Commitments And Contingencies	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011
Commitments And Contingencies [Abstract]
Commitments And Contingencies	Note 16 - Commitments and Contingencies Legacy Litigation. MasTec is subject to litigation, some of which dates from the period 2001 through 2006. *Outstanding Legacy Litigation* The Company is vigorously pursuing claims in excess of $5 million against Aon Risk Services, Inc. of Florida, an insurance broker, for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty for the losses arising from a denial of insurance coverage. Discovery is ongoing. The labor union representing the workers of Sistemas e Instalaciones de Telecomunicación S.A. ("Sintel"), a former MasTec subsidiary that was sold in 1998, filed a claim that initiated an investigative action with the Audiencia Nacional, a Spanish federal court, against Telefonica and dozens of other defendants including current and former officers and directors of MasTec (including Jorge Mas, Chairman of the Company's Board of Directors) relating to Sintel's 2000 bankruptcy. The union alleged Sintel and its creditors were damaged in the approximate amount of 300 million euros (approximately $389 million as of December 31, 2011). In June 2009, the Audiencia Nacional issued an order that the trial phase was commencing against the MasTec defendants and other defendants. In June 2010, the investigative court issued an order for letters rogatory to the United States for assistance in obtaining evidence from and seizing the assets of the MasTec defendants and MasTec. The U.S. government responded and provided publicly available records but declined to execute the request to seize assets. The investigative court could, however, issue another order in the future. MasTec and the MasTec defendants believe the claims are frivolous and are vigorously defending the matter. In addition, MasTec will vigorously defend against any potential liability. Neither MasTec nor Jorge Mas were directly involved in any of the transactions the Spanish prosecutor alleges led to Sintel's bankruptcy. MasTec's directors' and officers' insurance carrier has agreed to fund legal expenses under a reservation of rights. The amount of potential loss to MasTec, if any, relating to this matter cannot presently be determined, and therefore, no loss accrual has been recorded. In addition, MasTec is subject to a variety of legal cases, claims and other disputes that arise from time to time in the ordinary course of its business. MasTec cannot provide assurance that it will be successful in recovering all or any of the potential damages it has claimed or in defending claims against it. *Resolved Litigation* MasTec provided telecommunication infrastructure services to Adesta Communications, Inc. ("Adesta") in 2000 and 2001. Adesta filed for bankruptcy in 2001. Adesta's bankruptcy trustee sold Adesta's assets in the bankruptcy trust. MasTec received a distribution from that trust of $1.3 million during 2011, thereby completing the matter. As previously disclosed, in July 2008, the Company filed a claim in arbitration against its investment advisor ("Investment Advisor") with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. ("FINRA") for negligence, unsuitability, negligent supervision, negligent misrepresentations and omissions of material fact, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract and violations of state securities laws in connection with the sale by the Investment Advisor to the Company of certain auction rate securities, in the aggregate principal amount of $33.7 million. The Company sought, among other relief, rescission of the purchase of the auction rate securities and the Investment Advisors denied the Company's claims. The matter was settled in October 2009 with a mutual release from liability, the Investment Advisor paying the Company $7 million, before legal expenses, which was recorded in other income, and the Company keeping the auction rate securities. Other Commitments and Contingencies Leases. In the ordinary course of business, the Company enters into non-cancelable operating leases for certain of its facility, vehicle and equipment needs, including related party leases. See Note 10 – Lease Obligations. Letters of Credit. In the ordinary course of business, the Company is required to post letters of credit, primarily for its insurance carriers and surety bond providers, and in support of performance under certain contracts. Such letters of credit are generally issued by a bank or similar financial institution. The letter of credit commits the issuer to pay specified amounts to the holder of the letter of credit if the holder claims that the Company has failed to perform specified actions. If this were to occur, the Company would be required to reimburse the issuer of the letter of credit, which, depending upon the circumstances, could result in a charge to earnings. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Company had $90.0 million and $85.8 million, respectively, of standby letters of credit issued under its Credit Facility. The Company is not aware of any material claims relating to outstanding letters of credit as of December 31, 2011 or 2010. Performance and Payment Bonds. In the ordinary course of business, MasTec is required by certain customers to provide performance and payment bonds for some of the Company's contractual commitments related to projects in process. These bonds provide a guarantee to the customer that the Company will perform under the terms of a contract and that the Company will pay subcontractors and vendors. If the Company fails to perform under a contract or to pay subcontractors and vendors, the customer may demand that the surety make payments or provide services under the bond. The Company must reimburse the surety for any expenses or outlays it incurs. As of December 31, 2011, the estimated cost to complete projects secured by the Company's $905.7 million in performance and payment bonds was $330.0 million. As of December 31, 2010, the estimated cost to complete projects secured by the Company's $520.0 million in performance and payment bonds was $93.9 million. Included in the outstanding performance and payment bonds as of December 31, 2011 and 2010 was approximately $3.0 million relating to the projects and assets of the state Department of Transportation business sold by the Company in 2007. In connection with the sale of these assets, MasTec remained contingently liable for certain obligations, including liabilities associated with claims on these performance and payment bonds. The buyer of the Department of Transportation related projects and assets filed for bankruptcy protection in October 2009, which increased the likelihood that MasTec could be required to assume certain obligations associated with these projects. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had completed the work associated with these projects, and does not believe that it has any further obligations thereunder. Self-Insurance. MasTec maintains insurance policies subject to per claim deductibles of $1 million for its workers' compensation policy, $2 million for its general liability policy and $2 million for its automobile liability policy. The Company has excess umbrella coverage up to $100 million per claim and in the aggregate. