Building Trades News

Grant Mitchell, Bus. Mgr
2333 N. Lake Ave. Unit H
Altadena, CA 91001
(626) 584-9925

Carpenter Raiding Attempts Continue Nationally

Raiding attempts by the Carpenters Union are not limited to Southern California. The UBC is attempting to raid unions of not only their membership but also their work all across the country. In New Jersey, the UBC attempted to disrupt a scheduled representation election of drywall finishers. On the eve of the election, the UBC filed a cross-petition claiming wall-to-wall jurisdiction of all construction employees employed by the drywall contractors. A hearing is currently in progress to decide the matter.

In West Virginia, the UBC sent letters to all of IUPAT District Council 53’s drywall finishers urging them to sign authorization cards designating the UBC as their bargaining representative. This attempt failed and because of their actions, the National Building and Construction Trades Department terminated the Solidarity Charters of the West Virginia UBC affiliates.

In New York, a federal judge recently denied a motion filed by Carpenters Local 52 in a long-running jurisdictional dispute over drywall finishing. The U.S. District Court gave the Painters and Allied Trades Local 1947 jurisdiction over certain drywall finishing work in New York City.

Instead of organizing members in their own craft, the UBC has attempted to raid the membership and steal the work belonging to the IUPAT in Baltimore, Detroit, California, Kansas City, Toronto, Cincinnati, New Jersey, Nebraska, and Iowa, as well as the work of the IBEW, the Sheet Metal Workers Union, the Plasterers & Cement Masons Union, and other craft unions. The IUPAT and District Council 36 will continue to aggressively protect our membership from the Carpenters who have no respect for the jurisdiction of other crafts and threaten the real power of labor unions in America, unity and solidarity.