Union protest comes to Ojai
By Jesse Phelps

A person attempting to catch an early round of golf or a massage to start off the weekend might have expected to encounter construction at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa on Friday morning. The presence of picketers, however, might have come as a surprise.

The picket line, which contained only about 10 people, was set up by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. It was, union officials say, the result of the firing of an unnamed employee from a construction site on the campus of UCLA by Helix Electric, which also counts the inn among its clients.

Shane Werner, business manager for the Ventura chapter of the IBEW, said, "It was an informational picket only. We were there in support of an employee who was, we feel, discriminated against because of his union affiliation."

"Typically a file is charged by the IBEW with the National Labor Relations Board," explained Ronald Selvaggio, human resource manager for Helix Electric Office in Los Angeles. "And naturally when a file is charged, they have do an investigation. That doesn't necessarily say that the charge that is filed is valid."

Predictably Selvaggio claimed that in this case, the employee's union affiliation had nothing to do with his release. "The employee didn't follow company policies and was given proper warnings," he said. "Helix Electric was consistent with its policies in terminating this person. This charge is just now under investigation by the NLRB and no determination at this time has been made."

The union has indeed filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. Details surrounding the exact nature of the firing cannot be revealed until the investigation is complete. For now, the employee remains unidentified.

Meanwhile, the union also set up similar informational pickets at a number of Helix Electric sites throughout the state.

Selvaggio said that such union protests, informational or otherwise, occurring while the charge is still under investigation, can become a hindrance to the work being done.

"The IBEW will typically throw up picket lines, using that interim time between when the file is charged and when the NLRB makes their determination to disrupt jobs and perform work stoppages on jobs either related to the particular job or jobs unrelated," he said.
Selvaggio said Helix Electric takes the form of a "marriage shop," or one that employs both union and non-union workers. "We pay people according to their qualifications and what they do and not because they're part of any organization," he said.

He intimated that he felt that the union regularly jumps the gun and resorts to questionable tactics, despite their right to protest. "(A firing) gives them an opening and a legal way to throw up the picket lines," said Selvaggio. "As far as they're concerned, we're presumed guilty until a determination is made and they'll use that time to picket and disrupt jobs."

Despite the protest, however, the Inn's media relations manager said everything is proceeding according to plan. "It is on schedule at this time," said Merrill Williams. "We're hoping to be ready to reopen the resort about a year from now - late August or early September, 2004. We have no reason at this time to believe that we wont be able to do that."

Williams said that Helix Electric and all other subcontractors have been hired by R.D. Olsen, the managing general contractior of the inn's expansion project.

"We've directed them to manage this entire construction project as an open shop, employing union as well as non-union labor," said Williams. "All contracts have been and will continue to be awarded based on cost and quality of workmanship, whether its union or nonunion labor."

Williams said the inn will remain dedicated to employing the best available talent at the best available price. "The selection of contractors and subcontractors on all phases of the project is based on fair-labor practices," she said. "And also making the best possible business decisions to bring the project in on-time and on budget."

© 2003 The Ojai Valley News

Back to the news