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, MasTec's liability for unpaid claims and associated expenses, including incurred but not reported losses related to its workers compensation, general liability and automobile liability insurance policies, was $39.1 million and $36.3 million, respectively, of which $22.3 million and $22.9 million, respectively, was reflected within non-current other liabilities. MasTec also maintains an insurance policy with respect to employee group health claims, which is subject to annual per employee maximum losses of $0.4 million. MasTec's liability for employee group claims as of both December 31, 2011 and 2010 was $1.4 million. The Company is required to post letters of credit and provide cash collateral to certain of its insurance carriers and to obtain surety bonds in certain states in which the Company is self-insured. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, these letters of credit amounted to $51.4 million and $59.5 million, respectively. A portion of these letters of credit were collateralized by $18.0 million of restricted cash as of December 31, 2010. In addition, cash collateral deposited with insurance carriers, which is included in other long-term assets in the consolidated balance sheets, amounted to $2.0 million and $2.2 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2011 and 2010. Outstanding surety bonds related to self-insurance programs amounted to $7.1 million and $4.6 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2011 and 2010. Employment Agreements. The Company has employment agreements with certain executives and other employees, which provide for compensation and certain other benefits and for severance payments under certain circumstances. Certain employment agreements also contain clauses that become effective upon a change of control of the Company. Upon the occurrence of any of the defined events in the various employment agreements, the Company would be obligated to pay certain amounts to the relevant employees, which vary with the level of the employees' respective responsibility. Collective Bargaining Agreements and Multi-Employer Pension Plans. Certain of MasTec's subsidiaries are party to various collective bargaining agreements with unions representing certain of their employees. The agreements require the subsidiaries party to the agreements to pay specified wages, provide certain benefits to their union employees and contribute certain amounts to multi-employer pension plans and employee benefit trusts. The multi-employer pension plan contribution rates are determined annually and assessed on a "pay-as-you-go" basis based on union employee payrolls. The required amount of future contributions cannot be determined for future periods because the number of union employees employed at any given time, and the plans in which they may participate, vary depending upon the location and number of ongoing projects and the need for union resources in connection with those projects. The collective bargaining agreements expire at various times and have typically been renegotiated and renewed on terms similar to the ones contained in the expiring agreements. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended by the Multi-Employer Pension Plan Amendments Act of 1980, subjects employers to substantial liabilities in the event of the employer's complete or partial withdrawal from, or upon termination of, such plans. Under current law regarding employers who are contributors to multi-employer defined benefit plans, a plan's termination, an employer's voluntary withdrawal from, or the mass withdrawal of all contributing employers from, an underfunded multi-employer defined benefit plan requires participating employers to make payments to the plan for their proportionate share of the multi-employer plan's unfunded vested liabilities. Furthermore, the Pension Protection Act of 2006 added new funding rules generally applicable to plan years beginning after 2007 for multi-employer plans that are classified as "endangered," "seriously endangered," or "critical" status. If plans in which the Company's subsidiaries participate are in critical status, benefit reductions may apply and/or the Company could be required to make additional contributions if the plans are determined to be underfunded. Based upon the information available to the Company from plan administrators as of December 31, 2011, several of the multi-employer pension plans in which the Company's subsidiaries participate are underfunded. The Pension Protection Act requires that underfunded pension plans improve their funding ratios within prescribed intervals based on the level of their underfunding. In addition, if a multi-employer defined benefit plan fails to satisfy certain minimum funding requirements, the Internal Revenue Service may impose a nondeductible excise tax of 5% on the amount of the accumulated funding deficiency for those employers contributing to the fund. The Company's subsidiaries have been notified that certain plans to which they contribute are in "critical" status and require additional contributions in the form of a surcharge on future benefit contributions required for future work performed by union employees covered by these plans. The amount of additional funds the Company may be obligated to contribute in the future cannot be estimated, as such amounts will be based on future levels of work that require the specific use of those union employees covered by these plans. On November 15, 2011, the Company, along with other members of the Pipe Line Contractors Association ("PLCA"), voluntarily withdrew from the Central States Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension Fund ("Central States"), a defined benefit multi-employer pension plan. In connection with this withdrawal, the Company recorded a $6.4 million withdrawal liability based on the date of withdrawal. The Company withdrew from the Central States Plan in order to mitigate its liability in connection with the plan, which is in critical status; however, the plan has asserted that the PLCA members did not effectively withdraw on November 15, 2011. Although the Company believes that it legally and effectively withdrew from the plan on November 15, 2011, if the plan were to prevail in its assertion that the Company in fact withdrew after that date, then the amount of withdrawal liability would increase. In addition, if this plan were to undergo a mass withdrawal, as defined by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, within a two year time frame from the point of the Company's withdrawal, there could be additional liability. The Company currently does not have plans to withdraw from any other multi-employer pension plan. See Note 12 – Other Retirement Plans in the notes to consolidated financial statements for additional details. Indemnities. The Company generally indemnifies its customers for the services it provides under its contracts, as well as other specified liabilities, which may subject the Company to indemnity claims, liabilities and related litigation. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Company was not aware of any material asserted or unasserted claims in connection with these indemnity obligations. Other Guarantees. In the ordinary course of its business, from time to time, MasTec guarantees the obligations of its subsidiaries, including obligations under certain contracts with customers, certain lease obligations and in some states, obligations in connection with obtaining contractors' licenses. MasTec also generally warrants the work it performs for a one to two year period following substantial completion of a project. MasTec has not historically accrued any reserves for potential warranty claims as they have been immaterial.

