LOS ANGELES : 500 Protest Switch to Non-Union Contractor
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More than 500 union members gathered outside the World Trade Center on Thursday to protest a decision by the building’s owner to award a renovation contract to a non-union construction company.
Bill McCarron, a business agent for Carpenters Local 1506, said that union carpenters had previously worked on trade center projects. Now, McCarron alleged, owners of the building “are taking advantage of hard economic times and hiring non-union companies that undercut union contractors.”
Terry Tornek, an executive vice president with Haseko California Inc., the firm managing the Trade Center, said there was no attempt to undermine the union.
There were no arrests at the site, where carpenters have been protesting since last Friday. Two picketers were arrested Wednesday for obstructing the sidewalk, but were released by police after being given citations.
“It’s become a scary situation,” said Tornek, who said his company was seeking a restraining order to limit the number of protesters.
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