By Eileen Buckley
Buffalo, NY – Buffalo Building and Construction Trades members continue to picket against Uniland Development outside a downtown construction site for use of non-union workers.
Along a highly traveled stretch of Delaware Avenue near Tupper Street, some motorists sounded their car horns in support of union picketers marching in a circle. They are staging protests in front of 285 Delaware Avenue, the future site of a new Uniland Development office building. The protestors have posted signs on construction fences accusing the company of hiring non-union and scab workers. Jonathan Robertson is with the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 17.
"What is Uniland worth? Millions and millions. What does the man make that digs the hole for this? He makes his little bit of a wage to hopefully go home and put food on the table," said Robertson. He says union workers feel they have been shut out of seasonal construction jobs.
"We want to see everyone get a fair shake We would like to see the project go union and no they guys in there are making a good wage, making a prevailing rate instead of a substandard wage," said Robertson.
Uniland would not provide a recorded comment, but issued a written statement. The company says all the bids for work at the Delaware Ave. site were gathered through an open process with both union and non union contractors. Uniland says it expects that approximately 65% of the work at the site will be awarded to union contractors.
But the unions are also accusing the company of failing to pay a standard wages construction workers. Robertson says trade workers have a highly skilled expertise that deserves a fair wage.
"We deal with heavy equipment and underground utilities and overhead structures. There is a lot of responsibility for what we do," noted Robertson.
But Uniland believes the ongoing pickets send a terrible message to both the area's development community and any businesses looking to locate in downtown Buffalo.