Earlier today, I had a great discussion with a second Prime Vendor leaning towards joining the International Association of Field Service Technicians (IAFST). There is a lot to be said for that as there are only five Primes left in the Industry and two of those are now owned by institutional investors and one by a public REIT. To that point, what continued to come up, over and over, was how is the GIS Field Services issue handled while saving face. The simple answer is that you cannot address the antitrust issues presented by GIS and MCS, under their owner Littlejohn & Co., without addressing how NAMFS operated with Jonathan Dedman Dietz on their Board. Dietz, the head of GIS Field Services, is looking more and more like Sen. Bob Menendez and the reality is that both of them have lost their teflon sheen and are becoming more and more pedestrian each and every day.
Our discussion hit on quite a few points, Dietz’s NAMFS Board membership included. I was pointed about the problems of NAMFS hegemony in the Industry and over technology. Surprisingly, it was pointed out to me that NAMFS membership rolls where at all time lows. In fact, the below photo, taken from NAMFS Executive Director Eric Miller’s LinkedIn page with Miller at the podium, shows roughly 55 people in attendance at their most recent NAMFS Annual Conference earlier this year.
#55 has been trending lately on many deeper pool social media private groups representing the fall from grace of NAMFS. And while many firms, such as ZVN Properties are going all in on NAMFS by and through their planting of Denia Ray as NAMFS Vice President. And while Bryan Lysikowski, co founder of ZVN Properties, has created a closer relationship with the NAMFS Regime and continued his support of GIS Field Services, the reality is that many of his Clients and colleagues are distancing themselves. Lysikowski is fully committed to the communist type insurance demands by Jonnie Rumbaugh for only the Big 3 under NAMFS control, while his colleagues are realizing the antitrust and monopolization concerns of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are talking about in their meetings. While Lysikowski is demanding the use of the Aspen Grove Solutions ABC Number, almost all other Regional and National providers no longer require it realizing that the background check solution is ineffective and overpriced — Simply ask ServiceLink or the most recent firm to leave, Altisource. Old traditions die hard, though, and with the obvious financial pressures of paying for Denia Ray’s extravagant lifestyle as ZVN Properties Vice President and her jet setting around the US, the reality is that pricing at ZVN Properties is at the lowest rates ever with nearly SIXTY DAYS before payment.
ZVN Properties are the minority, these days, when it comes to embracing the antitrust and fraud which is rearing its ugly head again in the Industry. When it comes to education, for example, the International Association of Field Service Technicians (IAFST) has recently been accepted to utilize the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) and the Credential Registry provide critical solutions for data transparency. The Pathway Builder tool builds off the data in the Credential Registry. CTDL allows the IAFST to communicate learning and career pathways. The tool enables publishing existing or creating new CTDL pathways. And no matter the role in creating, supporting, and sharing learning and career pathways, the CTDL is beneficial to both Labor and Management. Users for this tool, but not limited to, are education, training, and other credentialing organizations, employers, and professional associations.
The democratization of the Industry hinges on Labor being able to obtain certifications that are accepted across the US and internationally. For example, here are a few credentials that the IAFST offers today. To that point, these are the Open Badge Credentials you will commonly see on LinkedIn and require both a verified process and JSON distribution point. These, in turn, link to the IAFST’s CTDL Pathway. The ability to democratize education doesn’t stop with those men and women performing the services in the field. We are pending our approvals for training office personnel and certifying HUD P260 data entry, as well. This is what happens when you remove the yoke of monopolization and encourage participation at multiple levels from a plethora of cross industry trades.
Well paid personnel not only provide a higher quality of work product firm like Guardian Asset Management, but provides dignity and pride for those servicing their assets. By way of comparison, the subsidization of NAMFS member’s payment of low wages means that US taxpayers pay for the low wages these US government awardees pay out. An easy way to understand this is that Walmart is the largest private employer in the United States, with over 1.6 million employees. But many of those employees are underpaid, and many rely on government assistance programs like food stamps and Medicaid to make ends meet. The same is true of those working for NAMFS member firms such as ZVN Properties. A 2020 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that Walmart is one of the top employers of Medicaid and food stamp beneficiaries. The report estimated that taxpayers contribute $6.2 billion each year to support Walmart workers and their families through these programs.
This means that taxpayers are essentially subsidizing Walmart’s low wages. The company is able to pay its workers less because they know that the government will make up the difference. This is not fair to taxpayers, and it is not fair to workers. Workers deserve to be paid a living wage, so that they can support themselves and their families without having to rely on government assistance.
NAMFS members like ZVN Properties and Walmart are not the only company that subsidizes its low wages through government assistance programs. A 2013 study by the University of California, Berkeley found that low-wage workers at large corporations cost taxpayers an estimated $152.8 billion each year. This study found that the top five employers of low-wage workers who rely on government assistance are: Walmart, McDonald’s, Kroger, Dollar General, and Target. These companies are all making billions of dollars in profits each year, yet they are still paying their workers such low wages that they have to rely on government assistance to survive.
This is a problem that needs to be addressed. Ironically, NAMFS Vice President Denia Ray is doing her best to keep Jonathan Dedman Dietz on the NAMFS Board. And it is Dietz’s GIS Field Services whom is paying $3.50 for inspections that are paying between $30 and $45 each! We need to raise the minimum wage and make it easier for workers to organize and bargain collectively. We also need to hold corporations accountable for paying their workers a living wage. What can be done? Glad you asked! There are a number of things that can be done to address the problem of subsidizing underpaid Labor abused by NAMFS Vice President Denia Ray and her fellow #TwoFor Verisk NAMFS Executive Director Eric Miller and NAMFS President Matt Zoldowski. at Walmart and other companies,
One solution is to for NAMFS members to guarantee the federal contractor minimum wage required on all federal projects. This would ensure that all workers are paid a living wage, regardless of where they work.
Another solution is to make it easier for workers to organize and bargain collectively. This would give workers more power to negotiate for better wages and benefits. In fact, employees at both MCS and Cyprexx have inquired of Foreclosurepedia how to proceed.
We can also hold corporations accountable by requiring them to disclose how much money their employees and Labor receive in government assistance. This would make it more transparent how much taxpayers are subsidizing these companies’ low wages.
Finally, we can support policies that promote economic equality, such as affordable housing, universal healthcare, and quality education. These policies would help to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their background or income level.
The easiest way, though, is to join the IAFST today. The IAFST is working day in and day out to ensure equal opportunities and equal pay for all. In combination with our reporting here on Foreclosurepedia, the reality is that Labor today not only has a seat at the table, Labor is capable of deposing those criminals in our midst. The successful involuntary bankruptcy of National Field Network and the bankruptcy of the former NAMFS Secretary, Heather Berghorst, are but two recent examples. The reality, though, is this costs money. And many of you out there benefit from what we do and refuse to help. You rely on our reporting to keep yourself safe and yet when it comes to keeping that information flowing to all, you bury your heads in the NAMFS sand. Why not take a stand today by Donating and standing with other men and women who are letting their voices be heard?
