Añadido: May 10, 2008
De: voc370
Duración: 6:28
Union Groups Call For Use of Local Workers on Project FLORIDA, NY — Chanting "local jobs for local people," more than 50 union members from across the region rallied Monday to ask Beech-Nut and the Montgomery County Industrial Development Agency to hire union labor. The rally took place immediately preceding the latest town Planning Board meeting to discuss Beech-Nut's permits to build in the Florida Business Park on Route 5S. Union members packed the parking lot and carried signs asking for IDA reform and asking Beech-Nut not to hire out-of-state workers. Speakers took to the podium and talked with union members about the importance of keeping contract jobs local. Union leaders had been organizing the rally since learning Beech-Nut awarded a construction contract to Buckner Steel in North Carolina. New York state is providing Beech-Nut with $104.5 million in funding for the project, causing many at the meeting to question the awarding of a contract for the project to an out-of-state company. Frank Natalie of the Schenectady Central Labor Council said the awarding of the contracts to Buckner would mean the loss of 2,200 hours and around $1.1 million to local workers. Democrat Tracey Brooks, who is running for the 21st Congressional District seat being vacated by Michael McNulty at the end of the year, said the IDA needs to pay attention to what's going on in the local community more closely. She said it is a travesty it took a rally to attempt to get Beech-Nut and the IDA to do the right thing. Paul D. Tonko, a former state assemblyman who is expected to run for McNulty's seat, echoed Brooks' statements. He said he supports IDA reform and has tried to pass legislation in the state Assembly. Tonko said he would like Beech-Nut to commit to using union labor during construction and keeping union labor inside the factory. "This project is very important to retain jobs in this area," Tonko said. "But we must keep these jobs union in the facility and in the construction." During the Planning Board meeting, many union members spoke to the board about the importance of hiring local people and the need for the IDA to ensure all money spent in Montgomery County stays there. "I have been a union member for 25 years, and I have never had a job in my own community," said Hagaman resident Thomas Graveley, a member of Carpenters 370. "Getting a job like this would mean I wouldn't have to travel two hours each way to make a living." Mark Sowalski of the Empire Regional Council of Carpenters said he was in favor of the project and would love to see it go through provided they use local workers. Beech-Nut also had a chance to respond to the criticism during the meeting. Project Manager Jim Ivy said the group looked for the best possible candidate for the steel contract. He said company officials looked at safety, quality of work and history of finishing on schedule in making their decision to hire Buckner. Ivy said the group is committed to using local labor to build the new facility. He said they have an aggressive completion schedule that is getting tighter with each day the company isn't breaking ground. He said safety is a top priority for this project. Ivy works for the Facility Group in Symrna, Ga., which was hired by Beech-Nut to do the project. Union members countered they had proof Buckner has had deaths on work sites in the last few years. Iron Workers Business Representative Gary Simmons said the steel contractors he tried to get Beech-Nut to contract with had excellent safety records, but did not get a fair advantage because of the size of Buckner steel. Ivy said all bids have been competitive and open to local businesses. On its part, the Planning Board made no decisions on issuing permits Monday night. The board said some paperwork was not received until today, so the members did not have enough time to look over it. They scheduled a new meeting in order to look over everything until they had thoroughly read all received documents. The next Planning Board meeting will be May 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the Town Hall, located at 214 Fort Hunter Road. By KERRY McAVOY, The Leader-Herald POSTED: May 6, 2008
Categoría: News
Tags: action banner brotherhood building carpenters incentives iron labor picket tax trades ubc union united wages workers
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