CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) — The Mid America Carpenters Regional Council are on strike at the City of Champaign Fire Station 4 over the employment of non-union carpenters on a project to renovate the living quarters for Champaign Firefighters.
The Carpenters Union began a strike at the fire station on Monday, stopping all construction work.
In a release, the city said that emergency services will not be impeded. The fire companies assigned to Station 4 are on duty and will continue responding to calls as usual.
In April 2024, the City of Champaign contracted Pacific Construction Services, LLC, to complete renovations of dormitories and an ADA-compliant bathroom at Champaign Fire Station 4, located at 2315 W. John Street.
As the general contractor, Pacific is responsible for securing subcontractors and ensuring that all workers on the job are paid at the State of Illinois prevailing wage rates.
Most subcontractors on the worksite belong to local union trades, such as electrical, plumbing, and painting. However, the pricing from union carpentry subcontractors exceeded state prevailing wage rates and was more costly than proposals from other subcontractors according to the city.
Champaign received Notices of Labor Dispute related to this project from the Mid-America Regional Council Director, on Sept. 19 and Oct. 17.
City officials said they met with a representative of the Carpenters Regional Council to explain that Champaign was obligated to proceed with the legally binding construction contract for the project.
Champaign said that the city cannot cancel its contract with Pacific without a valid reason. However, the City and Pacific have agreed to pay carpenters working on the project the higher wage rate requested by the Carpenters Regional Council.
Joshua Robertson, the representative for Carpenters Local 243 gave the following statement to WAND News:
“We are on strike due to Pacific’s unwillingness to work with local area standard contractors. We fight to protect local area standards because they provide the working class with family-sustaining wages and benefits. The city’s public works department, city council and mayor have been nothing but helpful trying to facilitate a meeting with Pacific, but Pacific still refuses to have a conversation. The subcontractor Pacific hired to perform the carpentry work at Fire Station 4 does not pay their employees the area standard wages and benefits on all of their project. They undercut what we believe are fair wages for working families. It’s a detriment to the industry and a race to the bottom.”
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