Construction trade workers protest at Virginia Power
MICHAEL MARTZ/RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH
Bob Corby, a carpenter from Goochland County, hands out fliers at Dominion Virginia Power headquarters calling on the utility to hire more Virginia workers for its construction projects.
The people who build and repair Dominion Virginia Power plants today challenged the people who own them to hire more state workers for the jobs.
A group of union workers handed out fliers as Dominion employees arrived for work this morning at the electric utility's headquarters at One James River Plaza on East Cary Street in downtown Richmond . More than 50 workers participated, also handing out fliers in front of the Virginia Employment Commission's headquarters, Dominion's corporate offices on Tredegar Street and other downtown intersections.
"We just want our fair share of the work," said James E. "Toney" Rigali, president of the Virginia State Building & Construction Trades Council.
Rigali, who estimates the council represents about 35,000 union-represented workers in a wide variety of crafts across the state, said the message is about Virginia workers, regardless of whether they belong to a union.
"Whether it's union or non-union, we just want Virginians to be first and get in these jobs," said Rigali, who is a member of the Plumbers and Pipefitters, Local 10, based in South Richmond.
The members of the trades council also include elevator and sheet metal workers, carpenters, electricians, boilermakers, bricklayers, plasterers and cement masons, millwrights, asbestos workers, operating engineers and laborers with Virginia licenses and in many cases state-certified training. They say too much work is going to out-of-state contractors at Dominion projects, including a new combined-cycle gas-fired power plant in Buckingham County and a coal-fired plant in Wise County.
However, the protesters offered no documentation of the practice, other than anecdotal evidence that many contract workers live in other states.
Dominion spokesman Karl R. Neddenien said today that the utility has hired more than 200 local residents for its Wise County power plant, or abour 40 percent of the project work force.
"Dominion Virginia Power actively works with our construction contractors to promote hiring local residents and make employment opportunities available to union craft workers," Neddenien said.
"We also need to ensure that projects are completed on time and on budget to the benefit of our customers," he added.
The organizers of today's protest acknowledged the use of out-of-state contractors for Dominion construction projects isn't new, but they said times have changed because of the recession and the utility's request for a 6.9-percent increase in base utility rates.
"How are people going to pay their electric bill when they don't have a job?" Rigali asked.
-- Michael Martz
Reader Reactions
It’s very apparent you have absolutely no clue and watch way to much Fox news. Todays building and construction trade unions have the finest training programs in the world, and applicants are screened for outstanding work ethic and attitude. There are rewards for being the best and there is no room for slackers. Todays unions do not tolerate lazyness or inferior work and if you think a union card protects you your dead wrong. There are incentives to being the best by becomming a foreman or superintendent on a job. Collective bargaining just covers the minimum you can be paid. The amount above that depends on your skill and work ethic. It is a shame you continue to rant about a subject you actually know nothing about. Just for the heck of it try to take the test for admittance it the steamfitters union. I don’t think you would pass the test. You know Rush Limbach is not a real reporter, he’s an entertainer. And it makes you very ugly to be his mouthpiece.
Randy,I wonder if PETA knows about the Pets Drinking that FLY ASH WATER. Micheal Vick would probably react like THE DOMINION 3 about the issue.
Huffie-FLY ASH, OVER $1BILLION in LAWSUITS against Dominion. Typical non-union decision-cut corners-half a**-jump over a dollar to get to a nickle. The consumers will pay for your screw up.
I gotta say that this thread has gone on three days longer than it should have. The conversation has become banal and repetitive. For once, the RTD needs to euthanize this thread.
Jimbo,
]What is with you and this fixation with fly ash, this is not something new created by Dominion specifically to pollute the bay and build golf courses, for years it has been released by every factory and home that burned coal. Its only been the last decade or so that its even been filtered out… and guess what if you collect it you must put it somewhere. Its quite humorous that you have been reduced to speaking of “Fly Ash”, oh well at least you have apparently come to the rationalization that Unions have little to no justifiable reason to exist in this day and age,,,
Pipeinsulator; Beware they could FLY ASH YOUR WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD. They sure sound MOBBISH. THAT NEO-CON, Radical Right. They will send the head of their party (RUSH) TO SIT ON YOU.
Huffer, Why we all just chill and have a glass of Lemonaid made with FLY ASH WATER.
PipeInsulator,
the 20% is not necessarily across the board, furthermore many Unions particularly construction trade unions that use an apprenticeship program base there wages on seniority or years of service, which is great (looking from the outside) rather on performance or actual acquired knowledge. For example “Tommy” is a pipefitter and he has been a pipefitter for 20 years and he is quite good at his trade, “Nelson” on the other hand has also been a pipefitter for 20 years and needs to read the directions on the toilet paper each and every time he uses the toilet, however because they belong to the brotherhood they both get paid the exact same amount… I have known many “Tommys” and many “Nelsons” and many of the “Tommys” caught on to this and left the union shops for merit shops, which is precisely why unions have lost their strength a little bit more with each passing year leaving many of the remaining members to be unproductive and some even subpar resulting in higher costs on top of the already higher cost of the 20% increase you speak of, thereby pricing the Union contractors out of the work that they so desperately want… So technically you can make up to 20% more but you generally only have work 50% of the time and in the long run you make 40% less than the folks working in the merit based shops. Many continue to speak of inferior workers and contractors… well I hate to be the one to let the cat out of the bag but their are lazy and unproductive workers on both sides of the fence, one main difference the “Union Nelsons” go to the union hall and complain when they are fired for not doing their jobs and they get their job back, wile the “Non Union Nelsons” are forced to sink or swim, so you see in the long run the Unions have hurt not only our economy but our status in the world of being a productive country.
Why is it you think that so many people come to this country (both illegal and legal)?... Because less actual work is expected of them for a greater return of cash than in their homelands. I would like just one to see some of you blow hard Union Supporters to make an attempt to work hard enough to make it in a 3’rd world country, because likely many of you couldn’t even survive… you guys have been so worried about your next raise, fly ash, what time break starts and what time the quitting time bell will ring that you have barely noticed that your jobs have mostly disappeared, that’s not something that you can fix with a picket sign thats going to take hard work and dedication, unfortunately many of your own club have you in a “Full Nelson”
Union Workers typically earn 20% more than there non union counterparts. Thats 20% more money to spend and 20% more money business profits from when selling goods and services. The question is how much are you paying in non union dues? Thats the difference in wages. I’ll bet you pay one heck of a lot more in non union dues than a unionized worker pays in dues.
Jim,
Seems as though you would be grateful for the “Free Lighting” as most left wing union liberals want something for nothing anyway…
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