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RFH 2010, Colgate News

Union Denounces Colgate

Tue, Apr 12, 2011

Union claims the university desecrates the American way of life because non-union workers are at the Colgate Inn job site.

Union Denounces Colgate

A large red and white sign at the main entrance of the university today announced, "Shame On Colgate."

This is the latest recitation of the complaint by the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters that Hayner-Hoyt, general contractor for the work being done at the Colgate Inn, did not hire union carpenters. The Syracuse company subcontracted work to LeMoyne Interiors, a non-union company. Until today, the union had only picketed in front of the Colgate Inn.

Colgate today said that while some of workers at the inn were union members, no carpentry businesses with union members bid on the work.

"As we have stated in the past, Colgate regularly engages with union contractors," said Director of Public Relations and Marketing Barbara Brooks in an emailed statement. "In this particular case, it's important to know that the Colgate Inn job did include union workers (electricians and others), though not union carpenters. According to Hayner Hoyt, it wasn't possible to use union carpenters on the Inn project as no union-member carpenter groups submitted bids."

David Hale, Colgate's Vice President for Finance & Administration added:

"I would simply like to reemphasize that Colgate's construction projects regularly utilize union workers.  We typically leave it in the hands of the general contractor for a specific job to assess the quality of the bids received for work and the university does not discriminate for or against using union workers.  Moreover, Colgate has employees who are members of a union and we have enjoyed many years of productive working relationships with employees who are members of collective bargaining groups."

The flyer being handed out by the three people holding the sign elaborated: "Shame on Colgate University for the desecration of the American way of life." Under a hand-drawn picture of a rat gnawing on the American flag was the core of the complaint by the union:

"A rat is a contractor that does not pay all of its employees the Area Standard Wages, including providing or making payments for family health care and pension benefits.

"The Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters objects to substandard wage employees like LeMoyne Interiors Inc. working in the community. In our opinion the community ends up paying the tab for employee health care and low wages tend to lower general community standards, thereby encouraging crime and social ills.

"The Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters believes Colgate University has an obligation to the community to see area labor standards are met for construction work performed on their future projects. They should not be allowed to insulate themselves behind "independent Contractors."

And it urges:

"Please call Joseph Bello (Associate Director of Facilities and Manager of Capital Projects) with Colgate University and tell them (sic) that you want them to do all they can to change this situation and see that area labor standards are met on all Colgate University projects."

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