Liuna MidAtlantic

After over six years of construction, the final pieces of the One World Trade Center building are being put in place by Union members, making it the tallest building in the western hemisphere.

Reston, VA – The Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA!) Mid-Atlantic Region is proud to announce that one of its members and lead organizers won the 2013 USA Judo Senior Nationals in Virginia Beach on April 13-14. Ernest Ojito, a member of LiUNA! Local 657 and a Lead Organizer for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Organizing Coalition (MAROC) took home the gold medal in the 55 kg adult male elite senior national division.

At the 2013 USA Nationals, Ojito won four straight matches with the maximum score, called Ippon. Ippon is given for an armbar or choke submission, a 25-second pin, or for slamming your opponent on his back. Ojito clinched the championship with an Ippon victory against the #1 ranked player, besting the competitor who had beaten him last year in a close match at the US Open. “Anyone who’s ever succeeded at anything knows that the secret to success is never giving up.  As long as you haven’t given up on you, the sky is the limit. Dream big,” Ojito said after his victory.

“Our brother Ernest Ojito represents the very best of the LiUNA! spirit. He trained tirelessly and when the time came, he delivered an excellent performance. We’re proud that he won the gold medal on Saturday, but we’re even prouder that he shows up for work at LiUNA! every Monday to fight for working families,” said Dennis Martire, LiUNA! Vice President and Mid-Atlantic Regional Manager.

LiUNA!’s Mid-Atlantic region and Local 657 both sponsor Ojito in competition. “As part of our commitment to supporting working families, it is an honor to support one of our own union brothers in his quest to represent the United States in Judo competition at the 2016 Olympics,” Martire said.

Ojito’s victory at the US Nationals places him as the #1 ranked men’s US judo competitor at the 55 kg weight class and paves the way for him to represent the US in international competition.

For more on Ernest Ojito, visit: http://shufujudo.org/?p=4502
To Download the Media Alert: Click Here
Media Contact: Nicole Duarte at 202-373-2308 or Jaime Flores at 703-229-7590

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Laborers Speak Out on Immigration Reform: “I’m here with my loud and proud brothers of the Mid-Atlantic region who are fighting for immigration reform,” says LiUNA Mid-Atlantic Region Vice President and Regional Manager Denny Martire in this 6-minute video from the April 10 rally that features Laborers President Terry O’Sullivan and area union members talking about why immigration reform is so important.

Arlington, VA – On January 15, 2013 former employees of Arlington based Corinthian Contractors, Inc., local residents, and area immigration groups gathered to demand the company stop using unlawful questioning into workers’ immigration status to quell attempts by employees to stand up for themselves.

On December 10, a group of workers sent a letter to their employer, Corinthian Contractors, Inc., asking to be paid the legally required minimum wages for their work on a DC Water project. On December 11, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested the workers at their usual meeting spot as they waited for their ride to work. Two bystanders were also arrested. Following their arrest, Corinthian Contractors continued to threaten the workforce with immigration enforcement.

On December 31, 2012, Corinthian Contractors announced that it suddenly discovered that the I-9s of the entire workforce needed to be immediately “re-verified.” Corinthian took the opportunity during the “re-verification” process to fire almost half of the workers working on DC Water projects. The vast majority of those fired had signed a letter complaining of Corinthian’s failure to pay the legally required wages.

These workers have had their lives torn apart. Some have been deported. Others who remain have seen family members deported. All are still awaiting a determination of their status. And all of this turmoil to is due to the ruthlessness of a contractor who was offended that workers would try to hold him accountable to pay legally required wages.

To learn more click here:
Washington Post Article
Union City News

Washington, DC – The Mid-Atlantic Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust (LECET) has added construction industry veteran David Allison as its Director.

David Allison will head LECET operations in LiUNA!’s five-state Mid-Atlantic region. He will direct LECET’s strategic and daily operations and will also be responsible for keeping LECET on the cutting edge of the construction industry through its market research, and workforce and business development activities.

