserted them verbatim into the complaint. The lawsuit was filed by Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, LLP, which has worked with LiUNA to file at least one other class action lawsuit against another national homebuilder. According to Pulte Homes, for some time, LiUNA and other union groups have engaged in an intimidation campaign against Pulte in order to coerce the Company to force its independent trade partners to sign union agreements. As part of that campaign, these union groups have been behind false claims that Pulte and other residential homebuilders engaged in improper practices with respect to the sale of homes. They have pressed these same false claims through official-looking, but misleading, reports, lawsuits, media articles and testimony before various State and Federal regulatory and rulemaking proceedings. The Court had the opportunity to address many of these allegations in the lawsuit and found them lacking in merit, specifically citing that the Plaintiff did not have a “plausible claim” and that the Plaintiff had an “insurmountable problem” because Plaintiff could not show that the alleged damages were caused by the alleged misconduct of Pulte. The Court found that Plaintiff's legal theory depended on a myriad of factors beyond Pulte’s control, such as unemployment, a general weakening economy and other economic factors that can have unpredictable effects on the housing market. The swift dismissal, which came only four months after the case was filed, was with prejudice, meaning that the Plaintiff’s attorneys cannot amend their complaint. A copy of the final order can be found here. Pulte Homes: Standing Up for What You Believe InBLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich.--Dec. 2, 2009-- Pulte Homes builds the majority of its homes by working with thousands of highly-skilled and committed local and regional trade partners. These trade partners are typically small, independent companies that are the engine of our economy. LiUNA’s protests are merely the latest publicity stunt in their years-long “corporate campaign” against Pulte Homes, other large home builders and the homebuilding industry as a whole. At the heart of the issue is LiUNA’s need to increase membership after losing hundreds of thousands of members this decade (source: www.LiUNA.org). While LiUNA traditionally has not represented workers in the residential building trades in the past, we can only surmise that they view this industry as fertile ground for recruitment. In fact, in 2006, LiUNA announced that it was committed to spending $104 million per year towards organizing in order to reverse their declining membership(source: “The Laborer” Magazine, Fall 2006). Because we are the largest company in our industry, LiUNA has targeted their misguided corporate campaign against Pulte Homes. While we believe that all workers should have the right to determine whether or not they want to be represented by a union, Pulte Homes does not directly employ the majority of the workers at our job sites, meaning LiUNA’s campaign is grossly misdirected. By using unseemly tactics that have directly threatened our employees and attempted to disrupt our business, LiUNA is trying to coerce Pulte Homes to force our trade partners to sign union agreements and deprive their workers of their free choice regarding whether to join a union. Even more concerning, however, is that LiUNA’s dishonest intimidation campaign has included aggressive acts of harassment and the dissemination of untruths about our company. This is unacceptable and we will go to whatever legal lengths necessary to protect our employees’ and partners’ well being and our good name. We will not be intimidated by LiUNA’s threatening and demeaning behavior. Instead, as we have for nearly 60 years, Pulte Homes will continue to build high quality and affordable homes and stand behind our employees and the men and women employed by our trade partners who build Pulte homes across the country. We will also continue to provide responsible mortgage services as a convenience to our customers, allowing them the choice—as always—on what lender to use. It is because of the efforts of our many employees and trade partners that Pulte Homes is regularly rated as the highest in our industry for customer satisfaction and we stand ready to defend our reputation in order to protect the livelihoods of our employees and trade partners. Media Alert: The Jones Company, LLC, subsidiary of Pulte Homes, Inc., files suit against Laborers' International Union of North America (LiUNA)BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 1, 2009-- The Jones Company, LLC of St. Louis, Missouri, a wholly owned subsidiary of Pulte Homes, Inc. (NYSE: PHM), filed suit against Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA) today alleging that LiUNA and its agents violated federal and state law when it barged into a private employee meeting held by Jones Company and orchestrated an attack against employees attending the meeting. The lawsuit alleges that LiUNA’s conduct at the meeting included assaulting employees, destruction of property and other unlawful activities. In the lawsuit, The Jones Company also alleges that LiUNA’s conduct was for an illegal purpose under federal labor law and also violated state law. To read the entire suit as filed today in the Eastern District of Missouri U.S. District Court, please click here.
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As we have for nearly 60 years, Pulte Homes will continue to build high quality and affordable homes and to stand behind our employees and the men and women employed by our trade partners who build Pulte homes across the country.
