Carpenters Union Picketing in their Own Private Idaho

You know, we just don’t make it around the Interweb often enough to catch all of the interesting stuff in the Boise Weekly, but we did come across this interesting crack in Labor’s building-trades foundation:

Seems those ever-present yellow picket banners the Carpenters Union has been posting at construction sites across the valley aren’t earning them any friends among their peers.

The Southwest Idaho, East Oregon Building and Construction Trades Union and the Idaho State AFL-CIO issued a joint letter last week making sure the public knows they have nothing to do with the seemingly never-ending protest.

“We’re hearing from the contractors themselves,” said Dave Whaley, president of the Idaho State AFL-CIO. “They’re not happy.”

For the better part of a year, the Carpenters Union has stationed protesters in front of some highly visible construction projects across the Treasure Valley. Most recent on the list are the Meridian School District administrative offices and the Capitol renovation.

The union’s stated purpose is to secure better benefits for its members, but other trade unions in the area say it’s giving them a negative image.

“It’s hurting our building trades by doing this, and that’s not the thing to do,” Whaley said.