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Local union members take time to set up playground equipment
Brothers Travis Blevins, left, and Chad Blevins both members of Iron Workers 769 out of Ashland, volunteer their time to install new playground equipment at Burlington Elementary School on Friday, Aug. 28, 2009.
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BURLINGTON, OH -- Two new elementary schools in the South Point school district are open to students, but the work isn't done for several dozen members of the Tri-State Building and Trades Council.
Between 25 and 30 union members who worked on Burlington Elementary and South Point Elementary School over the past two years are donating their time for about a week to put together playground equipment at the two schools, said Mark Johnson, as assistant to the business manager for the union that represents some 25,000 members in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia.
"It's a goodwill gesture on their part," South Point Superintendent Ken Cook said. "We really appreciate their efforts to provide a playground for our kids. They're donating their time to do this."
About 30 union workers showed up Friday to work on the playground equipment at both schools. They started working Wednesday and plan to finish the work next week, Johnson said.
"We're probably saving the district $20,000 to $25,000," he said. "We wanted to do something for the kids. The school district signed a project labor agreement making this a union job. It helped provide a lot of jobs for our people. They treated us right. This is our way of doing something good for them."
The Ashland-based building and trades council represents about 55 union locals in 33 counties in the Tri-State. The trades council also donated money earlier to help pay for a scoreboard at a new school in Ironton. That project also was a union job. Two new schools opened in both the Ironton and South Point school districts last week.
"We have a few more minor adjustments at South Point to get it ready," Johnson said Friday. The union members plan to return to Burlington Elementary School on Monday to continue the job.
Cook joined union workers earlier this week to help put together the new playground equipment, Johnson said.
"We care about our community," said Stan Craft, president of laborer's local 83 in Portsmouth. "A lot of our members participated in building these schools. It's a way to give back to the community."
Members of the laborer's local joined Ironworkers local 769 in Ashland, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local 317 in Huntington, Carpenter's Local 437 in Portsmouth, Sheetmetal Workers Local 24 in South Point and Brick Masons Local 7 in Ashland in working on the project, Johnson said.
