Protests Continue At Berry College

(Photo from protest last Wednesday)

Members of the Southeastern Carpenters Regional Council are continuing their protest Monday morning of what they say are unfair labor practices of a contractor working at Berry College.

Jimmy Gibbs, director of special projects for the group, claims the college is working with a construction company that doesn’t provide health care, fair wages, or retirement benefits. Gibbs says he tried to work with Stephen Briggs, the president of Berry, to reach an agreement concerning The Circle Group, a company currently working at the construction of resident halls on campus.

Gibbs said last week, “We’re here today to bring to the public’s attention an on-going labor dispute,” said Gibbs. “Circle Group doesn’t meet area standards. … If these workers want to take their kid to the doctor, they can’t.”

Below is a copy of the release Berry College sent to their employees Monday morning:

We are aware of the picketers at the intersection of Martha Berry Highway and Veterans Memorial Highway. According to police, they have obtained a permit for their activities and are not located on Berry College property.

Berry College views this as a dispute between the carpentry union and R.J. Griffin & Co. Several weeks ago, a representative of the carpentry union contacted college officials regarding R.J. Griffin’s use of Circle Group as a subcontractor in the construction of two residence halls on the Berry campus. These concerns have been shared with Carter USA, the project manager, as well as R.J. Griffin, the general contractor. These companies are responsible for selecting appropriate subcontractors for their projects.