Engineer Contract Clears Way for Labor Peace Accord

After an unusual arrangement with Staples Center broke a nerve-rattling impasse, operating engineers signed a labor contract Wednesday, eliminating the final hurdle to a labor peace accord for the Democratic convention in August.

Although the deal covers only seven engineers, they are crucial to the smooth running of an event, operating the air conditioning, heating, major electrical and ice-making systems. The engineers voted to strike last month, but negotiations continued with Sempra Energy, one of the center’s founding partners, which actually employs the engineers.

For months, Democratic convention planners have sought a no-strike agreement with local unions, similar to one signed for the Republican convention in Philadelphia, that would ensure labor peace--at least among the unions working the event. But labor officials said they would not sign anything until all contracts at the new facility were signed.

The final dispute hinged on Sempra’s desire to classify the chief engineer as management, although Operating Engineers Local 501 insisted the position be a union job. Several tense weeks passed, with almost daily phone calls between Democratic convention planners, Staples Center officials and union local President Don Mear.

Staples Center ultimately agreed to hire the chief engineer as a direct, unionized employee. Now the chief reports to Staples while the six other engineers work for Sempra.

“We’re obviously relieved,” said Staples Center President Tim Leiweke. “These are never any fun. But I’m very proud because this is now a union building, and we didn’t have to go into a self-destruct mode to get there.”

Leiweke added, “This eliminates a lot of the tension around here and allows us to do things like the DNC and the Grammys and know we have the best people on board and they’re all motivated.”

Democratic convention planners and Los Angeles labor officials are now working out the final wording of a peace accord set to be signed July 23, said Miguel Contreras, secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. It would cover not only regular employees at Staples, such as concession workers and janitors, but also those contracted by the Democrats to set up electronics, telephones and other needs of the four-day event, and would involve at least 15 union locals.

The agreement would not prevent union members from protesting outside the convention, but Contreras said he expected any such protests to be muted. “It’s in our interest to have a good convention,” he said. “We want the story to be in favor of [Vice President Al] Gore.”

However, a dispute in Philadelphia illustrates that even a peace accord is no guarantee of labor peace. There, a local electricians union is in a dispute with TV networks about wiring for the Republican convention, and the mayor has intervened to try to resolve the problem.