Open letter (Jan. 15) from Business Manager and General Vice President Allan B. Darr

From Concretepumping

International Union of Operating Engineers LOCAL 302 • Washington and Alaska • AFL-CIO

Allan B. Darr, Business Manager and General Vice President

AN OPEN LETTER FROM THE BUSINESS MANAGER – January 15, 2008

Our Union is in a dispute with the some concrete pumping contractors. Recent press coverage of this dispute has implied that this Union is ignoring the interests of its own members in that industry. Nothing could be further from the truth. Concrete pumpers do hard work, and for as long as I can remember, they have been mistreated by their employers and forced to accept far less than they deserve. They worked under a divisive substandard two-tiered contract for several years and this time around, our members told us loud and clear that they wanted a better contract. That’s what this Union set out to negotiate. But a few companies -- Brundage Bone, Ralph’s and Pacific -- were intransigent. They were so confident they could get their employees to ratify whatever they offered that they notified the Union that the companies were terminating their relationship with the Union upon the contract’s expiration. Their gamble backfired when their employees rejected their last-minute offer that was truly a slap in the face of our membership. Rather than immediately make a new offer, these companies didn’t respond and terminated their relationship with the Union. So who’s to blame that their competitor at Conco stepped up and negotiated a fair contract with the Union, a contract that was overwhelimgly ratified by our members at that company? And who’s to blame that a second company, All-American, has signed this new master agreement? Who’s to blame that our Union got the best deal possible for its members – far better than the previous contract – and then refused to undercut them by negotiating a separate, lesser agreement for their competitors? Who’s to blame that these non-union companies that still refuse to sign the new agreement are losing work as a result? For as long as I’ve been a member of this Union, and as long as I’ve had the honor of serving as your Business Manager, Local 302 has fought for higher wages, secure retirement, affordable health care and fair working conditions for its members. Nothing has changed. Before anyone begins to believe the propaganda being circulated by non-union companies and swallowed whole by the mainstream media, I urge all of you give your Union the benefit of the doubt. Get the facts at our web site –www.iuoe302.org – or call us at 425-806-0302. When we are under attack, we need to remind ourselves that united we stand and divided we fall. This Union will fight for what’s best for all of us. For the concrete pumpers, that is this new master agreement. We will not go backwards to the divisiveness of two-tiered substandard contracts, and we will not turn our backs on our members who have approved this new agreement. Remember: No one of us is greater than all of us. Thank you. Respectfully submitted, Allan B. Darr Business Manager and General Vice President