An Oregon contractor that was previously accused by union carpenters of not paying workers is now in hot water with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries for allegedly lacking a contractor’s license.
BOLI ordered JP Pro Framing Construction to “immediately cease all construction labor contracting activities” until it obtains a valid license issued by BOLI, according to an April 23 letter from the agency. Under Oregon law, contractors must possess a valid Oregon Construction Labor Contractor’s license issued by BOLI.
BOLI also demanded from JP Pro Framing Construction detailed payroll information, including names, addresses and phone numbers of workers employed during 2023, their hours worked, gross and net wages, and any companies to which the contractor supplied or employed workers. The bureau also asked for JP Pro Framing’s bank statements, check ledgers and invoices, according to the letter.
JP Pro Framing owner Juan Jimenez Gutierrez did not respond to a message seeking comment Thursday.
The license JP Pro Framing needs to obtain, according to BOLI, is different than the construction contractor license issued by the Oregon Construction Contractors Board .
“There seems to be a communication barrier,” said Rachel Mann, a BOLI spokeswoman.
JP Pro Framing initially had until May 10 to submit the requested documents to BOLI. That deadline was extended to May 14, Mann said. It was not clear if JP Pro Framing produced the requested documents by the deadline. The BOLI investigator assigned to the matter was not available this week, she said.
Compliance will weigh on any fines BOLI levies, Mann said.
“It’s going to have an impact on the civil penalties that we assess,” she said. “If he doesn’t comply or doesn’t get a license, we would consider that aggravating circumstances.”
JP Pro Framing, formed in 2020 and based in Banks, first came to public attention at a March 13 public meeting of Prosper Portland ’s board when several union carpenters said they had not been paid by the contractor. JP Pro Framing was engaged by developer Palindrome Communities and its construction arm, PacifiCap Construction Services , on a 47-unit apartment building in Lents at 5802 S.E. 92nd Ave. The project was backed by the development agency.
Robert Gibson, a Palindrome and PacifiCap executive, said the companies had ended their relationship with JP Pro Framing after learning of the payment issue. Gibson also pledged to improve Palindrome and PacifiCap’s scrutiny of their subcontractors.
Prosper Portland agreed to sell another Lents property to Palindrome for $1.755 million. Palindrome has proposed to build a mixed-use, mixed-income development on the property, with housing units and commercial and hospitality space.
Gutierrez said in an April interview that the workers had since been paid. That claim could not be verified.
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