Construction workers picketed outside Shaw Hall Thursday to demand standard wages and benefits from contractors hired by Syracuse University.

Members of the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters assembled outside the Comstock Avenue dormitory with signs. The workers say subcontractor J.W. Interior, hired by the Pike Company of Rochester, is not providing the workers with standard wages, according to a July 19 cnycentral.com article.

“It’s about standards for all carpenters,” said Brian Noteboom, with the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters. “We want to make sure that all carpenters get paid standard wages and benefits.”

The workers are seeking action from SU because it has employed the Pike Company of Rochester, according to the article.

“We’re just hoping that the college recognizes that they can’t hide behind the umbrella of the general contractor or the subcontractor; they’re socially responsible,” Noteboom said.

The picketing will not continue Friday, Noteboom said, because workers are not available at this time.

But the issue will not be forgotten. Noteboom said the carpenters are not picketing to avoid work, but rather, to ensure fair wages for everyone within the profession.

Said Noteboom: “We’re informing the public and the university that the carpenters in there are not being paid standard wages.”

Published on July 19, 2012 at 12:00 am

Contact Casey: cffabris@syr.edu | @caseyfabris