St. Paul Pipefitters union ends strike; Minneapolis doesn’t

Pipefitters’ Local 455 in St. Paul ended a 45-day strike June 21 by ratifying a three-year contract, but Local 539 in Minneapolis remained on strike after members rejected an identical proposal.

‘We’re trying to get everyone back to work as quickly as possible,’ said Jerry Barnes, business manager for Local 455. St. Paul Pipefitters began returning to work Friday, Barnes said; he expected all striking members to be back on the job by Monday.

Both locals began their strike against commercial contractors on May 7. Local 455 represents about 985 active members in Ramsey and four other east metro counties. Local 539 represents about 1,100 active members in Hennepin, Anoka and seven other west metro counties.

Barnes speculated that Local 539 would hold another vote on the same proposal next week ‘and see if they can get it passed.’ Local 539 business manager Charlie Fritze could not be reached for comment.

Strike yields 30 to 40 cents more an hour
The agreement ratified by members of Local 455 includes general increases of $2.55, $2.60 and $2.65 an hour in successive years, Barnes said. The locals initially went on strike after rejecting a three-year proposal with increases of $2.25 an hour.

The locals had been seeking increases of $2.76 an hour, ‘and some of our members felt as though, if we held out for another week or two, we could get our anticipated goal,’ Barnes said. ‘We set our standards high, and I think we shot for as close as we could come to that.’

In the Building Trades, such increases typically are divided among hourly wages, health insurance, pension, training funds and other benefits.

Barnes said the new contract also contains ‘very good language with regard to jurisdiction,’ improves welding pay for apprentices in some work situations, and allocates 14 cents an hour in the first year to training.

‘I’m very satisfied and glad we’re back at work,’ Barnes said. Local 455 members ratified the contract by a 2-1 margin.

Barnes said members now will be pressed to catch up on a backlog of work.

‘Some schedules will be difficult to meet,’ he said. ‘Some jobs you’ll be able to man up with more people, but certain jobs will require some overtime. There are some jobs you just can’t put more people on, because of the geography of the situation. So you have to work more hours.’

Local 455 members will honor any picket lines that Local 539 maintains at contractors and job sites, Barnes said.

Elevator Constructors wrap up contract early
Meanwhile, members of Elevator Constructors Local 9 have ratified a five-year master agreement with elevator contractors, wrapping up negotiations a month before the current contract expires on July 8.

Local 9 business manager Jim Biagini said the contract creates two new benefits: an annuity for members, and the local’s first formal apprenticeship training program, which he expects will be established within a year.

The contract provides general increases of $3 an hour in each year of the contract, Biagini said. In addition to the annuity and training program, the increases cover wages, the health and welfare fund, pension fund, and work preservation fund.

Local 9 represents about 600 members in Minnesota, North Dakota and western Wisconsin. Members ratified the agreement on June 2, Biagini said.

Michael Kuchta is editor of The Union Advocate, the publication of the St. Paul Trades & Labor Assembly.