"SureBuilt Workers File for Union"

Inside the Painters District Council 14 offices, immigrant workers who make construction parts at a Melrose Park factory announced that this morning they filed for a union election with the Painters Union...

“We have been victims of mistreatment, heavy workloads, surveillance, and many preventable injuries at SureBuilt” said 9-year SureBuilt worker Carlos. “We sought support from Arise Chicago, where we learned our rights and began to organize. We are proud members of Arise, and soon we will be proud members of the Painters Union!”...

Workers from SureBuilt’s Melrose Park, IL factory contacted Arise Chicago reporting mistreatment, low wages and major safety concerns in March 2024. Their organizing led to safety improvements including adding air extractors to clear dangerous dust for welders. However, workers report ongoing safety issues.

In March 2025 alone, two major safety incidents occurred. On March 13, a fire broke out in the factory. Despite the fire, workers report that smoke detectors did not alarm, and as far as they are aware the company did not contact the fire department. The same week, a machine caught on a worker’s arm, cutting him in several places and breaking his arm. This was not the worker’s first injury at SureBuilt...

Workers report suffering injuries for years without significant action from management, including severe cuts and severed fingers. Multiple workers have had parts of fingers amputated due to such injuries. Workers report there were 23 injuries at their SureBuilt location last year alone...