Union Solidarity Tested at Sewer Plant

About a third of the 100 employees at the  that serves Milpitas did not work Thursday after picket lines formed at two entrances in the morning.

According to the electrical workers union, the target was not the San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant, but a contractor—Santa Clara-based Anderson Pacific Engineering, which is building a fuel cell for the city.

The picket lines were organized by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 332, based in San Jose. And the intention was to make a point, not a work stoppage.

"The issue is for area standards," said Sal Ventura, assistant business manager of IBEW Local 332. "In this particular case … we have some proof that they were using people that shouldn't be classified doing what they were doing."

Peter Anderson of Anderson Pacific Engineering said he had not heard of the incident, which occurred this morning. He did confirm they are building a fuel cell near Zanker Road.

Anderson is a non-union contractor. Ventura said he wants to see a level playing field for bidding work and doing work. Anderson has contracts with cities such as Milpitas (Ayer pump station improvements), San Jose, Palo Alto, San Mateo and Foster City.

"There was no intent to try to shut the plant down," Ventura said. "There was no expectation anything would happen, except a statement would be made that Anderson is an issue."

"It was never our intent to harm the citizens or taxpayers of San Jose or any other city that uses the water pollution control plant."  

When the picket lines, sanctioned by the local building trades council, went up at 7 a.m. Thursday at two plant entrances, 33 of 100 workers stopped work or refused to cross them in solidarity.

The employees were from various unions, said Kerrie Romanow, acting director of the city of San Jose's Environmental Services Department. 

The plant has strike contingency plans, so it continued its operations without the workers, she said.

Located off State Route 237 near the Zanker Road exit, the plant is jointly operated by the cities of San Jose and Santa Clara, and serves Milpitas, Cupertino, Campbell, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno and Saratoga.