Note 16 - Commitments and Contingencies

Legacy Litigation. MasTec is subject to litigation, some of which dates from the period 2001 through 2006.

Outstanding Legacy Litigation

The Company is vigorously pursuing claims in excess of $5 million against Aon Risk Services, Inc. of Florida, an insurance broker, for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty for the losses arising from a denial of insurance coverage. Discovery is ongoing.

The labor union representing the workers of Sistemas e Instalaciones de Telecomunicación S.A. ("Sintel"), a former MasTec subsidiary that was sold in 1998, filed a claim that initiated an investigative action with the Audiencia Nacional, a Spanish federal court, against Telefonica and dozens of other defendants including current and former officers and directors of MasTec (including Jorge Mas, Chairman of the Company's Board of Directors) relating to Sintel's 2000 bankruptcy. The union alleged Sintel and its creditors were damaged in the approximate amount of 300 million euros (approximately $389 million as of December 31, 2011). In June 2009, the Audiencia Nacional issued an order that the trial phase was commencing against the MasTec defendants and other defendants. In June 2010, the investigative court issued an order for letters rogatory to the United States for assistance in obtaining evidence from and seizing the assets of the MasTec defendants and MasTec. The U.S. government responded and provided publicly available records but declined to execute the request to seize assets. The investigative court could, however, issue another order in the future. MasTec and the MasTec defendants believe the claims are frivolous and are vigorously defending the matter. In addition, MasTec will vigorously defend against any potential liability. Neither MasTec nor Jorge Mas were directly involved in any of the transactions the Spanish prosecutor alleges led to Sintel's bankruptcy. MasTec's directors' and officers' insurance carrier has agreed to fund legal expenses under a reservation of rights. The amount of potential loss to MasTec, if any, relating to this matter cannot presently be determined, and therefore, no loss accrual has been recorded.

In addition, MasTec is subject to a variety of legal cases, claims and other disputes that arise from time to time in the ordinary course of its business. MasTec cannot provide assurance that it will be successful in recovering all or any of the potential damages it has claimed or in defending claims against it.

