Union Accuses College of Unfair Labor Practices

“A rat is a contractor that does not pay all of its employees area standard wages, including either providing or making payments for healthcare and pension funds,” the handout explains.

The flier then accuses Occidental of supporting the company by indirectly hiring it to do work on campus. The union claims that Occidental is contributing to what it calls “The Desecration of the American Way of Life.”

“[We believe] that Occidental College has an obligation to the community to see that area labor standards are met for construction work at all their projects, including any future work,” distribution materials from Local 944 read. “[Occidental] should not be allowed to insulate themselves behind ‘independent’ contractors.”

President Veitch could not be reached for comment, but the College released a statement through Director of Communications Jim Tranquada.

“Unfortunately, the College has been caught in the middle of a dispute between the Ontario-based Carpenters Union Local 944 and one of the 30 subcontractors hired by Tovey/Shultz Construction to work on the Swan Hall project,” Tranquada said. “The protesters at the main entrance to campus were hired by Local 944 to make the disagreement between the local and the subcontractor public. We hope the two sides will be able to resolve the situation quickly.”

The protesters refused to answer questions or give their names.  The project manager for the Tovey/Shultz renovation of Swan Hall, Ryan Tovey, did not respond to a request for comment, nor did Temecula Valley Drywall. Students are divided on the College’s responsibility towards contractors. History major Annie Lehman (senior) heard about the protest secondhand.

“I agree that if we hire people for jobs we ought to make sure the college is being socially responsible in choosing what companies to work with. Everything that is outsourced from the college, so to speak, should comply with consistent social justice standards,” Lehman said. The protesters may have taken the wrong tact with their sign. “I guess I’m confused what they are calling on President Veitch to do,” she said.

Student Labor Action Committee (SLAC) executive board member Alana Murphy (junior) released a statement on behalf of SLAC regarding the labor dispute.

“As of now, SLAC is looking into this situation. The protesters are not Oxy students and they are in no way affiliated with the school or SLAC. That said, SLAC is always interested in supporting worker’s rights. We plan on further investigating this situation and if we find that there is a genuine injustice, we would be happy to support their efforts.”