Protesting union workers flood Route 22 to Commerce Park

Hundreds of union workers Tuesday protested at Phillipsburg Commerce Park  over the use of out-of-state labor at the job site.

The workers, many of whom had parked at the Phillipsburg Mall lot in Lopatcong and Pohatcong townships, walked and lined along busy Route 22's shoulder to the property entrance off Route 22 East in Lopatcong Township.

They objected to the use of out-of-state nonunion labor at the former Ingersoll Rand site, which has plans for redevelopment, protesters said.

Construction workers are coming from New York state to work at the Warren County site, they said. Tuesday's protest was organized by word of mouth and involved about 1,000 people, protesters said.

The union workers had hoped to speak with a plant development official or perhaps a mayor, but no one engaged with them by midmorning Tuesday, one of the protesters said.

Phillipsburg Mayor Stephen Ellis said he was going to go out to the site at some point Tuesday. He said he previously helped negotiate with a union leader and the contractor to hire a few union workers from one trade.

But then, that leader went back "and said we're in" and several union trades overwhelmed the contractor so "that went down the tubes," Ellis said.

Unions tried to contact the mayor recently while he was away on vacation, but Tuesday's protest came as a surprise, Ellis said. At this point, it's a matter for police keeping everyone safe, he said.

"There's not much more we can do," he said.

Phillipsburg Council President Todd Tersigni joined the protesters at the site and said he supported their message. He said council unanimously approved a resolution several weeks ago to support union workers at the redevelopment site.

"They're experienced and the job would be done right. I'm a believer of these union workers," he said.

One of the protesters who identified himself only as Jim said local workers should be getting the work. The construction business has been depressed since the 2008 recession and as conditions finally improve, he said, he'd like "to see guys stay home and work in their own state."

Many out of work in the construction industry have lost their homes, he said.

"I want to see New Jersey residents put back to work," the South Jersey resident said.

A principal with developer Opus KTV said the company has no interest in talking to protesters who the company says trespassed on private property.

"No way," Erin Murphy said late Tuesday morning. "We're not meeting with anyone who showed up at our property today."

Opus is months away from any building on the site, she said. Site plans have yet to be approved, she said. So it's premature to talk with building trades, she said.

The demolition contractor, which will remove 900,000 square feet of remaining structures, was told as part of the contact to attempt to hire local people, Murphy said. But an ad for such employment went unanswered, she added.

"If their employees are willing to drive from New York to Phillipsburg, there's really nothing we can do about it," she said.

When the demolition part of the project was bid, Opus received 11 responses and the company's goal was to find the best qualified bidder with the best number, Murphy said.

The demolition contractor, Metro, met those requirements far better than the other bidders and it wouldn't have been sound business to turn away the company, she said.

Since protesters on Tuesday entered the company's property, Murphy made clear that that won't be allowed in the future.

"If it ever happens again, we're going to press charges for trespassing," she said.

The site is clearly marked private property and the demolition underway is dangerous, she said.

When asked if Metro would hire local union workers, Murphy said, "We hire an entity to do a job. We have absolutely no control over their hiring of workers."

Hundreds of cars were parked in the mall lot Tuesday and buses brought protesting workers in for the picket, too.

Police considered closing a lane on Route 22 as the walkers neared the site. They eventually gathered outside the entrance.

Emergency dispatches said about half the workers walked past the site and were heading toward Roseberry Street.

Hundreds of men walked in through the Route 22 gate, came out a gate at Center and Roseberry streets and walked north on Roseberry Street.

The redevelopment of the site, which is in Lopatcong and Phillipsburg, is hoped to revive that area's economy.

Source: Lehigh Valley Live