Resolved Litigation

MasTec provided telecommunication infrastructure services to Adesta Communications, Inc. ("Adesta") in 2000 and 2001. Adesta filed for bankruptcy in 2001. Adesta's bankruptcy trustee sold Adesta's assets in the bankruptcy trust. MasTec received a distribution from that trust of $1.3 million during 2011, thereby completing the matter.

As previously disclosed, in July 2008, the Company filed a claim in arbitration against its investment advisor ("Investment Advisor") with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. ("FINRA") for negligence, unsuitability, negligent supervision, negligent misrepresentations and omissions of material fact, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract and violations of state securities laws in connection with the sale by the Investment Advisor to the Company of certain auction rate securities, in the aggregate principal amount of $33.7 million. The Company sought, among other relief, rescission of the purchase of the auction rate securities and the Investment Advisors denied the Company's claims. The matter was settled in October 2009 with a mutual release from liability, the Investment Advisor paying the Company $7 million, before legal expenses, which was recorded in other income, and the Company keeping the auction rate securities.

Other Commitments and Contingencies

Leases. In the ordinary course of business, the Company enters into non-cancelable operating leases for certain of its facility, vehicle and equipment needs, including related party leases. See Note 10 – Lease Obligations.

Letters of Credit. In the ordinary course of business, the Company is required to post letters of credit, primarily for its insurance carriers and surety bond providers, and in support of performance under certain contracts. Such letters of credit are generally issued by a bank or similar financial institution. The letter of credit commits the issuer to pay specified amounts to the holder of the letter of credit if the holder claims that the Company has failed to perform specified actions. If this were to occur, the Company would be required to reimburse the issuer of the letter of credit, which, depending upon the circumstances, could result in a charge to earnings. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Company had $90.0 million and $85.8 million, respectively, of standby letters of credit issued under its Credit Facility. The Company is not aware of any material claims relating to outstanding letters of credit as of December 31, 2011 or 2010.

Performance and Payment Bonds. In the ordinary course of business, MasTec is required by certain customers to provide performance and payment bonds for some of the Company's contractual commitments related to projects in process. These bonds provide a guarantee to the customer that the Company will perform under the terms of a contract and that the Company will pay subcontractors and vendors. If the Company fails to perform under a contract or to pay subcontractors and vendors, the customer may demand that the surety make payments or provide services under the bond. The Company must reimburse the surety for any expenses or outlays it incurs. As of December 31, 2011, the estimated cost to complete projects secured by the Company's $905.7 million in performance and payment bonds was $330.0 million. As of December 31, 2010, the estimated cost to complete projects secured by the Company's $520.0 million in performance and payment bonds was $93.9 million.

Included in the outstanding performance and payment bonds as of December 31, 2011 and 2010 was approximately $3.0 million relating to the projects and assets of the state Department of Transportation business sold by the Company in 2007. In connection with the sale of these assets, MasTec remained contingently liable for certain obligations, including liabilities associated with claims on these performance and payment bonds. The buyer of the Department of Transportation related projects and assets filed for bankruptcy protection in October 2009, which increased the likelihood that MasTec could be required to assume certain obligations associated with these projects. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had completed the work associated with these projects, and does not believe that it has any further obligations thereunder.

Self-Insurance. MasTec maintains insurance policies subject to per claim deductibles of $1 million for its workers' compensation policy, $2 million for its general liability policy and $2 million for its automobile liability policy. The Company has excess umbrella coverage up to $100 million per claim and in the aggregate. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, MasTec's liability for unpaid claims and associated expenses, including incurred but not reported losses related to its workers compensation, general liability and automobile liability insurance policies, was $39.1 million and $36.3 million, respectively, of which $22.3 million and $22.9 million, respectively, was reflected within non-current other liabilities.

MasTec also maintains an insurance policy with respect to employee group health claims, which is subject to annual per employee maximum losses of $0.4 million. MasTec's liability for employee group claims as of both December 31, 2011 and 2010 was $1.4 million.

The Company is required to post letters of credit and provide cash collateral to certain of its insurance carriers and to obtain surety bonds in certain states in which the Company is self-insured. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, these letters of credit amounted to $51.4 million and $59.5 million, respectively. A portion of these letters of credit were collateralized by $18.0 million of restricted cash as of December 31, 2010. In addition, cash collateral deposited with insurance carriers, which is included in other long-term assets in the consolidated balance sheets, amounted to $2.0 million and $2.2 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2011 and 2010. Outstanding surety bonds related to self-insurance programs amounted to $7.1 million and $4.6 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2011 and 2010.

