Bricklayers Issue Statement to CNR

Don Brown, business manager of Bricklayers Local 1 has issued a statement to CNR regarding his union's stalemated negotiations with the Mason Contractors Association (MCA).

In an email to CNR Publisher Tom Finan, Brown wrote: "We’ve decided it’s time to answer what we feel is a massive amount of misinformation (the contractors have) been putting out. I’m sorry we have to do this, but we have no other option. They wanted to make this a public issue, so be it."

Brown's statement read: "For almost a month in negotiations and now for three weeks on strike, bricklayers in St. Louis have faced a barrage of misinformation and misleading rhetoric from the Mason Contractors Association. We reiterate our call for the contractors' representatives to return to the bargaining table. We are ready to meet anytime, anywhere.

The statement addresses what the union contends are safety rishks involving block laying, changes in the length of the work day, cuts in the economic package, steward assignment and a variety of otrher issues. Brown's complete statement can be accessed by clicking this link.

The union went on strike June 1. Another meeting between Local 1 and the MCA was scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday June 28.  

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