History & Operations

Zachry Construction is one of the largest construction companies in the US, with approximately 12,000 employees and $1.5 billion in annual revenues. Zachry bills itself as the largest “direct-hire, merit-shop constructor in the United States.” Zachry has built many well-travelled roads and well-known buildings throughout the South, particularly in Texas.

Zachry also works overseas. Among the company’s near $1 billion in federal contracts in the past decade are hundreds of millions of dollars of work for the State Department, constructing embassies in Nicaragua, Cambodia and China.

The top leadership of the company includes Chairman Henry Zachry Jr., President & Chief Operating Officer David Zachry, and Chief Executive Officer John Zachry.

Subsidiaries & Affiliates

Formerly known as HB Zachry, the parent company is Zachry Corporation, with Zachry Construction its subsidiary. Zachry has several other names and subsidiaries, including Zachry Industrial and Capitol Aggregates, and has been part of dozens of joint ventures such as Turner-Zachry www.turner-zachry.com.

A full report on these and other related companies will be included in a future update. Unless otherwise indicated, all information below relates to the company Zachry Construction.

Safety

The following is a list of workers’ compensation claims filed against Zachry in Florida during the past decade (worker names have been redacted; this information is not available in other states in which Zachry operates):

According to OSHA records Zachry has been fined $40,132 for 36 violations in the past ten years. Summaries of OSHA investigations are available for the following years:

2009 – 2007
2007 – 2004
2004 – 2002
2002 – 2000

Litigation/Wage Enforcement

Zachry Construction has been the subject of two Fair Labor Standards Act investigations, and has paid $1,041.60 in penalties for overtime and minimum wage violations.

Zachry Construction and related companies have been involved in dozens of federal court cases, and hundreds of state court cases. Below are documents just from currently pending federal suits. We will regularly update this section with additional federal and state cases.

Pending Federal Court Cases

American Infrastructure v. Zachry Construction
US District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Cause: Trademark Infringement
Filed June 10, 2008

American Infrastructure, a Pennsylvania general contractor, sued Zachry for allegedly infringing on its logo, and also for using the name Zachry American Infrastructure, which the plaintiff alleged would cause “consumer confusion.” The following documents are available:

Cabrialez v. Zachry Construction
US District Court, Northern District of Texas
Cause: Civil Rights (harassment, discrimination and retaliation)
Filed February 24, 2010

The plaintiff, a former scaffold helper for Zachry, alleged that she was fired in retaliation for reporting a sexual assault by her foreman at a Zachry worksite in Borger, TX.  The case is currently in arbitration. Due to the graphic nature of filings in this case, documents are not being posted at this time.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Zachry Construction
US District Court, Western District of Texas
Cause: Civil Rights (discrimination and retaliation)
Filed September 29, 2009

The EEOC filed a suit against Zachry on behalf of a former employee, a female electrician helper, who alleges she was fired in retaliation for reporting sex based discrimination.  Zachry denied the allegations and has moved to partially stay the case and compel arbitration.  As of June 14, neither party has reached a settlement. The EEOC has issued a press release about this case.  The following documents are available:

Knapp v. Zachry Construction
US District Court, Central District of Illinois
Cause: Age discrimination
Filed October 23, 2009

The plaintiff, a former duct installer for Zachry’s project with Archer Daniels Midland in Decatur, IL, alleges that he and other older workers were terminated because of their age.  Zachry denied the allegations and has moved to dismiss the case and compel arbitration.  The following documents are available:

Robertson v. Zachry Construction
US District Court, Southern District of Indiana
Cause: Equal Pay Act
Filed May 13, 2009

Three females, all former Zachry boilermaker helpers at the Cayuga Power Station, sued alleging that they and other females were paid lower wages than male counterparts for equal work.  The case was sent to arbitration, and the plaintiffs have requested that the case stay open, as they claim there has not been any “meaningful arbitration.”  Zachry has asserted that it has at all times acted in compliance with its arbitration policy. A settlement conference has been scheduled for September 17, 2010.

Closed Federal Court Cases
Coming Soon

State Court Cases

Zachry is a defendant in a nearly ten year old lawsuit over the 1999 Bonfire collapse at Texas A&M University, in which twelve students and graduates were killed.  Zachry provided cranes and crane operators to help erect the logs for the Bonfire.  Details from this and other state court cases will be posted here at a later date.

Pension/Benefits

Zachry has multiple plans available to its employees, including Life, Disability, Dental and others. The following information is from the company’s main 401 k plan.

According to the 2007 annual report filed with the Department of Labor, 8,688 employees participated in the main Zachry healthcare plan.