Allison has been a top figure in the regional construction industry since opening concrete firm McClone Construction’s Mid-Atlantic office in Sterling, Virginia in 2004. He brings to LECET his long experience with construction marketing, project management, contracts, jobsite operations, and client relations.

Allison has spent the last 27 years at McClone Construction. He started his management career as a construction foreman and worked his way up through the ranks to become vice president in 2005. Prior to that, Allison worked in concrete construction as a member of the California Carpenters Union.

Mid-Atlantic LECET is a labor-management trust fund affiliated with LiUNA’s Mid-Atlantic Region. The unions of LIUNA’s Mid-Atlantic Region pursue a business friendly, pro-worker strategy and are committed to giving employers a competitive edge by providing a highly trained, experienced, and safe workforce for area projects. Mid-Atlantic LECET plays a key role in the Region in working with and recruiting signatory contractors. The Laborers’ Mid-Atlantic region represents more than 40,000 working men and women in five district councils and dozens of local unions in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Washington D.C., and West Virginia.

For more information contact: Nicole Duarte at 202-373-2308 or ndua...@maliuna.org

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The Laborers’ International Union of North America Mid-Atlantic Region is the premier union in the building trades: progressive, aggressive and fast growing. The more than 40,000 members are engaged in building construction, environmental remediation, heavy and highway construction, as well as industrial manufacturing, service work and a variety of public sector jobs. LiUNA is responsible for helping to create the careers for thousands of working families.

Despite a building boom in the District of Columbia, DC residents remain grossly underrepresented on area construction sites. Yet while recently strengthened local hiring rules could reduce the gap, much remains to be done to implement the new policy. These are among the findings of Taxation without Employment: The Case for the District’s Strong Local Hiring Rules, a study published yesterday by Good Jobs First, a non-profit, non-partisan research center based in Washington. “This study clearly indicates that the District needs local hiring requirements,” said DC Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (D-Ward 5), Chair of the Council’s Committee on Jobs and Workforce Development and an advocate for creating employment opportunities for DC residents. “We have more than 30,000 unemployed men and women in the District, including 4,500 Ward 5 residents seeking work. Based on my conversations with constituents, I believe that many are ready to pick up a shovel and get to work – they just need a chance to prove themselves.” Last year, Mayor Vincent Gray and the DC City Council strengthened the District’s local hiring rules, known as First Source. According to the report, “The evidence suggests that the enhanced First Source law could have a significant impact on unemployment rates in the city.” The report was commissioned by the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA). -

Article courtesy of the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO Union City News

Liuna protesters block a federal construction site in the District in 2011, alleging that only 13 percent of those working on the project are from D.C.

Read the full story, click here.

The prevailing wage has been in California law for more than 80 years. This short video shows how paying prevailing wages supports our cities, counties, and the economy of our state by providing a trained and ready workforce that gets the job done right the first time. Highlights the story of two library projects, in Gilroy and Palo Alto, where one paid the prevailing wage and the other didn’t; see the vastly different results. Video courtesy of the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO.

Washington, DC — LiUNA! broke ground Monday October 15 on its new job training center at the Local 657 headquarters site in D.C.’s Ward 5 near the Fort Totten Metro station. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, DC Council members Michael Brown, Vincent Orange, Kenyan McDuffie, Jack Evans, Muriel Bowser, and Montgomery County District 5 Councilmember Valerie Ervin each dug in a shovel to help the Laborers’ International Union of North America kick off the renovations and expansion project that will turn its current building into a 10,000 square foot state-of-the-art training facility.

