Workers Protest at Rick Caruso Owned Americana at Brand Mall

Recently, workers protested and marched against subcontractor, Fullert0n Pacific, outside of The Americana at Brand- a shopping mall in Glendale. CA owned by mayoral candidate, Rick Caruso. Carpenters union members led chants of "Rats go home" and handed out leaflets amid the bustle of Thursday afternoon shoppers.

The protestors are bringing to light Fullerton Pacific's criminal history. They are questioning why the company has been hired to perform carpentry work on an up coming Yves Saint Laurent store inside the shopping center.

In 2018, the subcontractor was cited by the California Labor Commission for $1.9 million in wage fraud violations from 2014 to 2016. Last year, the company declared bankruptcy after the State seized its bank accounts in an attempt to collect the outstanding money.

“You would think a general contractor or owner wouldn’t hire a subcontractor that’s bankrupt,” said David Kersh, of the Carpenters/Contractors Cooperation Committee, a labor watchdog that monitors construction projects in the Southwestern U.S. ”This defies my thought process.”

The 2018 citation is not the first time Fullerton Pacific ran afoul of the law. In 2009, operating under the name AMD construction, company owners Alberto and Mirella Mordoki were convicted of workers compensation fraud. They had their contractors license revoked and they were barred from public works projects for three years. Currently, the entire family, including their two adult children are on bail and awaiting trial in Orange County on workers compensation fraud and tax fraud.

“We have a contractor that is the bottom of the barrel,” said Carpenters union representative George Bocanegra. “We would like [Caruso] to get rid of Fullerton Pacific, which is a cheating contractor and doesn’t deserve to work on his property or anywhere.”

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