newsminer.com

May 16, 2008

To the editor:

Basically I’d like to put out an open letter to the oil companies. It appears that sometime in the relatively near future Alaska will finally begin to develop one of the state’s major resources.

It might be the largest construction job in North American history.

I was here for the oil pipeline, and I know what a project of that magnitude does. I’d just like to tell the oil companies that in my humble opinion if they would start out working with and being a partner to the local unions for their labor, we will help them get this thing done.

Project labor agreements are the key. Local Alaska unions have a core of experience and expertise in the field. We realize that on a job this big there will have to be labor brought in. We’re just saying train the local people and bring the out-of-state construction workers through the local unions. That’s why they call it organized labor.

We offer a backbone of qualified local workers connected to the local community. We negotiate contracts that allow you to know what your labor cost will be and the conditions under which your workers will function best. I watched the oil companies spend at least twice the money to produce VECO as it would have taken to work with the local unions and pay a good wage.

By the way, all they did was change the sign on VECO’s Anchorage headquarters. Not much has really changed. It took convictions and jail time for elected officials before Alaskans came to grips with exactly how much we have been manipulated and deceived. It took the chief executive officer of the state to question her own party and have the courage to trust the Alaskan people. I think the best thing every union worker in this state can do is to make their voice heard and vote in this upcoming election. Democrat, Republican, Independent, left, right or undecided — just vote. Let’s prepare for what’s coming and stand together for our communities and our state. Just vote!

Terry Bradner

Fairbanks