UNITED BROTHERHOOD OF CARPENTERS AND JOINERS OF AMERICA – METROPOLITAN REGIONAL COUNCIL OF PHILADELPHIA & VICINITY

BREAKING NEWS RELEASE

ARDMORE, PA — Today, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America – Metropolitan Regional Council of Philadelphia & Vicinity resumed picketing at the iconic Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, PA. The new protest in response to the United States Golf Association’s (USGA) failure to honor the terms of a month-old labor agreement between the Carpenters and the USGA for work at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, PA, site of the 2013 U.S. Open Golf Championship, (June 13-16). The Carpenters Union, along with the Stagehands Union, had previously picketed the USGA in April for its use of Mexican nationals to perform the lion’s share of the work for the U.S. Open. The sides reached an agreement in mid-April and the two unions had been working the site until this week, when the USGA abruptly informed the Carpenters Union that it had run out of money and the services of its members were no longer required.

“The USGA under-budgeted our scope of the work. They never included us in the budgeting process, they never shared the numbers with us, and now they’re saying they’re out of money, which is ludicrous. We’re talking about one of the biggest golf tournaments in the world,” said Ed Coryell, Business Manager of the Carpenters Union. “It’s not our fault that they under-budgeted and it’s not fair that we’re not being allowed to complete the work we were promised…and there’s a lot of work yet to be done.”

The Carpenters Union, in a spirit of good faith bargaining, willingly gave up its jurisdictional rights to do the work on bleachers, tents, carpeting and scaffolding in exchange for the carpentry work. Now, it appears that the Carpenters’ good faith was betrayed by the USGA.

“It looks like the original agreement was nothing more than an attempt to appease us and get us to take down the initial picket line,” Coryell continued. “When they sprung this little surprise on us this week, we asked if we could sit down at the negotiating table and work this out. We were told they were too busy and couldn’t meet with us until June 18th at the earliest, which is, of course, after the U.S. Open. We’re not going to stand for this shameful treatment, which is why we’re back on the picket line now and will remain there right through the tournament, unless and until they return to the negotiating table and bargain with us in good faith.”

More than 25 carpenters are currently manning three picket lines at Merion Golf Club, including the main entrance on Ardmore Avenue.