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News :: Labor |
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JWJ activists join picket at Tatman hotel site |
Current rating: 0 |
by Ricky Baldwin
Email: baldwinricky (nospam) yahoo.com (verified)
Phone: 217-328-3037 |
20 Feb 2006
Modified: 10:19:27 PM |
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About 25 local supporters joined Building Trades pickets recently outside one of the biggest non-union construction projects in C-U in recent years. Attempts to negotiate a settlement with the owner have been rebuffed. The support was organized by the local Jobs With Justice Organizing Committee. |
(Champaign) Two dozen area residents turned out on a Friday at lunch recently to support local Building and Construction Trades unions picketing the new Hilton hotel site on Kirby in Champaign. All the work of the massive construction and renovation project, owned by partners Paul Tatman and Steve Horve Sr. of Illini Hospitality LLC, is non-union.
Union leaders say the developers are also bringing the workers in from out of town. Paul Tatman is president of the Urbana Business Association.
Building Trades unions have been picketing the site since December, though legal strictures have prevented all of the unions from picketing all the time. They have also been forced away from the corner of Neil and Kirby to the much less visible State Street side of the work site, because another construction site -- another new Walgreen’s -- is on the Neil St. corner and is being done union.
The hotel project is reportedly one of the biggest non-union projects in Champaign-Urbana in years. And Tatman allegedly already has plans for two more non-union projects in the area in the near future.
The solidarity picket, held on February 10, was pulled together quickly by the local Jobs With Justice Organizing Committee. Participation was much greater than expected at such an inconvenient time of day and on very short notice, especially since turnout was based on little more than a few emails.
Organizing this easy only happens when the issue is very clear and a community really cares.
In fact the Jobs With Justice Organizing Committee had planned to join the unions on the picket line in January, when unions apparently came close to reaching an agreement with the developers. When that deal fell through the activists especially wanted to show support for the unions.
Jobs With Justice is a national coalition of unions and community groups that seek common ground on issues of economic justice. About 40 cities around the country have JWJ chapters, and Champaign-Urbana may soon join them.
Local JWJ activists have already picketed Wal-Mart twice, joined the picket at the Tatman hotel site once and begun organizing support for locked-out union boilermakers at a foreign-owned chemical plant in Meredosia, Illinois -- all before applying for a chapter charter or even officially meeting yet.
Look for big things from this group. There is certainly no shortage of economic justice needs. In the short run, the committee will likely return to picket the Tatman hotel site again soon.
For more info on how you can help, call 328-3037. |
See also:
http://www.jwj.org
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This work is in the public domain |
