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Union files unfair labor practice complaint with NLRB

Group says Gulf Marine Fabricators is hindering union; company says commenting is against its policy.

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By Laura Elder Caller-Times

A union representing metal workers has filed an unfair labor practice charge against the local yards of Gulf Marine Fabricators, asserting that the company is waging a campaign of threats and intimidation to keep unions out.

Shipyard Workers and Allied Trades Monday filed 28 separate allegations with the regional office of the National Labor Relations Board. The union accuses Gulf Marine of threatening to close the yard and take away benefits if employees unionize. Gulf Marine Fabricators officials declined to comment about the charge, but said they are aware of the allegations.

"It’s our policy not to comment in these matters," said Jim O’Sullivan, senior vice president of marketing for the company.

The impact of this case could go beyond Gulf Marine. Shipyard Workers and Allied Trades organizers have been knocking on doors and entering the living rooms of workers with other local fabricators in recent months to hear their thoughts about working conditions and gauge their interest in unions.

The union also wants to organize workers at J. Ray McDermott on Harbor Island and Kiewit Offshore Services in Ingleside, said Michael Krivosh, organizing coordinator for the union’s Aransas Pass organizing office.

The yards, all in hiring mode, have about about 3,000 workers in the area.

"We want to organize the entire industry," Krivosh said.

Depending on the season, Gulf Marine employs 600 to 1,000 workers at its Aransas Pass and Ingleside yards. Workers there build rigs and platforms among other offshore structures.

Shipyard Workers and Allied Trades began efforts to organize Gulf Marine workers seven months ago, Krivosh said.

The group is a confederation of metal trades unions, including the Ironworkers Union, the Painters Union and the Sheetmetal Workers Union.

The union asserts that Gulf Marine has engaged in a campaign of threats, interrogation, surveillance and coercion of workers in the yards.

The National Labor Relations Board is a federal agency created to enforce the 1935 National Labor Relations Act. The agency investigates and attempts to remedy unfair labor practices by both employers and unions. On other occasions, the agency conducts secret-ballot elections to determine whether employees want union representation.

Investigation to start

Martha Kinard, regional attorney for the board in Forth Worth, confirmed that the charge has been filed. The federal agency will serve Gulf Marine, or in effect notify the company of the charges.

Anyone can file a charge. When one is filed, the board assigns it to an agent, who begins an investigation. The accused and the accuser get the chance to tell their sides of the story, and the agency determines whether the charges have merit before determining what legal action to take. The goal is to establish whether anyone violated labor laws.

The agency attempts to encourage parties to settle their disputes, officials say.

The board protects employees who want to participate in unions as well as employees who don’t.

In September, the Aransas Pass and Ingleside Gulf Marine yards became part of Technip Coflexip, a French-based global organization that operates in 36 countries and has 18,000 employees.

Technip Coflexip is Europe’s largest offshore construction company and operates unions in almost every part of the world except Texas, Krivosh said.

Gulf Marine workers who want to organize are seeking better wages and pension plans. As it stands, workers have 401(k) plans, but want less volatile retirement plans, Krivosh said. Workers also want to improve safety of working conditions, he said.

"They would like to have some power to deal with their issues," he said.

A delegation of French trade unionists who work for Technip Coflexip will visit Aransas Pass April 1 to investigate the local situation, Krivosh said. The delegation will ask to meet with high-ranking executives to discuss the situation.