THOUSAND OAKS : Carpenters Stage Protest for Higher Pay
Demanding higher wages, health insurance and other benefits, about 80 carpenters staged a noontime protest Wednesday at a large housing development in Thousand Oaks.
Miguel Rios, a spokesman for the workers, said they decided to picket the Shapell Industries development on Rancho Conejo Boulevard because it is an example of a residential job site that pays below-standard wages for certain construction jobs.
The carpenters, most of whom live and work in the San Fernando Valley, launched their campaign for higher wages a week ago. Rios said the workers are not unionized, although the protests are organized and sponsored by the Carpenters Local Union 2361 in Sylmar.
The demonstrations are aimed at drawing attention to the disparity in wages paid to construction workers at residential, industrial and commercial jobs, Rios said.
Gustavo Villalobos, another protester from Panorama City, said carpenters building residential units are paid $10 to $12 an hour without benefits.
By contrast, he said, workers at commercial and industrial sites earn a union scale of $18 an hour with benefits.
A spokeswoman for the builder, Shapell Industries in Beverly Hills, could not be reached for comment.
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