Union Reps Gather Outside City Hall Today, Call Out Curtatone On MaxPac Project

International Union of

Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers

1895 Centre St. West Roxbury, Ma 02132

Phone 617-650-4246

For Immediate release: January 20, 2011

For more info call: Thomas F. McIntyre at (617) 650-4246 (tmcintyre@bacweb.org)

Members of Local 3, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen were outside Somerville City Hall today with handbills depicting a “thank you” card from the construction workers of New Hampshire working at the MaxPac development project to the mayor of Somerville.

The facetious handbill praises Mayor Curtatone for his leadership in promoting the development at MaxPac before the Planning Board at their January 6th meeting. At the meeting, the mayor lobbied the Planning Board members to approve KSS Realty Partners the changes they were requesting before the Board. The approval had been held up before the planning board because of issues related to language in the developers covenant with the City.

Prior to the January 6 meeting, the mayor told union representatives and community members that he was with them in their plight for good jobs in the city of Somerville. Ultimately, the Mayor made a decision to move the project along in spite of the developer’s insistence that he will ignore what is in the City’s covenant and sign a project labor agreement, and by virtue, not provide Somerville craftworkers an opportunity to have a job.

Thomas F. Mcintyre

International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers
International Representative
Northeast Region
1895 Centre St.
West Roxbury, Ma. 02132
617-650-4246

HANDBILL

Dear Mayor Curtatone,

On behalf of the many New Hampshire workers employed at the MaxPac construction site, we would like to thank you for taking a lead role in last week’s planning board decision. By moving the project along without the Project Labor Agreement and local hiring language, those of us from the great White North will continue to be gainfully employed in your wonderful city.

When we first heard that the City of Somerville incorporated PLA and local hire language in the covenant between itself and the developer of the project, we were outraged. Its language like that that prevents the likes of us from travelling to your fair city to earn a living. Sure, Somerville is an expensive place to live, and there are likely hundreds of qualified tradesmen and women in Somerville who could use a job right now, but this is America and we all (as in we) need to work.

But the City made its decision, in spite of language in the covenant that encourages the use of a project labor agreement and the developer’s refusal to listen to the city’s “encouragement”. As the chairman of the planning board said in his motion to approve the project, “something has to get built, it’s time to put shovels in the ground, its time get people to work…Its time tonight to do the right thing”, and do the right thing you did (for us).

And that is where we applaud you’re decision. You told the union and the community that this development needs to move forward, period. Quite frankly, the union and Somerville workers have become an impediment to this project what with their insistence on Somerville holding the developer to the covenant, the nerve. Let’s hope they got the message,

So thank you, Mr. Mayor, and all the members of the planning board, sans, Michael Capuano Jr. that homer! We Granite Stater's applaud you! Furthermore, we invite you to come down to the MaxPac project yourself and allow us to say thank you in person. Any day will work for us, we are here every day.

Yours Truly Yours,
“The Concerned workers from New Hampshire at MaxPac”