Minneapolis Buildings Trades workers took up picket signs again Friday at Twin Cities construction sites where CVS Pharmacy is using contractors who employ non-union labor.
After a similar July 26 action, one contractor, Velmeir Companies, agreed to talk with the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council.
The action on the day leading into Labor Day weekend targeted another CVS contractor, Bear Creek Development, which continues to use several non-union subcontractors.
?We?re standing up for our jobs,? said wireman Rick Vollmuth, a 25-year member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 292.
Vollmuth was part of a group of Building Trades workers who came to picket at the CVS Pharmacy construction site in Plymouth at the junction of Highway 55 and County Road 101, near his Maple Grove home. He said about 300 members of IBEW Local 292 are out of work right now.
When contractors use non-union workers, he explained, ?it?s always an attack on our jobs. If you just stand by and let it happen, we?ll have 600 unemployed next year.?
?We have a standard of living in these towns, based on what we?ve negotiated and fought for over the years,? Vollmuth continued. ?We live in these communities, we pay taxes, we?re the Cub Scout leaders, we coach the baseball teams, we?re the ones that volunteer in the community.?
He said CVS is using contractors who won?t even ask union subcontractors for bids. ?We?re the ones who are locked out of the job market because we?re union-affiliated.?
As many as 20 Building Trades workers were at the informational picket at the Plymouth CVS site, including representatives from the Plasterers, Roofers, Cement Masons, Iron Workers, Carpenters, and Electrical Workers.
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Building Trades workers protested use of non-union labor at the CVS Pharmacy construction site at Highway 55 and County Road 101 in Plymouth. Left to right: Tim House, Plasterers Local 265; Gene Harris, Roofers and Waterproofers Local 96; Steve Nagel, Lakes and Plains Regional Council of Carpenters; Greg Massey, Cement Masons Local 633; Mike Gallery, Iron Workers Local 512, Mark McGraw, IBEW Local 292, Rick Vollmuth, IBEW Local 292. Labor Review photo |
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Minneapolis Buildings Trades workers took up picket signs again Friday at Twin Cities construction sites where CVS Pharmacy is using contractors who employ non-union labor.
After a similar July 26 action, one contractor, Velmeir Companies, agreed to talk with the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council.
The action on the day leading into Labor Day weekend targeted another CVS contractor, Bear Creek Development, which continues to use several non-union subcontractors.
?We?re standing up for our jobs,? said wireman Rick Vollmuth, a 25-year member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 292.
Vollmuth was part of a group of Building Trades workers who came to picket at the CVS Pharmacy construction site in Plymouth at the junction of Highway 55 and County Road 101, near his Maple Grove home. He said about 300 members of IBEW Local 292 are out of work right now.
When contractors use non-union workers, he explained, ?it?s always an attack on our jobs. If you just stand by and let it happen, we?ll have 600 unemployed next year.?
?We have a standard of living in these towns, based on what we?ve negotiated and fought for over the years,? Vollmuth continued. ?We live in these communities, we pay taxes, we?re the Cub Scout leaders, we coach the baseball teams, we?re the ones that volunteer in the community.?
He said CVS is using contractors who won?t even ask union subcontractors for bids. ?We?re the ones who are locked out of the job market because we?re union-affiliated.?
As many as 20 Building Trades workers were at the informational picket at the Plymouth CVS site, including representatives from the Plasterers, Roofers, Cement Masons, Iron Workers, Carpenters, and Electrical Workers.
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Building Trades workers protested use of non-union labor at the CVS Pharmacy construction site at Highway 55 and County Road 101 in Plymouth. Left to right: Tim House, Plasterers Local 265; Gene Harris, Roofers and Waterproofers Local 96; Steve Nagel, Lakes and Plains Regional Council of Carpenters; Greg Massey, Cement Masons Local 633; Mike Gallery, Iron Workers Local 512, Mark McGraw, IBEW Local 292, Rick Vollmuth, IBEW Local 292. Labor Review photo |