As construction work continued on a future 16-story high-rise apartment at 201 E. Green St. Wednesday afternoon, a small group of union members from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 601 protested across the street.
The workers opposed a decision by the company overseeing the project — PC Treehouse, which is managed in part by Chicago-based Power Construction Company — to hire Bonus Electric Construction Company, a group based in Romeoville, Illinois.
Bonus Electric, IBEW workers say, pays substandard wages compared to those established in the union’s jurisdiction, which includes Champaign-Urbana.
Members of IBEW Local 601 at the scene declined to comment further on the demonstration, instead distributing flyers calling out PC Treehouse.
“Electrical construction work is being and/or will be performed at the PC Treehouse, managed in part by Power Construction HUB Champaign project by Bonus Electric Construction Company, LLC, an employer which pays employees less than the area standard wage and benefit rates established for electrical workers by the IBEW in the area,” the flyers stated.
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The group of IBEW workers, which only numbered a handful of men, stood on the sidewalk across from the construction site throughout the afternoon, where they had a portable fire pit running to keep warm, alongside various snacks and drinks.
“We do not want others undermining the wages and benefits we have diligently worked for,” the flyer stated. “Businesses that use such substandard contractors contribute to the erosion of area standards.”
Temperatures hovered around 18 degrees Fahrenheit during the demonstration, as wind chill temperatures remained in the single digits.
A large inflatable rat also stood facing the construction site, long known as a symbol of labor disputes across the United States. A poster attached to the inflatable rat read “SHAME ON PC Treehouse.”
The flyers made clear that the protesters “are not asking any individual to cease performing any services or to refuse to pick up, deliver, handle or transport any goods.”
Power Construction and Bonus Electric did not respond to requests for comment by phone or email Wednesday.
