Local Ironworkers Say Walmart Should Use Local Labor

Local ironworkers picketed the Mount Pleasant Walmart construction site Friday to protest the use of crews from Kentucky instead of Southeast Wisconsin.

Randy Bryce serves on the board of Wisconsin Ironworkers Local 8, and he said he was protesting the site because with unemployment so high in Racine, it's unacceptable that ironworkers from Kentucky are being utilized instead.

"Lots of people are out of work here so it's only fair that construction projects use local workers," he said Friday while standing outside the Neighborhood Market construction site.

But, he also wanted to be clear that he wasn't interested in stopping work on the project.

"We are here for information only," Bryce stated.

According to Bryce, general contractor William A. Randolph company is using ironworkers from Complete Contracting, LLC, out of Stanton, KY. In addition to his concerns about the lack of local labor working the job, there are also safety and wage issues.

William A. Randolph is located in Gurnee, IL.

"To afford bringing workers up from Kentucky means they're probably getting paid substandard wages," Bryce added. "But there's also a significant safety issue because some of the welds on this job require state inspections. Are those ironworkers certified by the state because every one of our members has that certification."

Jamie Roth has been out of work since last November and said he would have jumped at the chance to work on the new store. He is certified and trained in all aspects of iron work for projects large and small.

"I went to school for this kind of thing and have been trained in all aspects of structural ironwork for safety," he explained. "If I had gotten a call for this job, I'd be working in there today instead of standing out here wondering why guys from Kentucky have the jobs instead."

Patch has reached out to the project manager at William A. Randolph, and we will update this story when we hear back from him.