Union protests labor practices at school site

Workers from Locals 2 and 5 of the New Jersey International Union of Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers protested a company overseeing school construction in Bordentown Township.

By: William Wichert
   BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP — For two days last week, a large inflatable rat greeted drivers along Ward Avenue outside the construction site of the new Bordentown Regional High School.
   Standing alongside the gray rodent on Jan. 20 in the bitter cold were a group of union workers protesting the labor practices of Boro Construction, the Pennsylvania-based company that is overseeing the high school’s construction without employing union workers.
   "It’s cold and we’ve got to fight for what’s right," said Frank Tuccillo, a third-generation mason with Local 2 of the New Jersey International Union of Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers in Pennsville. "We’ll stand out here as long as it takes for them to put us on the job."
   With drivers passing by and beeping their horns as a show of support, workers from BAC Locals 2 and 5 raised their arms in the air for the first of their two-day demonstration against Boro Construction, which was awarded a $18.8 million contract in March by the Bordentown Regional School District.
   "We’re exercising our legal right to an informational picket line," said Joseph Pillo, an organizer with BAC Local 5 in Bordentown Township. "We represent the taxpayers of New Jersey and taxpayer dollars are being used to build this project. You (Boro Construction) got outside, imported labor from outside the area. As the general contractor, why not use local labor?"
   Mr. Pillo refused to comment on the union’s specific demands and future demonstration plans, referring all questions to Local 2 representatives. A Local 2 spokesman could not be reached for comment.
   Superintendent John Polomano said the school district was not notified of the picket line until it began on Jan. 20, but he said the district could not comment on the matter, because it was a labor issue.
   "The biggest concern is doing the right thing," he said.
   Speaking on behalf of Boro Construction, Chief Financial Officer Tom Baker said last week that the company is a "merit shop contractor" that has not hired union workers for the last 30 years.
   "Our employees are usually long-term employees," said Mr. Baker. "We don’t go to any union hall to get employees."
   Anita Drummond, director of legal and regulatory affairs for Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), which represents Boro Construction, said the company is not breaking any laws by not hiring union workers.
   "It’s the norm that a construction firm would have nonunion employees," said Ms. Drummond, who said union workers only represent 15 percent of all construction workers in the country.
   Like any other pre-qualified contractor, Ms. Drummond said, Boro Construction only has to bid on a project and, if it is the lowest bidder, the company can be awarded the contract. The type of workers that the company uses is not an issue in the bidding process, she said.
   "We should have a right in this country to operate accordingly," said Mr. Baker. "It’s important for us to have good employees, long-term employees. If we didn’t have those resources, we wouldn’t be in business."
   Mr. Baker said he was not sure how many Boro workers are currently at the high school’s construction site, but he said the company has over 200 employees, including a large majority of New Jersey residents.
   The company also hires several subcontractors, who may or may not employ union workers, for its projects, but their labor policies are of no concern to Boro Construction, he said.
   "We hire union (sub)contractors and nonunion (sub)contractors," Mr. Baker said. "They are who they are. It makes no difference to us."
   In addition to the school district’s $18.8 million contract with Boro Construction, $12 million is allotted for subcontractors hired for heating and air, plumbing and electrical projects, but Mr. Baker said there should not be many subcontractors at the site now because of the cold weather and the construction timeline of the entire project.