Pipefitters upset over non-union labor

Unions question sub-contracting of work to non-union workers

A recent campaign, led by local members of the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters (UAPP), has drawn attention to a decision of the general contractor building the Environmental Studies Center to hire a non-union subcontractor.

Members of the union, with the help of some students, distributed about 2,000 fliers last week in front of campus dining halls. The fliers urged students to call the president's office and demand a rebate equal to the amount of money the College is saving by using non-union workers.

The College is using Mosser Construction, a union contractor, as the general contractor for the construction project. Mosser is responsible for the carpentry and cement work on the building. In turn, Mosser is hiring sub-contractors to do mechanical work, including heating and air conditioning, plumbing, electrical and fire alarm work.

According to Salvatore Filardi, associate director of facilities, planning and construction, Mosser received two union and two non-union bids for the mechanical sub-contracting work. They went with Guenther Mechanical, a non-union contractor.

Filardi said that is was completely routine for a union contractor to chose a non-union contractor. "It is absolutely not a concern," he said. "The only concern is that we hire a reputable, quality contractor doing work in a safe way."

Filardi also said that while the College is bound to use union carpenters by contract with their own carpenters, there is not such requirement for mechanical work.

For Mosser, it came down to money. "[The College] just tells us they want the best price," said Stan Peters, superintendent at Mosser Construction.

Dave Mitchell, business manager for the local pipefitters' union, said the non-union contractor pays significantly lower wages than their union counterparts. According to Mitchell, the prevailing wage for plumbers and pipefitters in Lorain County is $31.05 an hour. He believes that Guenther Mechanical's employees are paid substantially less than this rate, however, he is unsure of their salary.

"He has no way of knowing that [the workers make less than the going rate]," said Jim Andrews, president of Guenther Mechanical. "That's not true at all. We've got a number of people that make a lot more than the going rate." Andrews said that his employees are paid largely on merit and that 84 percent of all construction workers in the United States work in open shops.

"Mr. Mitchell represents a very small part of the industry," he said.

Mitchell also claimed that union workers were safer. "We're trying to make the College more aware that by having union workers on site, you're using people who have also had some secondary education and who are licensed and safe," he said. However, Andrews claimed that his company budgeted expensive training programs for his employees.

As the contracts for the construction have already been signed, Mitchell says that his goal is to influence the College's hiring practices in the future. "Labor in the U.S. has always been a liberal influence on the middle class and we think that makes Oberlin College a good fit," he said.

According to Mitchell, his union plans to take advantage of the upcoming appearance by AFL-CIO presidentJohn Sweeney, who is speaking at this year's commencement. "We have been in touch with his office and we're hoping he can help us in our struggle," he said.

Assistant to the President Diana Roose, said the College is looking into the concerns raised by Mitchell and the other union members. "We don't know the answers to these questions ourselves, yet," she said, "but we're looking into it."

Roose met with a delegation of local union representives on Tuesday to discuss concerns over workers for the building of the science center this summer. Roose described the meeting as "cordial and interesting," and said that an innovative model was proposed that would incorporate labor and management in the construction contract.

Workers of the world unite: A disgruntled pipefitter contemplates the drawbacks of non-union labor. (photo by Pauline Shapiro)