"Working Everyday To Build A Stronger Economy And A Brighter Future For Our Families".
Why is ESPN and its parent company, Disney, taking millions of dollars of taxpayer money from the state of Connecticut to build a new digital studio then failing to hire contractors that pay a living wage and follow area standards?
We need you to boycott ESPN so it will pay attention to selecting construction contractors that pay its workers a fair living wage.
ESPN has hired the following construction companies to work on its new digital studios that are failing to pay living wages and follow area standards. Mizzy Construction already has earned numerous Federal safety violations:
The Associated Construction Company 1010 Wethersfield Avenue, Hartford, CT Phone 860.296.4114 www.accgc.com Thomas Giardini, President tmg@accgc.com
Mizzy Construction 463 East Street, Plainville, CT 860.793.2289 www.mizzyconstruction.com Stanley Mierzejewski, President stanley@mizzyconstruction.com
Local Union Not Cheering for New ESPN Project in Bristol, Connecticut
10/24/2011
By Carolina Worrell
The Connecticut Laborers’ District Council is not a fan of ESPN’s non-union choice of general and site contractors to build a new $100-million, 193,000-sq-ft digital center in Bristol, Conn., and it is encouraging union players in the major sports leagues to boycott ESPN. The district council charges that the GM, Associated Construction Company, Hartford, and site contractor, Mizzy Construction in Plainville, Conn., are non-union shops that “do not pay living wages or follow area standards.” Union members have been picketing the ESPN site. Neither ESPN nor the contractor firms returned calls for comment by press time. However, the Connecticut chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors supports ESPN. “With the construction industry in the state struggling during this economic downturn, we applaud ESPN for offering equal opportunity to both union and merit shop contractors to participate on this project and get construction workers back to work,” says Lelah Campo, president of ABC of Conn. Work is scarce and highly competitive in Connecticut for both union and non-union contractors, says John W. Butts, executive director of the Associated General Contractors of Connecticut. “This is a construction-wide type of problem that affects all contractors, and ESPN is reflective of that,” Butts says. “Our goal is to get more projects and more work, but the frustration is on both sides.” The district council maintains that the ESPN project “is of no benefit to the state.” The group seeks to “let people know that ESPN is not a good corporate partner,” says Charlie LeConche, business manager of the district council, which represents 7,500 state construction employees. LeConche is also the business manager of Laborers Local 230 in Hartford. The district council says it aims to expose what it believes to be inequities in the construction industry. These include little or no minority participation, a failure to pay area standard wages, non-union contractors receiving the majority of work, and out-of-state contractors receiving work, it says. “Our contractors don’t bid because they’re not bidding on a level playing field,” says LeConche. The district council is looking for prevailing wage laws and “responsible contractor provisions” to apply to the ESPN contract. The district council has no intention of backing down and will continue the campaign against ESPN until something has been accomplished, says a district council spokesperson. Several more protests in front of the center are planned for the coming weeks. The center, which broke ground in August and is set for completion by 2014, will house four studios, six production control rooms and 26 edit rooms. Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced in August that the state will invest more than $25 million in the project, under its “First Five” program, an economic development program that provides incentives to the first five businesses that, depending on the size of the company’s investment, create a minimum of 200 full-time jobs in the state within the next two years, or 200 full-time jobs in the state within five years. The ESPN center is expected to create 200 full-time jobs within five years, and provide incentives to create up to an additional 800 jobs.
News From The Connecticut Laborers' District Council
Connecticut Labor Leader Calls For Immediate Boycott Of ESPN By Professional Baseball, Football, Hockey & Basketball League Players (Hartford, CT) – The Connecticut Laborers' District Council Business Manager Charles LeConche called today for union players in Major Baseball League, National Football League, National Hockey League and National Basketball Association to boycott all events and activities held by sports cable network ESPN during the fall 2011.
In a letter to various league union offices, Leconche wrote, "This appeal for union solidarity comes on our day – Labor Day. During these difficult economic times, employers continue to exploit workers. ESPN voluntarily has chosen a construction contractor to build its new digital studio that undermines area standards and avoids paying its workers a living wage," explained LeConche. "We encourage you to join us in solidarity as we stand strong with one voice and let ESPN know that enough is enough. Our workers and their families cannot be pushed aside."
According to news reports in August 2011, Connecticut Governor Malloy announced that the state will invest more than $25 million in ESPN's plans to develop the new digital center on its main campus in Bristol, CT. The investment will allow for a wide array of assistance, which can include tax credits, low-interest loans, technical consulting or employee education and skill upgrades. ESPN announced it would spend $100 million to build the 193,000-square-foot facility that would be located adjacent to an existing digital center and would mark the 19th building on its campus. It will house four studios, six production control rooms and 26 edit rooms on four levels, dedicated to a variety of U.S. and international studio programming. The new center also will become the new home for ESPN's flagship program, SportsCenter. For more information, visit www.espn.com.
The Connecticut Laborers' District Council represents approximately 7,500 members employed in the construction industry, public sector and other building and trade fields throughout the state. The Laborers' International Union of North America, founded in 1903 largely by immigrant workers, includes more than 800,000 members who work in construction and hazardous materials remediation, as well as in healthcare, the U.S. Postal Service and other public service sectors of the economy. For more information, call 860.296.8697 or visit www.CTLPL.com.
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Connecticut Laborers' District Council 475 Ledyard Street Hartford, Connecticut 06114 Phone (860) 296-8697 Fax (860) 296-5760 Charles LeConche, Business Manager info@CTLPL.com www.CTLPL.com