Employment Agreements. The Company has employment agreements with certain executives and other employees, which provide for compensation and certain other benefits and for severance payments under certain circumstances. Certain employment agreements also contain clauses that become effective upon a change of control of the Company. Upon the occurrence of any of the defined events in the various employment agreements, the Company would be obligated to pay certain amounts to the relevant employees, which vary with the level of the employees' respective responsibility.

Collective Bargaining Agreements and Multi-Employer Pension Plans. Certain of MasTec's subsidiaries are party to various collective bargaining agreements with unions representing certain of their employees. The agreements require the subsidiaries party to the agreements to pay specified wages, provide certain benefits to their union employees and contribute certain amounts to multi-employer pension plans and employee benefit trusts. The multi-employer pension plan contribution rates are determined annually and assessed on a "pay-as-you-go" basis based on union employee payrolls. The required amount of future contributions cannot be determined for future periods because the number of union employees employed at any given time, and the plans in which they may participate, vary depending upon the location and number of ongoing projects and the need for union resources in connection with those projects. The collective bargaining agreements expire at various times and have typically been renegotiated and renewed on terms similar to the ones contained in the expiring agreements.

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended by the Multi-Employer Pension Plan Amendments Act of 1980, subjects employers to substantial liabilities in the event of the employer's complete or partial withdrawal from, or upon termination of, such plans. Under current law regarding employers who are contributors to multi-employer defined benefit plans, a plan's termination, an employer's voluntary withdrawal from, or the mass withdrawal of all contributing employers from, an underfunded multi-employer defined benefit plan requires participating employers to make payments to the plan for their proportionate share of the multi-employer plan's unfunded vested liabilities. Furthermore, the Pension Protection Act of 2006 added new funding rules generally applicable to plan years beginning after 2007 for multi-employer plans that are classified as "endangered," "seriously endangered," or "critical" status. If plans in which the Company's subsidiaries participate are in critical status, benefit reductions may apply and/or the Company could be required to make additional contributions if the plans are determined to be underfunded.

Based upon the information available to the Company from plan administrators as of December 31, 2011, several of the multi-employer pension plans in which the Company's subsidiaries participate are underfunded. The Pension Protection Act requires that underfunded pension plans improve their funding ratios within prescribed intervals based on the level of their underfunding. In addition, if a multi-employer defined benefit plan fails to satisfy certain minimum funding requirements, the Internal Revenue Service may impose a nondeductible excise tax of 5% on the amount of the accumulated funding deficiency for those employers contributing to the fund. The Company's subsidiaries have been notified that certain plans to which they contribute are in "critical" status and require additional contributions in the form of a surcharge on future benefit contributions required for future work performed by union employees covered by these plans. The amount of additional funds the Company may be obligated to contribute in the future cannot be estimated, as such amounts will be based on future levels of work that require the specific use of those union employees covered by these plans.

On November 15, 2011, the Company, along with other members of the Pipe Line Contractors Association ("PLCA"), voluntarily withdrew from the Central States Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension Fund ("Central States"), a defined benefit multi-employer pension plan. In connection with this withdrawal, the Company recorded a $6.4 million withdrawal liability based on the date of withdrawal. The Company withdrew from the Central States Plan in order to mitigate its liability in connection with the plan, which is in critical status; however, the plan has asserted that the PLCA members did not effectively withdraw on November 15, 2011. Although the Company believes that it legally and effectively withdrew from the plan on November 15, 2011, if the plan were to prevail in its assertion that the Company in fact withdrew after that date, then the amount of withdrawal liability would increase. In addition, if this plan were to undergo a mass withdrawal, as defined by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, within a two year time frame from the point of the Company's withdrawal, there could be additional liability. The Company currently does not have plans to withdraw from any other multi-employer pension plan.

See Note 12 – Other Retirement Plans in the notes to consolidated financial statements for additional details.

Indemnities. The Company generally indemnifies its customers for the services it provides under its contracts, as well as other specified liabilities, which may subject the Company to indemnity claims, liabilities and related litigation. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Company was not aware of any material asserted or unasserted claims in connection with these indemnity obligations.

Other Guarantees. In the ordinary course of its business, from time to time, MasTec guarantees the obligations of its subsidiaries, including obligations under certain contracts with customers, certain lease obligations and in some states, obligations in connection with obtaining contractors' licenses. MasTec also generally warrants the work it performs for a one to two year period following substantial completion of a project. MasTec has not historically accrued any reserves for potential warranty claims as they have been immaterial.