March 27, 1999
Workers strike to protest pay below union wages
By Jefferson Wolfe
Staff Writer
Union members are picketing outside a magnesite plant near Bettsville to protest workers who allegedly are being paid below union wages.
Les Atkin, business representative from the Millwrights and Piledrivers Local Union 1393, said workers doing construction work to renovate the former Basic Plant for Carmeuse Ohio are not being paid the going rate.
"We are not picketing against Carmeuse," Atkin said. Rather, they are picketing against the contractors Carmeuse has hired to do the renovating. Those companies include: Vaughn, TriPhase, MMI, North Bay, Grubb and San-Con.
"Our dispute is that they are paying below the area standard wages and benefits," Atkin said.
He said workers who are doing machinery and millwright work are not being paid at union levels. Area unions have worked hard to get the wages at the current level and feel the contractors are undercutting them, Atkin said.
The Electricians Local 8 set up a picket for two days two weeks ago in protest of the same thing, he said.
Union members picketed Thursday and Friday along the east entrance to the plant on CR 31.
No Carmeuse officials could be reached for comment.
Carmeuse bought part of the former Basic plant in December 1997 and re-opened the former magnesite quarry and kilns. Carmeuse made a $15-million investment.
The business received a tax abatement to open at the site near Bettsville and is to make direct payments to the Bettsville school system to offset the tax abatement.