Published by
Laborers for Justice & Democracy
1601 Ocean Avenue, #346
San Francisco, CA 94112
We are members of the Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) asking you to pass the Living Wage law to help workers earn a decent wage and to help protect us from bad leadership in the Laborers Union. We believe strongly in our union, but our current leaders no longer work for us, the members. While the average working Laborers earns $22,000 to $29,000 a year, Mason Warren, regional manager of our union makes $300,000. Instead of negotiating good wages and benefits as our union used to, the Laborers have become famous for "special agreements:" low wages and bad conditions. Some examples:
* Landscape Laborers use to make $19.00+ an hour and full fringe benefits. Then our leaders signed a "special agreement" that cut landscape wages to $5.60 per hour . The agreements says: "the $5.60 minimum is a wage package as it includes working dues for the Union. The Employer agrees that during the life of this Agreement this package will be at least ten percent (10%) higher then the minimum wage in effect." * Asbestos Removal Workers at the San Francisco City Hall renovation were working under a "special agreement" for $9.00 per hour our leaders made with a company called CST Environmental. They did not receive any health benefits for over a year while doing this dangerous work. One worker had to quit and go on welfare to get coverage for his wife to have a baby. (This was covered in the SF Bay Guardian.) * A refuse disposal firm in Hawaii (also part of our region) had a secret agreement with our union for 17 years - but the workers were never told about it and their Health and Pension benefits never paid. The secret agreement came to light last year when another union started to organize these workers. (Reported in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin,) * Corruption is a major problem in our union. Although Ray Duran, Secretary Treasure of San Jose's Local 270 was found guilty of misuse of union funds that cost the members $160,000, he is still running Local 270. In a 1995 draft complaint the US Justice Dept called for the removal of Mason Warren, but he is still in running our region.
We are hard working Union members who are working to improve our union from the inside. PLEASE HELP US:
1. Vote for the Living Wage law - so our members who are covered by it will be paid enough to support their families. 2. Do Not accept endorsements or money from Mason Warren or other officials of the Laborers Union until it is free of corruption.
Thank You,
Laborers for Justice and Democracy
labor donated