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Public records and information on the industrial coatings company Abhe & Svoboda, Inc.
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Abhe & Svoboda, Inc.

Based out of Jordan, Minnesota, Abhe & Svoboda Inc. operates as an incorporated, "open shop" industrial coatings company. Abhe & Svoboda have been the subject of over 100 OSHA investigations, numerous lawsuits, and most recently suffered an on-the-job accident while working on the Ross Island Bridge in Portland, Oregon.

In just the past decade alone, Abhe & Svoboda have incurred:

  • Connecticut, 2007 – $1.3 million in unpaid wages for paying painters a lower rate than Federal Law requires
  • Oregon, 2011 – $30,000 in OSHA violations
  • Hawaii, 2012 – $15,500 in OSHA violations
  • California, 2013 – $90,900 in penalties for failing to hire apprentices
  • California, 2016 – $60,000 in wages and $55,000 in penalties for wage violations

Ross Island Bridge Incident

In February of 2017, a painter employed by Abhe & Svoboda fell over 40 feet and struck his son. Both were hospitalized and required rescue by emergency personnel. An employee of Abhe & Svoboda, Omar Rubi, told KOIN news that “There’s holes where there shouldn’t be covered by pieces of plywood.”

Abhe & Svoboda were able to low-bid on the Ross Island Bridge by nearly 33% less than the nearest bid - $22.3mil. Hercules Painting came in second with a $33mil bid on the project. Omar Rubi went on to tell the NW Labor Press that Abhe & Svoboda were cutting corners: "Paint in some cases was being applied at the wrong thickness or in conditions that were too cold or humid to meet manufacturer specifications, Rubi said. In places, paint was bubbling or chipping, or missing required “striping” along joints."

Further Reading

Under the Ross Island Bridge: Investigating a low-bid nonunion contractor - nwLabor Press
Abhe & Svoboda fires painter with union affiliation amid safety complaints - nwLabor Press
Bridge workers worry about job site safety after two men fall about 40 feet - KATU
Workers fall 40 ft on Ross Island Bridge - KOIN

Public Records & Documents

  •   DLSE/DOL Complaints
    DAS/DLSE Complaint - Kern & Fresno City
    DLSE Case Assignment Letter - Kern & Fresno
    DLSE Civil Penalty - Kern & Fresno
    DAS/DLSE Complaint - Coronado Bay Bridge
    DLSE Case Assignment Letter - Coronado Bridge
    DLSE Complaint - Eagle Mountain Pump Station
    DOL Complaint - Eagle Mountain Pump Station
    DLSE Complaint - Long Beach Bridge
  •   Non-responsible Bidder Letters
    Coronado Bay Bridge
    Eastern Municipal Water
    Elsinore Valley
    San Luis Obispo
    Thompson Reservoir Penstocks
    City of Redlands - Ward Way Reservoir
    City of Burbank
    City of Santa Barbara
    Long Beach Water Department
    Otay Water District
  •   Notices, Appeals & Court Documents
    Abhe Svoboda v. Elaine Chao - Appeal Dismissal
    Abhe Svoboda v. Elaine Chao - First Appeal (CT)
    Hawaii Labor Relations Board - Annual Report
    Hawaii Office of Environmental Quality - Control Enforcement Notice
    ODOT Request for Public Information - Ross Island Bridge
    NLRB Charge - Unfair Labor Practice (Omar Rubi)
    NLRB - Unfair Labor Practice: 19-CA-195043
  •   OSHA Violations & Reports
    Karsten Thot Bridge, Wahiawa, HI - $6,300
    Astoria Bridge, Chinook, WA - $27,750
    Astoria Bridge, Chinook, WA - $3,500
    Chicopee, MA - $1,925
    Kittery, ME - $2,400
    Sault Ste Marie, MI - $5,250
    Cutler, ME - $275,000
    Kapolei, HI - $2,700
    Cutler, ME - $80,000
    Superior, WI - $3,500
    Honolulu, HI - $3,600
    Portsmouth, RI - $18,700
    Portsmouth, RI - $22,880
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