Some contractors (unionized) not so bad, Steelworkers say {Refinery strike}

Fuel Fix ^ | February 25, 2015 | LM Sixel

[thackney]

The building trades unions have taken exception to disparaging comments the United Steelworkers union have made during contract talks that contractor labor is neither high quality or safe. Many contractors use union-represented skilled crafts workers including electricians, plumbers, welders, iron workers and pipefitters.

To resolve the simmering, and growing dispute, the leaders of the United Steelworkers union and the North America’s Building Trades Unions issued a joint statement Wednesday to clarify the scope of contractor responsibilities at the nation’s refineries and chemical plants.

“We are issuing this statement to make clear that the scope of work USW is seeking in negotiations with the refinery owners does not and will not include the following: new construction; turnaround or shut down work (not currently performed by in-house USW members); and specialty work that requires specialty equipment,” according to Leo W. Gerard, international president of the Steelworkers and Sean McGarvey, president of the North America’s Building Trades Unions.

In addition, the Steelworkers vowed that it does not and will not seek to bar the subcontracting of that kind of work to contractors whose employees are represented by the building trades unions.

Rather, it’s the daily maintenance and repair work covered by existing recognition clauses in the Steelworker agreements with refinery owners and performed by the refinery owners’ workforce that is the work of the Steelworkers, according to the statement.

“This is the only work the USW is trying to defend in the current negotiations with the refinery owners,” according to the statement.

The Steelworkers also acknowledged that union contractors use “the best trained, most skilled and safest craft workers in the world.”

For the duration of the strike, the building trades will respect the Steelworkers picket lines and refrain from performing their work, according to the agreement. However the building trades will be allowed to continue working on rebuilding existing facilities as well as new construction.

[Redbob]

I love their presumption that union “labor” is high-quality: see that guy leaning on his shovel smoking a cigarette?
He’s one of those union “workers”...

Labor unions have become the last refuge of the lazy and the incompetent.