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Arlington Cemetery Upkeep a Casualty as Contractors Refuse to Negotiate with Workers

8/26/2016

 
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Areas of Arlington National Cemetery are being neglected amid the refusal of grounds-keeping contractors to negotiate with their striking workers. A section of the cemetery lawn which had been removed and was slated for re-seeding remains unplanted, while areas in between tombstones have become over-grown and neglected, according to Larry Doggett, Business Manager of Local 572 of the Laborers’ International Union, which represents the grounds-keepers. The workers struck Aug. 15 to protest delays by their employers in negotiating a contract and the firing and discipline of workers who refused overtime. “Veterans and their cemetery deserve contractors who put getting the job done ahead of greed,” said Doggett, himself a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. “It’s time for the Army to put the good of the cemetery first, and tell this contractor to deal with its striking employees.”

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The    30    members    of    Local    572    of    the    Laborers’    International    Union    have    sought    a    contract    for    nine    months    with    their    joint    employers,    Davey    Tree    Expert    Co.    and    Greenleaf    Services.    The    workers    are    asking    for    modest    wage    increases    and    paid    sick    leave.    On    August    1,    workers    engaged    in    concerted    action,    refusing    to    work    overtime    to    protest    perceived    favoritism    in    the    assignment    of    hours.    The    workers    assert    that    anti-union    employees    get    steady    hours    throughout    the    work    season,    while    pro-union    employees    see    hours    rise    and    fall.    The    employers    placed    derogatory    write-ups    in    15    workers’    files    and    fired    one,    though    the    walk-out    is    protected    under    federal    law.        The    workers    have    won    the    support    of    Arlington    County    Board    members,    who    joined    them    on    their    picket    line    in    their    first    strike    on    July    19.            Since    May    2015,    when    the    workers    voted    to    join    the    union,    they    have    been    seeking    to    negotiate    a    boost    to    their    average    $13    an    hour    wage    and    for    paid    sick    leave,    but    bargaining    sessions    have    been    repeatedly    delayed    or    cancelled.            Davey    Tree    Co.,    based    in    Ohio,    touts    itself    as    the    largest    tree    care    company    with    2014    revenues    of    $790    million.           


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