In a letter dated April 28 2016, five Quincy City Councilors — Brian Palmucci, Joseph Finn, Nina Liang, Noel DiBona, and Margaret Laforest — criticized developer John Flatley for his selection of Callahan, Inc. as the general contractor for the Crown Colony Apartment Complex in Quincy.
The letter refers to Callahan’s “well-documented history of using subcontractors that fail to comply with the most basic of state and federal wage, hour, and employment law,” as well as Callahan’s participation in the underground economy.
“As the City of Quincy is in the midst of a twenty-first century renaissance, we would expect a company like Flatley, with long standing South Shore roots, to partner with a contractor whose business model does not require the abuse and underpayment of workers,” the letter reads, before directing Flatley to the website callahantruth.com for more information and documentation on the violations.
The Quincy City Councilors join Cambridge Mayor Denise Simmons, who sent a letter to Avalon Bay in late March, condemning the use of Callahan. Mayor Simmons also criticized Callahan’s participation in the underground economy, saying Callahan was “more interested in turning a profit by any means, than in treating its workers fairly and adhering to community business standards.”
Both letters urged the developers to use their authority to choose another contractor.
It is clear that Callahan’s business model is troubling to many political leaders who advocate for good jobs for their constituents. Companies like Callahan hire subcontractors who rely on illegal misclassification of employees as independent contractors, which usually results in substandard wages and little or no benefits.
