Picketing outside a construction work site Dec. 11, Operating Engineers Local 701 staff got first-hand confirmation of their argument that non-union crane operator Jacked Co. treats workers poorly.
Three union reps had gathered on Southeast 10th and Morrison, where workers are turning a former industrial laundry into Soho House Portland, an exclusive private social club. As they marched with picket signs saying Jacked Co. doesn’t pay area standard wages and benefits, they saw that it doesn’t follow state safety law either: Reps saw at least one worker walking on a tall crane boom without proper fall protection, like a safety harness or guardrails. State laws require all workers to be tied off while working from a height of six feet or more.
Local 701 filed a complaint with Oregon OSHA, the state’s workplace safety agency. A spokesperson with Oregon OSHA told the Labor Press the agency is investigating the complaint but declined to share more details until the investigation concluded.