Addressing the crowd of elected officials, current and retired LiUNA! members, and training center students and graduates, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton said that the training center would be more than a building, it would be a powerful symbol that D.C. workers are ready and willing to work. Some contractors have challenged the District’s First Source jobs stimulus law, saying that the District doesn’t have enough trained, able, and drug-free residents to fill the current demand for construction labor in the city. With the training center, LiUNA! shows its commitment to proving those contractors wrong. This training center will enable LiUNA! to cultivate a member workforce that can meet the market needs for construction craft labor in the Washington DC metro area.

The renovation plan will add 5,000 additional square feet of classroom and workshop training space to the existing structure, as well as state-of-the-art equipment and facilities. Once complete, the new training center will offer classes in three tracks: beginning students can get a hands-on introduction to new skills through pre-apprenticeship classes, members already placed on the job can add to their training toolbox with courses designed for working construction craftsman, and skilled journeyman can take courses that will help them keep their professional certifications up to date. New course offerings will also be added to help members meet market labor demands and obtain the skills necessary to compete in this tight job market.

Mitt Romney’s Anti-Working Families address to the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Board of Directors Meeting.

An independent study by the Institute for Policy Studies found that large U.S. companies are using Tax loopholes to pay their CEOs higher salaries than what they pay in taxes.

To see the full article, click here.

Philadelphia, PA — The Mid-Atlantic Region of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA!) is proud to announce the release of a new video showcasing the Laborers who attended the historic 2012 Workers Stand for America rally on Aug. 11th, 2012. The video features General LiUNA! President Terry O’Sullivan and LiUNA Mid-Atlantic Vice President and Regional Manager Dennis Martire addressing over 5000 laborers who attended the rally.

The short video uses video footage from the rally and photographs to showcase LiUNA’s work in supporting working families and improving working conditions for construction and public service employees in the country.

For more information contact: Nicole Duarte at (202) 373-2308 or ndua...@maliuna.org

Laborers at the 2012 Workers Stand for America!
Produced and Shot by: JH Flores for LiUNA! Mid-Atlantic Strategic Communications
Equipment: Canon XA10 and Pentax K-x

Reston, VA — The Mid-Atlantic Region of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA!) is proud to announce the release of a new video illustrating LiUNA!’s business-friendly approach to community development.

The short video uses recent and archival photographs to showcase LiUNA’s long history of supporting working families and improving working conditions for construction and public service employees in the six states of the Mid-Atlantic region: Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina.

For more information contact: Nicole Duarte at (202) 373-2308 or ndua...@maliuna.org

We Are the Laborers!
Produced by: JH Flores
Voice work courtesy of: Benjamin Kreider
With special thanks to Motion Revolver

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On February 29, 2012, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, per Judge Victoria A. Roberts, entered a judgment striking down legislation recently passed by Republicans in Michigan that sought to ban the use of PLAs on state construction projects. Finding that the law was far from neutral, Judge Roberts ruled that the legislation posed an “impermissible obstacle to the right to bargain for PLAs on State construction projects.” Judge Roberts also found that the state legislation “upset the balance of power Congress established with respect to the use of PLAs in the construction industry.”

Because the state anti-PLA law violated employees’ rights under federal law, Judge Roberts ruled that the law was unconstitutional and had to be enjoined.

The Michigan law is quite similar to legislation recently passed in Virginia, raising immediate questions as to whether the Virginia legislation also may be constitutionally invalid.

“This is a big win for working families in Michigan and throughout the country.” said Denny Martire, Vice President and Regional Manager for LiUNA!’s Mid-Atlantic Region. “The Judge’s ruling sends a clear warning to Virginia Republicans that their anti-worker agenda may be unlawful as well as bad policy. It’s time to stop their anti-union crusade, and time to get to work on common sense measures that will move our Commonwealth forward.”

See the Ruling, click here.

City police were never far away Thursday morning as angry East Baltimore residents marched toward Johns Hopkins protest East Baltimore Development Inc., chanting “We want jobs!” and “If we don’t work, nobody works!” EBDI has been redeveloping neighborhoods in the area, and out-of-work residents demand that they be given the jobs with the development.