Graniterock workers claiming unfair labor negotiations picketed outside the A. R. Wilson Quarry in Tres Pinos Monday as part of a protest established by the Operating Engineer’s Local 3.
The picket outside the sand quarry began following a Friday vote by union members 50-3 in a National Labor Relations Board election, in which they supported using whatever means necessary to stop what the union calls unfair labor negotiations.
According to a statement on the union website: “After the company again refused to meet and bargain with their union representatives, Graniterock employees in Aromas showed an even deeper commitment when they put down their tools and walked out in protest over the company’s unfair labor practices.”
Keith Seversen, a spokesman for Graniterock, said the company did not get advanced notice of the picketing.
“Graniterock remains committed to resolving labor concerns,” Seversen said. “We are disappointed the union has resorted to picketing rather than negotiation. Our work stoppage is counter productive and harms our union member employees who depend on work during the busy construction season to provide for their families.”
In a newsletter posted online on Aug. 19, the union officials wrote that “people familiar with the company estimate that the strike jeopardizes Graniterock’s ability to supply several large paving projects and concrete pours and calls into question the company’s ability to meet business demands during the busiest part of the year.”
The union newsletter urges those with construction projects to contact alternative companies to complete their work, and lists nearly two dozen “good union companies.”
Seversen said Graniterock remains committed to resolving the issue.
“The company will continue to seek to engage the union to resolve outstanding issues and return our people to work,” Seversen said Monday.
