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(February 26, 2008) -- Throughout the recent dispute between Operating Engineers Local 302 and nonunion concrete pumping companies in Washington state, Local 302 Business Manager and General Vice President Allan B. Darr has conferred with IUOE General President Vincent Giblin to keep him apprised of the situation. In turn, Giblin has been in contact with leaders of other building trades unions to protect Local 302's jurisdiction in the matter. Giblin reports that Carpenters General President Doug McCarron, in particular, stands strongly behind IUOE and against those who would attempt to undermine the new master agreement. "Our General President has never wavered in his support of our members who voted for this improved contract and our local union's strategy to sign all contractors to the new agreement," Darr said. "President Giblin has conveyed his respect for what our local union and its leadership are accomplishing and continues to offer to his full support. That makes me very proud to be a member of this union." Giblin has confirmed--and re-confirmed--that the IUOE strongly supports and congratulates Local 302 on its success in achieving a better contract. He plans to continue to follow the matter closely and help Local 302 in any way he can. ### iuoe302/afl-cio General President Giblin is behind Local 302 pumpers 100% GIBLIN Statement by Allan B. Darr, Business Manager and General Vice President, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 302 March 12, 2008 The Laborers Union has issued a statement indicating it has signed a four-year contract to represent the employees of Ralph's, Brundage-Bone and Pacific Concrete Pumping in Western Washington, effective March 10. There is no word on whether the employees of those companies have voted to approve this contract. Steve Cuddy, the Laborers International Union of North America attorney who authored the statement, refused comment ("under advice from our attorney") on whether the statement is accurate. If the statement is true, there can no longer be any doubt that, in its efforts to add members at any cost, the Laborers Union has abandoned all pretense of labor solidarity, regardless of trade or jurisdiction. That makes today a truly sad day for organized labor. It also forces Operating Engineers Local 302 to immediately and aggressively begin defending itself against the attacks of the Laborers' Union in order to protect the interests of our members. When the Laborers quit the AFL-CIO in 2006, they were no longer bound by the Building and Construction Trades' jurisdictional dispute resolution process that had been in place for decades. Since that time, there have been several examples around the country of the Laborers signing contracts covering workers that are traditionally represented by other unions, including the Operating Engineers. Most trade unionists find the practice of "raiding" other unions' jurisdictions to be abhorrent. Not only does it harm the solidarity between unions that is necessary to achieve good contracts, it creates an incentive for unions to undercut each other, undermining working conditions. It leads to battles between unions at a time when there has never been more Americans who need - and want - to unionize. In the case of local concrete pumping companies, rather than sign the new area-standard agreement approved by members of IUOE Local 302 who work for rival contractors, the owners of the aforementioned firms went shopping for cheaper contract with a different union. Apparently, these companies believe that having a union contract - any union contract - will allow them to retain access to construction projects where the general contractor has signed Local 302's master agreement, which includes language that all subcontractors must be signatory as well. In addition to the Laborers, company owners approached the Carpenters Union, which earned Local 302's thanks and respect for refusing to negotiate with them. When word of the owners' attempt first surfaced, IUOE General President Vincent Giblin called Laborers President Terence O'Sullivan, who told Giblin that he had instructed his Laborers local unions in Washington state to stay away from the concrete pumpers and not intervene in the dispute between Local 302 and the companies. If this latest news is true, O'Sullivan either changed his mind or was not being truthful. Either way, the battleground has changed. And so, in order to protect our members' working standards and conditions, Operating Engineers Local 302 will embark on a course of action intended to end -- once and for all -- the threat of unscrupulous jurisdictional raids by the Laborers Union. The steps our union will take will become clear in the coming days and months. International Union of Operating Engineers LOCAL 302 • Washington and Alaska • AFL-CIO Allan B. Darr, Business Manager and General Vice President iuoe302/afl-cio NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS The Laborers Union is proud to announce that we have unionized the following concrete pumping industry employers'operations in Western and Central Washington: -Ralph's Concrete Pumping, Inc. -Brundage-Bone Concrete Pumping Inc. -Pacific Concrete Pumping The collective bargaining agreement, effective March 10, 2008, contains significant improvements in pay and benefits, and includes pay increases retroactive to January 1, 2008. The above listed contractors are now fully unionized, and are paying: - Union wages (copy of wage rates attached) - Union health and welfare benefits - Union pension contributions - Company paid 401(k) retirement plan - Company paid vacations - Company paid holidays The agreement will be in place until June 30, 2012, and will be renegotiated then. The agreement has wage increases that tie to percentages negotiated by the AGC in the final two years. With this agreement, the Laborers now represent a significant majority of concrete pumpers in Western and Central Washington. This contract now establishes the "area standard" for the concrete pumping industry. Statement by Allan B. Darr, Business Manager and General Vice President, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 302 March 12, 2008 The Laborers Union has issued a statement indicating it has signed a four-year contract to represent the employees of Ralph's, Brundage-Bone and Pacific Concrete Pumping in Western Washington, effective March 10. There is no word on whether the employees of those companies have voted to approve this contract. Steve Cuddy, the Laborers International Union of North America attorney who authored the statement, refused comment ("under advice from our attorney") on whether the statement is accurate. If the statement is true, there can no longer be any doubt that, in its efforts to add members at any cost, the Laborers Union has abandoned all pretense of labor solidarity, regardless of trade or jurisdiction. That makes today a truly sad day for organized labor. It also forces Operating Engineers Local 302 to immediately and aggressively begin defending itself against the attacks of the Laborers' Union in order to protect the interests of our members. When the Laborers quit the AFL-CIO in 2006, they were no longer bound by the Building and Construction Trades' jurisdictional dispute resolution process that had been in place for decades. Since that time, there have been several examples around the country of the Laborers signing contracts covering workers that are traditionally represented by other unions, including the Operating Engineers. Most trade unionists find the practice of "raiding" other unions' jurisdictions to be abhorrent. Not only does it harm the solidarity between unions that is necessary to achieve good contracts, it creates an incentive for unions to undercut each other, undermining working conditions. It leads to battles between unions at a time when there has never been more Americans who need - and want - to unionize. In the case of local concrete pumping companies, rather than sign the new area-standard agreement approved by members of IUOE Local 302 who work for rival contractors, the owners of the aforementioned firms went shopping for cheaper contract with a different union. Apparently, these companies believe that having a union contract - any union contract - will allow them to retain access to construction projects where the general contractor has signed Local 302's master agreement, which includes language that all subcontractors must be signatory as well. In addition to the Laborers, company owners approached the Carpenters Union, which earned Local 302's thanks and respect for refusing to negotiate with them. When word of the owners' attempt first surfaced, IUOE General President Vincent Giblin called Laborers President Terence O'Sullivan, who told Giblin that he had instructed his Laborers local unions in Washington state to stay away from the concrete pumpers and not intervene in the dispute between Local 302 and the companies. If this latest news is true, O'Sullivan either changed his mind or was not being truthful. Either way, the battleground has changed. And so, in order to protect our members' working standards and conditions, Operating Engineers Local 302 will embark on a course of action intended to end -- once and for all -- the threat of unscrupulous jurisdictional raids by the Laborers Union. The steps our union will take will become clear in the coming days and months. International Union of Operating Engineers LOCAL 302 • Washington and Alaska • AFL-CIO Allan B. Darr, Business Manager and General Vice President iuoe302/afl-cio |