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Building Trades United in Fight Against Carpenters Union Raiding

Building Trades crafts are uniting to fight efforts by the Carpenters Union to take over the work and raid the membership of other unions. Since disaffiliating from the National Building Trades Department of the AFL-CIO, the Carpenters have embarked on an aggressive campaign that has targeted a number of different crafts including the Plasterers and the Painters and Allied Trades (Drywall Finishers).

The Carpenters who supported both George Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger, have been used their political clout with the anti-union politicians in Sacramento in order to get the California Apprenticeship Commission to approve state funding and certification for a Carpenters Union apprenticeship program to train Plasterers.

“[The Carpenters] are trying to position themselves politically with a dangerous foe. These politicians are no friends to labor,” said Ernersto “Ernie” Penuelas, Business Agent with Iron Workers Local 433. “The Carpenters are trying align themselves with people who carry a big stick in order to get favoritism for what they are trying to do, which is—in the opinion of a lot people—to take over the entire Building Trades and make it one big Carpenters union.”

Craft unions are not taking this struggle lying down. A video that surfaced on the website YouTube.com, shows confrontation between two Carpenter Business Agents and a group of Iron Workers, that ends in a brawl after one of the Carpenter Business Agents grabs an Iron Worker as he tries to enter a job site.

On Oct. 18 of last year, Governor Schwarzenegger was scheduled to open a new Carpenters Union training facility in Ontario, but the building trades unions turned out in force to protest, and Arnold didn’t show up.

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When the Carpenters failed in their attempt to interfere with last years contract ratification meeting of the District Council 36’s Drywall Finishers, over 150 union members from the Building Trades came out in support of the Drywall Finishers, including one Iron Worker from Nevada who to drove all night to Southern California on his motorcycle.

“What [the Carpenters] are doing is wrong,” said Kevin Norton, IBEW Local 11, on behalf of Local 11 Business Manager, Marvin Kropke. “They need to organize their own industry.”

UA 250 members also came out to support District Council 36. “We’re here to support the Painters against the Carpenters who are raiding everybody’s work. We need to stick together to show that unity does exist,” said one UA 250 member.

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We appreciate what all the trades have done for us but remember, this is everybody’s fight,” said Grant Mitchell, Business Manager, Painters and Allied Trades, District Council 36. “We support the Building Trades in leading the battle to protect our crafts and apprenticeship programs from the aggressive tactics of the Carpenters Union.”

Since then, the Painters have held several job site demonstrations in order to call attention to the anti-union tactics of the Carpenters under Doug McCarron. These job actions have attracted support from craft union members and even some rank and file Carpenters unhappy with the direction that the Carpenters are going under McCarron, according to the Painters.

“Mitchell added that the battle with the Carpenters is just beginning. “They are well funded and well connected with anti-union politicians in Sacramento and Washington, DC,” he said.

“It is time for Building Trades to develop a collective strategy to protect our crafts and Apprentice programs from the Carpenters. This is not just a jurisdictional dispute. The carpenters are raiding our companies, our journeymen and our apprentices.

They are providing financial assistance and subsidies to wall-to-wall contractors to bid against other union companies who respect our jurisdiction. from the Carpenters.

This is not just a jurisdictional dispute. The carpenters are raiding our companies, our journeymen and our apprentices. They are providing financial assistance and subsidies to wall-to-wall contractors to bid against other union companies who respect our jurisdiction.

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