Bricklayers rebuffed by billionaire builder

Bob Brinkmann, CEO of Brinkmann Construction, paying substandard wages for construction of personal residence

After 30-plus years in business and more than 900 projects with a total construction value exceeding $2.75 billion, Bob Brinkmann, chief executive officer of Brinkmann Construction, is paying substandard wages to build his $12 million home in Defiance.

AFTER PROFITING FROM UNION WORK,

GOES NON-UNION ON HIS HOME

The residence is a massive project consisting of four different buildings with walkways between the structures located near the Daniel Boone Historic Site, off Hwy. F in St. Charles County.
Bricklayers Local 1 of Missouri President and Field Representative Mike Fox said Brinkmann has historically used a union workforce, but opted for non-union workers to build his personal residence.
The five non-union bricklayers at the site work for Southwest Stone, a company from Tulsa, OK. Fox said the Bricklayers local in Tulsa has reported similar problems with Southwest Stone.
Fox said the non-union bricklayers started on the job about six weeks ago, and the project is now at about 15 percent complete. According to the job superintendent, the project is expected to continue for several more months.

OUT-OF-STATE, NON-UNION CONTRACTOR

Fox said he spoke with Southwest Stone Owner Eddie Cox, a company in business for more than 40 years, and was told, “It’s hard to compete in Oklahoma because of undocumented workers taking jobs.
“I told him he’s doing the exact same thing to us,” Fox said. “Now, he’s coming into our area lowering the standards indirectly.”
Fox added, “He wasn’t eager to sign. I don’t think he’ll sign.”

BRINKMANN PROJECTS

In recent years, Brinkmann projects in the St. Louis metropolitan area have included:

• $50 million Streets of St. Charles planned community in St. Charles.
• $40 million high school campus for the Wentzville School District in St. Charles.
• $60 million in projects for senior residential care provider,Friendship Village in Sunset Hills and Chesterfield.
• Two large hotels in Chesterfield, a job that also employed non-union workers.