Dive Brief:
- Pittsfield, Massachusetts-based Unistress Corp. and its subsidiary, Berkshire Concrete Corp., are laying off 233 workers, according to a Massachusetts Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification notice filed for the week ending June 27.
- CEO Perri Petricca said the layoffs stem from the delay of two major contracts following volatility in steel prices tied to the latest round of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, according to The Berkshire Eagle.
- Trump doubled tariffs on imported steel and aluminum from 25% to 50% on June 3, fueling further cost spikes for construction materials.
Dive Insight:
Tariff-driven volatility is sidelining projects and shrinking overall backlog across the industry.
Unistress, a precast manufacturer whose portfolio includes Boston’s Big Dig megaproject and Yankee Stadium in New York City, is cutting nearly half its workforce as it adjusts operations in response to material costs and uncertain project timelines. Petricca told The Berkshire Eagle the move is temporary, but with the firm usually netting about a dozen contracts a year, the two delays caused significant financial pressure.
The layoffs land as input costs continue to swell.
Construction material prices inched up 0.2% in May, with aluminum and steel among the top gainers, and are up 6% on an annualized basis, according to Associated Builders and Contractors. Those figures also don’t yet reflect the June tariff hike, which economists say will push prices even higher.
Contractors are already feeling the pinch. Nearly a quarter of builders reported tariff-related project cancellations in May, according to ABC. Backlog slipped to 8.4 months, down from a two-year high, with sales and staffing confidence also falling.
Unistress filed a WARN notice as required under federal law, which mandates advance notice of mass layoffs. The layoffs will take effect between July 7 and Aug. 25, according to the filing. Construction Dive reached out to Unistress, which declined to comment on the layoffs.
