With the improvement in the weather the non-union has been very actively bidding any and all projects coming out to bid. The field reps and I have been working to try to turn what projects we can before they are let. When we are unsuccessful we have been doing job actions on a large number of these projects. Indianapolis Field Rep. Dave Murray and I have had a banner up on Cain Masonry at IPS school # 88. We also bannered Advanced Restoration Inc on IPS school # 26. We also put up local 4’s large inflatable rat on Modern Masonry on a charter school in Indy. In the Bloomington Chapter Carpet Decorators Inc. had the ceramic tile on the Teter McNutt project at IU. Tim Spaulding , David Brinegar and I had the banner up in Bloomington at IU shaming Carpet Decorators. In the Terre Haute Chapter Pyramid Masonry has the new Barnes Noble Book Store project. Steve Hunter and I bannered this project at the corner of 5^th and Cherry on the campus of ISU. Also there is a new Holiday Inn Express being built on Margaret Ave just West of Indiana St Rd 46. Biancofori Masonry out of the Lafayette area has the masonry and McCammack Tile has the ceramic tile on this project. At this point of this project Steve Hunter and I have had a banner up and we also set up the large inflatable rat. I also helped out Raleigh Johnson on a picket in the Evansville Chapter concerning a spray on insulation contractor. This picket had positive results, as Raleigh was able to sign the contractor to a PLA on the project. Bricklayers Local 4 IN/KY ‘s staff have been using every thing we can at our disposal from proxy letters, pickets, bannering, letters to the general contractors and various other things to regain more market share in these trying times. We have ongoing upgrade classes for all members to enhance their skills and marketability in the industry. We have had Comet and Steward training in both the Evansville and Terre Haute Chapters and the Zone Two tile members this spring. If anyone is interested in these upgrade classes or an OSHA 10 class please let your field Rep know so when they have enough members interested they can schedule a class. If anyone has any questions or sees anything that I can help with I can be reached at (812) 841-6727 or by e-mail at edhelton@baclocal4.org. One last thing I would like to mention is that we all need to get out and vote this fall. We need to keep the majority in the Indiana House or our way of life as we know it will be under further assault.

Fraternally,

Alva Ed Helton JR

 

With the weather there is an increase in construction activity both union and nonunion. Dave Murray and I have bannered two projects in the Indy Chapter. We had a banner up on Cain Masonry who is a sub to Gillette on an Indianapolis Public School project. We also had a banner up on a project in Franklin, IN until we were ordered by the local police to take it down for safety reasons. I’ve also been following up with the help of Local 4 staff on the correct Davis Bacon wages for the southern half of the local. The discrepancies I found were forwarded to M. Deviglio at the IU for his corrective actions. I have been working quite a bit with Dave Murray, Indianapolis Field Rep on the IPS projects that have went bad for us. These projects had good wage settings AFL-CIO wages. The agency for the school corp. is providing a copy of the payroll monthly to the building trades for verification. The Holiday Inn Express is getting ready to start in the Terre Haute area and the masonry and the tile is bad. I’ve been getting things ready for a picket and or a banner through Local 4’s lawyer D. Schwartz. We have also been targeting the McGraw Hill to try to get on top of a project before it gets bid to get our contractors a leg up on these projects as well as sending out a list of our contractors to any and all generals bidding these projects. All of Local 4’s Mid to Southern staff and I have been actively pursuing the nonunion on each project that we can identify. David Brinegar , Bloomington Chapter Field Rep has signed up an air & moisture barrier application contractor thru Local 4’s sub contracting clause. Terry Corp is the contractor and they are out of Dayton, OH. Steve Hunter, Terre Haute Field Rep. has a new tile finisher signed up recently. Recently Dave Murray and I had a banner up on Advanced Restoration at Hope School. Masonry has started on the ISU Sherman Plaza in Terre Haute, IN. Pyramid Masonry out of Brownsburg, IN has the masonry on this project. Steve Hunter Terre Haute Field Rep. and I have had the banner at up the ISU project.

 

 

As the weather starts to turn for the better things should be starting to pick up in the construction side of things. I’ve been working with Dave Murray in the Indy Chapter on different projects that are currently bidding and starting in the Indianapolis area. Indianapolis Public Schools have quite a few projects planning, bidding, starting and winding down. Dave Murray, Steve Hunter and I have put a banner up on Cain Masonry at the Anna Brochhausen Elementary school project. Dave Murray and I also started to banner the new Franklin Fire House in Franklin IN and the Franklin police had several safety concerns about the location of our banner. They would not let us banner at the Fire House Location due to safety concerns. We were thru the help of OSHA able to correct some serious safety issues with the scaffolding at a project at Rose Lawn in Terre Haute, IN. I have also had the opportunity to ride with Steve Knowles, Lafayette Field Rep. in the Southern part of his area to help identify any projects or contractors that might be in the area. I’m sure everyone has heard of the stimulus money being in a large amount of the projects that are being bid. If there is stimulus money in the project Davis Bacon wages apply. We have been working with the IU to correct wages that are either nonexistent wages or incorrect wages. Local 4 has started a database on non-union contractors. This will allow Local 4 to track and know what type of work and any other info that may be relevant when it comes to the non-union. We are looking to have several more job actions thru out the coming summer months.