Electricians protest low wages, CSU's "blind eye"
By Laban Pelz
The Collegian
More than a dozen electricians on the perimeter of campus Tuesday and Wednesday demonstrated against what they said is the CSU system’s condoning of contractor Helix Electric, Inc., willfully underpaying its employees.
The protesting and leaf-letting is scheduled to continue today, a representative said.
None of the electricians is presently employed by the company, said Michael Stein, an agent who represents the local union of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
Stein said they are demonstrating to bring attention to unfair labor practices by the non-union Helix Electric, which he said takes advantage of the CSU system’s poor contracting guidelines to win electrical contracts and then underpay workers.
“If you go on underpaying your workers of course you’re going to be a low bidder,” he said.
Stein said he has gone to “18 or 19” CSU campus facility managers with his concerns of the lack of pre-qualification procedures for awarding contracts, but has been referred to the CSU home office every time. He said campus presidents have refused to meet with him.
“They said they have no control, that it’s out of their hands, that it’s in Long Beach,” Stein said.
Long Beach, Stein said, has stonewalled, and on three separate occasions meetings were set up with CSU Chancellor Charles Reed, who cancelled each meeting at the last minute.
Stein said the union is simply “trying to get tighter pre-qualifications” on the CSU system’s contracting process. He said Helix Electric is deeply entrenched in the system and has a contract on every campus.
“Why are we losing all these jobs?” said a demonstrating union worker, who refused to give his name.
“The money must be going somewhere. It doesn’t add up.”
Stein said one way Helix Electric underpays its employees is by keeping some at apprentice status.
“They never graduate (to become full electricians) and in the meantime are paid lower wages,” he said.
Stein said another way the company lowers its workers pay is by giving only day wages for night work.
While most Helix Electric employees haven’t complained for fear of their jobs, Stein said some have filed a class-action lawsuit against the company to recoup the losses of all employees. He said one former worker, Andrew Wescott, was awarded nearly $50,000 with the help of the California Department of Industrial Regulations.
Stein said the state should do more to prevent the need for such legal action.
“We shouldn’t have to take them to court every cotton-picking time they get a contract,” he said.
Chancellor Reed’s office did not return calls. Helix Electric declined to comment.
Comment on this story in the News forum >>
|
