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Republican US Senate Candidate And construction company owner Joe O’Dea is investigating dozens of worker safety and wage violations and multiple lawsuits on the campaign trail as an employer of record.
Why is it important? O’Dea — a first-time candidate with a limited political record — has drawn comparisons to Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, who has served since his 2009 appointment, for his business background.
- The Republican choice is to “rebuild” Washington.
driving news; Denver-based ODEA company Concrete Express Inc. — which now employs 300 people — has been fined $135,000 by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration for 28 worker safety violations since its founding in 1988, the Denver Business Journal reported.
- In the year The penalty was imposed in 2008 after a section of a high-rise in Greenwood Village collapsed, injuring 13 subcontractor workers. Odea Co., which was fined $107,500, sued the subcontractor and entered into an undisclosed settlement.
- Other fines have varied from $561 to $10,000 over the years.
Note: O’Dea’s company has been cited for 26 wage violations and 13 employee underpayments since its founding in 1988.
What is he saying? “I think anyone who’s involved in business can understand because they’ve been a victim of it,” the Republican candidate said when asked about the violations.
- “I have literally hundreds of employees who have worked here and retired here … I’m just going to go on record,” he added.
Between the lines; Concrete Express initially stuck with the name, but expanded its scope to work on bridges, site development, and water and recreation projects.
- According to Odia, 85% of the company’s projects are funded by the government. And Colorado Newsline estimates Concrete Express has received $400 million in federal, state and local government contracts.
- Notable projects include the Coors Field parking lots, rebuilding the Chatfield Dam reservoir, and a new project to reconnect the Colorado River around Wind Gap Dam — the latter of which will likely happen after Bennett helps fund it.
Note: O’Dea started working in construction after high school and dropped out of college a semester early to start Concrete Express. He began his career as a union contractor, but dismissed unions as “long past their prime.”
- In turn, Dennis Dougherty, executive director of the Colorado AFL-CIO, which supports Bennett, called ODA a “corporate wolf in labor clothing.”
The plot: ODEA’s critics, who are trying to draw attention to the management of Concrete Express, are making two accusations against the company.
- One involves a human resources manager who filed a 2019 lawsuit alleging age and disability discrimination after leaving the company. The case was settled in a non-disclosure agreement and O’Dea disputes the evidence claims.
- Another is the driver of a Concrete Express gravel truck that killed a Boulder bicyclist in 2006 because it had faulty brakes. The company settled and the parties signed a non-disclosure agreement.
On the other side: “It’s very well-respected in Colorado,” said Tony Milo Odeon, head of the state’s contractors association, who once led the organization and served on its board. “I think anyone trying to discredit him or his organization is just being political.”
What’s next: The liberal advocacy group Progress Now has identified more than 20 parties affected by Concrete Express and ODEA has called for the parties to be freed from any restrictions on discussing the issues.
- The ODEA campaign declined to comment when contacted by Axios Denver.
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