After facing accusations regarding unsafe housing and job site conditions for its workers, the Vermont Construction Company entered into a preliminary agreement with the nonprofit Building Dignity and Respect Standards Council in January. The agreement aims to establish new safety standards for the company. Although the company has previously worked at Middlebury College on at least one roofing project, the college has indicated it does not plan to engage the company in future work.

In the fall, the town of Colchester, Vermont, issued multiple citations against Vermont Construction Company for placing workers in “grossly hazardous and unsafe” conditions. Emergency evacuation orders were issued for substandard worker housing, as reported by VTDigger. Last year, the company was fined over $13,000 for failing to implement necessary work site protections and for providing inadequate, cramped housing for its workers. According to Seven Days, state and local inspectors found that the industrial buildings used for worker housing lacked essential fire detection and suppression systems. Additionally, the company received three Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) violations for not providing proper fall protection for workers working at heights.

The Vermont Construction Company highlights its past work with Middlebury College on its website, noting it received $45,000 from the college for roofing services. David Provost, Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration at the college, clarified that the company has contracted with Vermont Construction Company subsidiary KSM on a few occasions in the past six years but will not be engaged for future work. "Middlebury College has contracted with Vermont Construction Company subsidiary KSM once or twice over the last 6 years,” Provost stated. “They are not a primary contractor for the college and we don’t expect to use them in the future.”

The company and the Building Dignity Council are working on finalizing the details of a new worker rights program, with efforts tailored to Vermont's construction industry. "We are bringing together construction workers to discuss their vision for dignified conditions in work and housing and to codify that vision in the Code of Conduct,” said Will Lambek, an organizer with Migrant Justice. Once completed, the program will include a 24-hour support line for workers and regular audits of job sites and employer-provided housing to ensure compliance with the new standards.

“Any conditions not meeting the standards in the Code of Conduct will be swiftly investigated, and the [Building Dignity Council] will help workers and employers to take corrective action,” Lambek added. Subcontractors not complying with the new standards will be prohibited from working with Vermont Construction Company.

On January 28, Vermont Construction Company held a press conference alongside the Building Dignity Council, Migrant Justice, and many of its current workers to announce their partnership aimed at improving working conditions and infrastructure in Vermont. "We wanted to build a company that would create great jobs for Vermonters and importantly, so that Vermonters could afford to live well in Vermont,” said David Richards, co-founder of Vermont Construction Company.

The ongoing scrutiny of the company has shed light on the vital role that immigrant workers play in Vermont's construction industry, as well as the tough working conditions they often endure. “Vermont will not solve its housing crisis without migrant workers. It’s not gonna happen. These guys work their asses off and they deserve to live well in Vermont,” Richards remarked at the press conference.

Over 300 migrant laborers are believed to work in Vermont's trade industries, with many employed as subcontractors. These subcontracted workers complicate the legal responsibilities for verifying their status, as subcontractors often do not require the same verification as full-time employees. "Basically, legal liability is being pushed onto multiple levels below the corporate employer, making it harder to trace,” explained David Stoll, a professor of anthropology who has researched Central American labor in the U.S.

Lambek of Migrant Justice noted the challenges of tracking conditions for migrant workers and stressed the importance of oversight programs like the Building Dignity Council’s model. “In industries with complicated supply chains — like dairy — or labor contracting chains — like construction — it can be difficult as a consumer or client to understand the labor conditions behind the product you are consuming or the service you are receiving,” Lambek said.

Vermont Construction Company, founded in 2016, has emerged as a key player in the state’s construction industry. In addition to Middlebury College, its client list includes local real estate companies and the Champlain Housing Trust. The University of Vermont also named the company as its "Official Roofing Partner" as part of a multi-year sponsorship agreement announced in September 2024. UVM clarified that the partnership was primarily a marketing initiative and not based on past work performed by the company for the university.

Though Middlebury College often works with local contractors for its projects, such as the new first-year dorm and a planned $50 million museum, the college does not intend to include Vermont Construction Company in future contracts. The college’s top contractors from July 2022 to June 2023 received over $20 million for their work, according to public tax filings.

As Vermont faces an ongoing housing crisis, the Building Dignity program hopes to improve working conditions throughout the state's construction industry. “VCC is signaling to current and prospective clients that there will be transparent and verified standards in working conditions on the company’s job sites,” Lambek stated. “Any company who wants to do the same should follow in VCC’s footsteps and join Building Dignity.”

Originally reported by Ryan McElroy in The Middlebury Campus.