ABC-Southern Nevada Issues Statement Strongly Opposing BTOP's Tactics That Force Unionizing.

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 6, 1998--Associated Builders and Contractors, Southern Nevada Chapter, Friday issued the following. -0-

The Building Trades Organizing Project (BTOP), a labor-union organization funded by the AFL-CIO, is targeting Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) members in Las Vegas with a campaign to force open-shop contractors to become unionized -- even against the expressed wishes of their workers.

BTOP has spent millions of dollars over the last two years on a campaign based on misleading and incomplete information, unlawful job actions and other questionable tactics.

BTOP kicked off its nationally publicized, $6 million campaign in southern Nevada with visits from high officials of the AFL-CIO, including President John Sweeney. BTOP's goal is to unionize the entire construction industry in southern Nevada, starting with concrete finishing, then framing, then other trades.

"Two years later, BTOP has failed to make progress with the concrete segment of the industry, or with any other segments, for that matter," said Larry Litchfield, executive vice president of ABC-Southern Nevada (ABC-SN).

He added that BTOP's failures have driven it to desperate and illegal measures of harassment and coercion.

Consider the following:

-- On Aug. 4, 1998, BTOP and other unions were faced with a

temporary restraining order; and on Sept. 3, 1998, with a

preliminary injunction in a case filed by local subcontractor and

ABC-SN member Precision Concrete. The case involves unlawful

trespassing on that company's job sites and unlawful blocking of

entrances to those job sites.

-- The same judge entered another temporary restraining order and

preliminary injunction in an action filed by giant homebuilder

Lewis Homes against BTOP and other unions for similar misconduct

on Lewis Homes' job sites.

-- On Sept. 29, 1998, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)

issued an extensive multiple-count complaint against BTOP and its

member unions. The complaint was based on evidence that the

unions threatened employees with physical harm; unlawfully

impeded traffic; struck vehicles as they entered job sites;

attempted to vandalize and destroy products on vehicles

attempting to enter job sites; entered the job sites themselves,

grabbing tools from working employees and throwing them into wet

concrete; assaulted employees with bullhorns; and attempted to

physically force employees off the jobs.

-- On Oct. 12, 1998, BTOP and the unions were found in contempt of

court for violating the Lewis Homes preliminary injunction, and

ordered to pay a fine for that violation.

-- On Oct. 15, 1998, another judge, on petition of another ABC

member-subcontractor -- Kukurin Concrete -- signed a temporary

restraining order against BTOP and other unions for unlawful

trespassing and unlawful blockage of Kukurin's job-site

entrances.

-- On Oct. 21, 1998, BTOP and other unions were found in contempt of

court for two separate violations of the preliminary injunction

issued in the Precision Concrete case.

-- On Oct. 23 and Nov. 4, 1998, the state court, on request of

regional framing contractor and ABC-SN member Pete King Corp.,

issued yet another temporary restraining order and preliminary

injunction against unlawful trespass and unlawful "horizontal

picketing" that blocks Pete King's job-site entrances.

-- On Nov. 4, 1998, the judge expanded the Precision Concrete

injunction to prohibit "horizontal picketing" in front of

Precision's job-site entrances, its offices or the homes of its

owners and officers.

-- On Oct. 30, 1998, the NLRB issued a formal complaint against BTOP

affiliate Ironworkers Union Local 416 for illegal secondary

boycott activities against Steel Engineers Inc., a major

unionized subcontractor on the Spaghetti Bowl project. In

addition, the NLRB is preparing a petition for a federal court

injunction against the unlawful secondary boycott.

-- On the basis of unfair-labor-practice charges filed on Oct. 14,

1998, by ABC-SN member Meadow Valley Contractors, the general

contractor on the Spaghetti Bowl, the NLRB, by threatening to

issue a formal complaint against BTOP affiliate Operating

Engineers Local 12, for unlawful picketing, forced that union

into a written settlement by which the union agreed to post a

notice to its members that it would refrain from unlawful

recognitional picketing.

ABC-Southern Nevada is one of 83 chapters nationwide that represent more than 20,000 construction and construction-related firms embracing the union-free, or Merit Shop, philosophy. This philosophy promotes free enterprise in the construction-bidding marketplace and freedom of choice regarding the labor affiliation of its members and their employees.

The local chapter's nearly 200 members employ about 10,000 in a variety of construction-related disciplines.