Responses by the Unions
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
What I am writing is strictly from my perspective—where I was standing when the issues arose with the unions, and we felt we had no choice but to withdraw.
Each union responded in a different way.
One union, the Cement Masons, waited until we had a pour and needed a large number of finishers, about a week after we withdrew. They called and said they would not interfere with the pour if we agreed to meet with them the following week to discuss the issues.
We agreed, and the next week we met with the local business agent. We expressed our concerns that the stewards on the project were trying to run the job rather than allowing us to manage it.
It was a productive conversation that lasted over an hour. He said he would speak with the steward and that he wanted to work with us. He walked out of our office with a new contract with our firm.
The second union was the Operating Engineers. We only had one employee affiliated with them, and we had been signed with the union for about six months. The NLRB required us to list all equipment the operators claimed, along with the number of hours each piece had been used over the past three years.
We protested because much of that equipment was also claimed by the Laborers Union. Ultimately, we were fined by the NLRB for wages they determined should have gone to the operators.
The last union was the Laborers. They were far more aggressive. They picketed our homes and distributed flyers throughout the neighborhood showing a rat smoking a cigar, wearing a suit filled with $100 bills, with money stuffed in its pockets and hatband.
They also placed a 15-foot inflatable rat in front of our business and picketed our driveway. Then they pursued legal action against us through the NLRB.
Finally, they filed a claim for unfunded pension benefits that they said we owed. We were surprised by this, as we knew the Laborers’ pension was fully funded, we had previously served on the pension board before the withdrawal.
It was a stressful time. In my next blog, I will share my experience of walking into an NLRB trial and dealing with the unfunded pension claims.
As a side note, when an attorney tells you that you have a “good case,” make sure it’s not just because it will fund their 401(k) at your expense