:: rawblogXport ::

:: Tuesday, June 15, 2004 ::

Movers caught up in two-union battle By Kathy Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal
Carpenters, Teamsters spar

On April 6, an employee called Teamsters Local 150 asking if the union could send someone to talk to workers. Business representative Ed Rogers met with them in the parking lot two days later. Twenty-two out of 24 workers signed cards saying they wanted Teamster representation.

Rogers talked to the owners the same day, asked for recognition and got it.

Then the Teamsters heard from the carpenters union. A flap at the local level over who had jurisdiction to organize the company moved up the food chain. A memo April 12 from McCarron to Hoffa includes a lengthy timeline of action by the carpenters to organize Petrini Van and Storage.

Ultimately, the two unions smoothed things over.

"We are interested in making sure people who are doing modular furniture installation are making decent wages and benefits," said carpenters spokesman Paul Cohen. "We are not looking to organize somebody already represented by another union. Frankly, if these companies were signatories with the Teamsters, we would not be there. It's not like the Teamsters had this arena organized and we stepped into their territory."

Jurisdictional issues happen all the time, said Rogers. "We have good relations with the carpenters and work side-by-side with them on some contracts."

But there are limits.

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