Construction workers go on strike
Members of Teamsters Local 716 working on Hanna Avenue construction went on a nine-day strike in protest of an alleged unfair labor practice on the part of Spurlino Materials, a construction materials supplier.
According to Teamsters Local 716 President Jim Cahill, Spurlino illegally discharged union member Gary Stevenson from his work.
“Striking is always a last resort because in a strike both sides lose,” Cahill said. “Yet sometimes it’s the most effective course of action.”
The strike, which took place between August 3 and August 11, and which Cahill said effectively slowed down progress on the construction project, was not enough to convince Spurlino to reinstate Stevenson to his job, nor was the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), a federal agency designed to “prevent and remedy unfair labor practices committed by private sector employers and unions,” according to nlrb.gov.
The board conducted a formal hearing in regards to the dispute between the union member and Spurlino.
“The NLRB ruled in our favor and ordered Spurlino to reinstate Stevenson and give him back pay,” Cahill said. “They refused, and now they’ve permanently replaced him. So now the whole thing is going to court.”
Because the court system is now involved, representatives from Spurlino Materials were unable to comment.
University of Indianapolis Physical Plant Director Ken Piepenbrink and Indiana Department of Transportation Project Supervisor Phillip Hunter also refused to comment on the charges against Spurlino Materials.
“I really thought everything would be resolved by now,” Hunter said. “There was some slowdown, but I don’t believe it will affect the project.”
The construction project is expected to be completed by November 2011.
