IBEW LU 2222 To Recognize Police Picket in Boston

Electrical Workers Union Zaps Convention Plans
Union Sides With Police Union, Puts Pressure On Mayor
POSTED: 9:04 am EDT June 6, 2004
UPDATED: 9:10 am EDT June 6, 2004
BOSTON -- An electrical workers union is promising to honor a police union
picket at the FleetCenter this week, throwing a wrench into Democratic National
Convention organizers plans to install telephone and data wiring in time for
next month's event.
Some members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local
2222 will join Boston Police Patrolman's Association on the picket line starting
Tuesday. The police union is in a contract dispute with Mayor Thomas M.
Menino.
"Our members will not cross, absolutely, positively, unequivocally," Myles
Calvey, business manager for Local 2222, told the Boston Sunday Globe. "We're
hoping everything gets resolved. If everything gets resolved, we'll go in and do
a great job. If it doesn't, they'll have to go wireless."
The electrical union is the first to commit to staying away from the
FleetCenter while the police picket, but others could follow, hampering efforts to
have the FleetCenter ready by the July 26 start of the convention.
That in turn puts more pressure on Menino to settle with the police union to
avoid a potentially embarrassing situation.
Local 2222, which represents about 3,800 Boston-area Verizon workers, was
supposed to have about 50 members install telephone and telecom equipment for the
convention. Work must begin next week to ensure completion by the start of
the convention.
DNC organizers refused to comment on how they will handle the electrical
workers' decision. Verizon could provide nonunion managers to do the job, or the
host committee could use nonunion workers.
Another electrical workers union, the IBEW Local 103, intends to work despite
the police pickets, but it will not do the work of Local 2222.
"That's their work, and if they choose not to cross the picket line, that's
their decision," said Local 103 business manager Michael Monahan.
The decision by Local 2222 could hinder the Greater Boston Labor Council's
efforts to sign a project labor agreement with convention organizers before
construction is scheduled to start on Tuesday.
The labor agreement is being sought by organizers because it includes a
labor-peace guarantee. The council is scheduled to vote on the measure Monday
night.
The police union and the city resume negotiations on Monday, and Richard
Rogers, executive secretary-treasurer of the labor council, said he hopes a
settlement can be reached.
"The stakes are so high that it's incumbent that both sides explore every
option in an effort to reach an agreement," he said.
Even though talks between the city and the police union have shown some
progress in recent weeks with the involvement of Police Commissioner Kathleen
O'Toole, the police union welcomed the electrical workers' support.
"There's been so much support pledged and we're honored by it," said Thomas
Nee, president of the patrolman's association. He called on other building
trade unions to refuse to work on the convention as long as the police and other
city unions are without contracts.
The city's firefighters, police detectives and supervisors, and service
employees are also working without contracts.