Two giant rats, used by the trade unions in the New York area to scandalize nonunion employers, stood outside the Hampton Inn on 24th Street and 31st Street, near 6th Avenue. Contractors, using nonunion labor, were doing work on these high-rises.

Iron workers, tile setters, carpenters, laborers, cement workers, plumbers, and other construction workers came to the afternoon rally after work. After hearing a speaker on 31st Street, the demonstrators marched down to 24th Street.

Charles Ramos, a member of the Ironworkers union for 10 years, said he’d been at a similar rally a couple of months ago. He said the nonunion companies pay substantially less than union scale. “A lot of them only get $7-8 per hour.”

Robert Gould, a member of the Ironworkers union Local 397 in Tampa, Florida, came to the rally. He and his friend, who is also a member of the same local, have been working in New York for months on the Triborough Bridge. Gould told the Militant, “I’m here today to keep nonunion contractors from coming here and cutting our throats. They have already done it back home.”

Gerry McQuade is a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 3 with 14 years seniority. He said, “We are here to keep construction jobs union. We need safety and health benefits at union levels. Nonunion outfits are a downward pressure for our wages and benefits.”

A flyer passed out at the rally explained that some of the nonunion bosses in the city who refuse to sign a contract with the union, have more work than many of the union contractors. “The contractor signs a catch-all, bogus union that legally covers them from many of the attacks of legitimate organizing campaigns,” said the flyer.

Greg Nolan a member of the Operating Engineers union for 30 years explained: “We’re here because there’s a nonunion company working around the corner. We’re from all the building trades. We came out as union construction workers to show that we’re not happy with nonunion work. The union contractors pay the prevailing wage and have apprentice programs. The nonunion companies don’t.”  
 
 
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