AMAZON'S
ALARMING
PROJECT
PARTNERS
We believe that Amazon has a responsibility to our communities hire reliable project partners with firm labor standards. Given the harmful behavior of disreputable, non-union contractors such as BZI, Amazon is falling well short of their own stated Supplier Code of Conduct and Supply Chain Standards.
BZI has established ties to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) and is strongly suspected of directing wages to this criminal, extreme religious sect. Workers on these projects need and deserve the safety, protections, and professionalism of union representation to ensure fair labor practices, safe, quality work, and equitable treatment under the law.
Building Zone Industries (BZI)
James Barlow,
CEO of Building Zone Industries
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Served as Project Manager for Phaze Concrete
David Darger, Safety Director of Building Zone Industries
As Colorado City Town Manager:
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Was charged with 36 felony counts and plead guilty to two counts of solicitation and misuse of public money
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Investigated for a “pattern or practice of illegal discrimination against individuals who are not members of the FLDS” 1
Phaze
Concrete
Phaze Concrete is a major financier of the FLDS Church
Phaze Concrete has 11 documented Child Labor violations from the State of Washington Department of Labor and Industries, resulting
in a total of 438 occurrences. 2
During this time, Phaze:
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Paid employees below minimum wage
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Employed children and teenagers on dangerous construction sites
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Permitted minors to work:
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More than 6 days per week
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Past midnight and before 5am
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13-16 hour workdays
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Are suspected of directing wages to the FLDS Church
The Department of Labor issued an injunction against Phaze Concrete in August of 2016 alleging that between at least 2007-2014, Phaze had employed minor children in construction performing various job duties including:
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Excavation work
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Building concrete forms
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Tying rebar
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Pouring concrete
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Operating motorized equipment
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Hauling gravel
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS)
The Southern Poverty Law Center describes the FLDS as
“... a white supremacist, homophobic, anti-government, totalitarian cult.” 3
Joe Jessop, Project Manager of
Building Zone Industries
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Resident of FLDS community, Yearning for Zion Ranch
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Joe Jessop was present at the YFZ ranch when Texas Child Protective Services found “a pervasive pattern of sexual abuse and puts every child at the ranch at risk” More than 400 children were removed from the ranch. The investigation eventually found 12 children, aged 12-15 had been forced to marry into polygamous relationships with older men. Seven of the girls had 1 or more children. 4
1 “Colorado City Manager Gets Probation.” https://mohavedailynews.com/news/58255/colorado-city-manager-gets-probation/
2 State of Washington, Department of Labor and Industries Employment Standards Program, Notice of Violation-Child Labor, Citation
Number: CL-117-19, June 6, 2019
3 South Poverty Law Center: https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/fundamentalist-church-jesus-christ-latter-day-saints
4 “Some Texas Sect Kids Reunited with Parents.” http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/05/23/flds.next/index.html