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Court Upholds Carpenter's Right to Protest

May 23, 2011

A judge ruled a rival electrician's union cannot retaliate against a member's opposition.

Kevin Price, a dues-paying member of the carpenters’ union, balked at his organization’s leadership when it established a rogue electrical union in St. Louis to capture work done by the IBEW. So he did what many IBEW members in the Show-Me State have done: he placed a sticker on his personal truck to show his opposition to the group, Carpenters Local 57.

That earned him the enmity of his union’s leadership, which demanded he remove the sticker. When Price refused, the Carpenters’ District Council of Greater St. Louis & Vicinity filed charges against him. Price responded by launching a lawsuit against the CDC alleging that the council’s action violated his free speech rights.

Price was vindicated in March, when a U.S. District Court judge made permanent an injunction issued late last year that prohibits the CDC from filing charges or retaliating against any member voicing opposition to Local 57.

The court, which described Price as a “loyal union member,” wrote in its ruling:

[Price] earnestly believes that the council should spend the union’s money assisting carpenters, rather than electricians. Price believes that [CDC leadership] formed Local 57 to raid other unions … and that this policy is detrimental to the future and long-term goals of the Carpenters’ union.

Price also believes that Local 57 harms union solidarity and runs [contrary] to the traditional notion of “brotherhood.”

St. Louis Local 1 members have campaigned steadily for the last two years against Local 57, which is undercutting union standards of quality, safety and wages at a time when trained electricians are staring down 35 percent unemployment. Said Local 1 Business Manager Steve Licari:

Kevin Price showed a lot of courage. It was a bold move to stand up to the council and say, “I believe in this, and what you’re doing is wrong.” A lot of carpenters are opposed to the CDC’s actions, and it’s good that the court ruled on the side of free speech.

To read more about the case, click here.

Visit www.Local57Facts.com for information about the IBEW campaign against union raiding in St. Louis.