- ■ - • -wmr
New officers of Local No. 64 of the Laborers
International Union are Bobbie Bell, Bobbie
Glenn, William David Perry, Jerry Biers,
Wadel Johnson and Charlie Cross. Represent
ing the International Union are B.L. Liver
man, District Council, Connie Ellis, organiz
mk
er, and Jack Wilkinson, Regional Manager.
Officers not pictured are Dean Parris, Joel
Bennett, Lawrence Avery, Robert Thompson,
Andrew Shropshire (photo by Eileen Han
son)
Lity Workers Install 11 New
Officers Of Local Union 64
Ku ITilAAn UnnnAA ....
THIS IS IT FOLKS '
THE
REALLY
BIG ONE
Special to the Post
City workers took another
step towards union organiza
tion on Friday, April 6 with the
installation of 11 new officers
of Local Nbr. 64 of the Labore
rs International Union.
The installation, held at the
AFL-CIO Labor Building, 2121
Commonwealth, was attended
by 100 city workers.
Hie officers, appointed to
run the new Local during its
first year, are: Dean Parris,
president; Bobby Bell, vice
president; Joel Bennet, re
cording secretary; Jerry
Biers, secretary-treasurer;
Wadel Johnson, business
manager; Lawrence Avery,
sargeant at arms; William
David Perry, Andrew Shrop
shire and Robert Thompson,
auditors; Charles Cross and
Bobbie Gleen, executive
committee members.
Jack Wilkinson, Regional
Manager for the Laborers
Union, installed the new offi
cers He critized N.C. law
which prohibits city govern
ments from signing labor
contracts with their
employees.
“We think the law is uncon
stitutional, but we need
muscle to force the issue of
repeal, ’ said Wilkinson. He
referred to efforts to organize
dty workdra in Winston-Salem
(Teamsters Union); and
Raleigh (Operating engineers
Union). “We are all working
very closely together on this. ”
Wilkinson said Charlotte,
Durham, Greensboro, Raleigh
and Winston-Salem were the
key N.C. cities to organize.
“We need people behind a
iiiuvciucm w gel na oi mis
law,” said Wilkinson.
Even without a contract the
union can represent the
employees in discussions of
wages, benefits and griev
ances.
Organizer Connie Ellis
pointed to a recently resolved
grievance of sanitation de
partment employee Clark
Mungo.
Mungo was fired February
19 for refusing to ride a sanita
tion truck which he said had a
driver who couldn't operate
the truck safely in ice and
snow.
The union hired Chambers
law firm to represent the
employee at the grievance
hearing with the City. The
employee won his job back
and a month’s back wages,
minus a 3-day suspension.
“This is just one example of
how a union can help city
workers,” said Ellis.
The union wants to repre
sent 1,000 blue collar city
workers in 11 departments.
The union claims to be near its
goal of having 80 percent of
the workers sign union cards.
ftut it doesn’t cpst anything
to sign a card,”'said Ellis.
“We must show the City we
have dues-paying members
and that we mean business.”
The union has already started
to collect $7.00 monthly union
dues.
According to James Deese,
a sanitation worker for the
past 6 years, the main issues
are work rules, better
insurance coverage and
wages.
“If you’re out one day you
have to bring a doctor’s state
mem, said ueese referring to
the city’s sick-leave policy.
‘‘Who can afford to go to the
doctor with every illness? ”
For Robert Audry, an
employee for 9 years in the
sanitation department, the
main issue is representation.
"Now you’re out there alone,
with no one to help you. With a
union we’ll have representa
tion,’’ he said.
But according to Ellis, “the
bottom line is always power -
green power,” referring to the
wage issue. The workers
complain that they are paid
less than employees in other
cities of comparable size to
Charlotte.
Mecklenburg
County Road
To Close
The Division of Highways of
the North Carolina Depart
ment of Transportation
(NCDOT) will close Old Dowd
Road (Secondary Road 1191)
in Mecklenburg County to
through traffic for approxima
tely six months, according to
Division Engineer David B.
Roberts.
The road, located between
Wilkinson Boulevard (US
29-74) and Harlee Avenue in
Charlotte, will be closed from
Thursday, April 12 to Thurs
day, October 18.
The road will be dosed
during construction of the
Charlotte Inner Loop.
Traffic will be detoured on
Wilkinson Boulevard and
Harlee Avenue.
Notice Minority
Construction Contractors
Gilbert Engineering Co. Wants Sub Bids For The
Following Construction Work: Waste Water Treat
ment Plant, Oakboro, NC - April 19, 1979.
Bids - Sub Bids Due 11 AM April 19.
Cleaning/Grubbing/Grading
Chain Link Fence
Seeding/EroHion Con trol/Lan (heaping
Gravel Roadway
Well Drilling
{Concrete W all Forming
Reinforcing Steel Placement
P ainting/Caulking
Masonary Work
Roofing Work
Glam And Glaang
laboratory Furniture
Acoustical File/Resilient Tile
Buikling General
Plans And Specifications Are Available For Take
Off At AMI Office, 1100 Euclid Ave., Charlotte.
Submit Kid* To:
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P. O. Hox H2K
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Photo-: (704) 872-0^86
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