Massachusetts construction union signals return to work

Construction workers in Massachusetts signaled they were ready to return to work after walking off job sites two weeks ago due to coronavirus safety concerns, reports the Boston Herald.

The Boston-based North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters (NASRCC), the state’s largest construction union, said on April 20 that members would go back to work if contractors commit to social distancing and other measures to limit the spread of the highly infectious virus on work sites.

The union is asking contractors to submit COVID-19 safety plans before bringing union carpenters back, but said they believe ‘essential work’, which includes health care, housing, and school projects, can move forward.

“Though there are still concerns about COVID-19 in Massachusetts, the union believes that our contractors and members are committed to creating and maintaining a safe work environment. For that reason, we are advising you that, effective April 21, we are not directing you to cease working,” says Joseph Byrne, executive secretary to the NASRCC, in a letter to members.

The union — which represents 10,000 carpenters in Massachusetts — directed members to stop working on April 6. The next day, the state’s biggest painters’ union, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), Hanover, Maryland, followed suit. The Massachusetts Building Trades Council, Malden, Massachusetts, also threw its support behind the actions and called on Gov. Charlie Baker to halt most construction in the state, something the governor has declined to do.

Byrne said the latest communication to union members “is not a directive or order for members to return to work,” but rather a step in the direction of getting carpenters back to work provided necessary safety measures are followed. In a second letter to construction partners, the NASRCC urged employers “to not retaliate” against union workers who choose not to go back to work.

These letters come following Boston Mayor Martin Walk indicating he wanted to resume construction, but stopping short of lifting the ban.