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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 3, 2014)
Operating Engineers rejoin Building Trades Department WASHINGTON, D.C. (PAI) — After nearly eight years since leaving, the International Union of Operating Engineers rejoined the AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades De- partment on Jan. 1. “Raising our collective voice and acting with common purpose through this affiliation will benefit not only IUOE members, but all union con- struction tradesmen and women,” said Operating Engineers international President James Callahan. “We look forward to working with (BCTD) to create opportunities for construction workers and to provide a reliable and highly skilled workforce for contrac- tors and owners. The construction in- dustry and its workforce endured sig- Business group sues to stop workers’ rights poster WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Na- tional Association of Manufacturers (NAM) filed a lawsuit Dec. 18 chal- lenging the U.S. Department of Labor’s rule that requires federal contractors to display posters informing workers of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act. The 11 by 17 inch poster advises employees of their legal rights to organize unions, bargain collectively, and go on strike and picket without ret- ribution by an employer. It also informs workers of their rights not to join a union or be coerced by union officials. The employer group asserts that the regulation violates the free speech rights of employers by forcing them to promote unionization of their work- forces or risk losing federal contracts. Last year, two federal appeals courts struck down a similar poster rule issued by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). That rule covered most large private businesses, not just federal con- tractors. The Labor Department rules, which have been in place since 2010, affect federal contractors and subcontractors that employ about 16 million workers. A spokeswoman for NAM told As- sociate Press that her group is challeng- ing the Labor Department rule now based on the precedent set by the ap- peals courts in the NLRB case. The poster rule for federal contrac- tors was approved by the Labor Depart- ment’s Office of Labor Management Standards. It was based on a White House executive order signed by Presi- dent Barack Obama shortly after he took office in 2009. Obama’s executive order rescinded a prior executive order from President George W. Bush that required federal contractors to post a notice informing employees of their rights “not to join a labor union or pay fees for union ex- penses that are unrelated to representa- tion issues.” NAM did not challenge Bush’s ex- ecutive order. PAGE 8 nificant losses in the recent recession, but by working together as North America’s building trades unions, we can achieve a brighter and more pros- perous future for our members.” Building Trades Department Presi- dent Sean McGarvey called the reaffil- iation “a great day” for the construction industry in North America in general, and the union construction industry in particular. “With the Operating Engineers as a formal partner, we will better serve the needs of our clients, our customers, our contractors and, most importantly, the members we represent,” he said. The Operating Engineers has ap- proximately 400,000 members in 123 local unions throughout the United States and Canada, including Local 701 in Gladstone, Oregon, and Wash- ington Locals 286 in Auburn, 302 in Bothell, 280 in Richland, 370 in Spokane, and 612 in Tacoma. It is the 10th largest union in the AFL-CIO. With the addition of the Operating Engineers, the Building and Construc- tion Trades Department now consists of 14 national and international unions that collectively represent nearly 3 mil- lion construction workers in the United States and Canada. NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS JANUARY 3 2014
