Related Articles
AFL-CIO President Joins Local 68 Strike Rally July 30, 2002
The leaders in Denver were attending a meeting of the National Conference of State Legislators held at the citys convention center. The convention center is one of several sites picketed by Local 68 against contractor Ludvik Electric. Approximately 80 members of Local 68 have been on strike since July 1. The previous three-year contract expired on May 31 and local leaders worked hard to forge an agreement until June 30. Last-minute attempts to avoid a strike, which included Eighth District Vice President Jon Walters and National Electrical Contractors (NECA) Association officials, dragged on for six hours the day before the walkout. The strike is the first ever for the 104-year-old local, said Local 68 President Daniel Curtin. Among the issues dividing the two sides are wages and working conditions. Contractor Jim Ludvik has also refused to participate the Council of Industrial Relations, a voluntary dispute-arbitration vehicle operated jointly by NECA and the IBEW. Talks between the IBEW and Ludvik have yielded little progress, with the exception of a decision to bring in a federal mediator last week. Ludvik, a former IBEW member, has been unwilling to meet with Local 68 negotiators himself. Instead, he has sent his lawyer, Curtin said. Ludviks propensity for high-profile projects has given strikers good opportunities for visible picketing. Other current jobs include two hospitals and the State Capitol in Denver. The pickets have already resulted in lost business for Ludvik. We are going to keep picketing his sites until we get a resolution, Curtin said.
|
|
AFL-CIO
Chief John Sweeney, Building and Construction Trades Department,
AFL-CIO, President Edward Sullivan and other international union
presidents joined a rally Wednesday in support of striking IBEW
Local 68 members.
