| Bay Harbour Electric, Inc., Issue No. 2 |
January 2003
|
The Contractors Critic
BAY HARBOUR ELECTRIC, Inc. Reporting on Safety, Productivity, and Honesty in the Construction Industry.
|
Excessive Litigation, Labor, Wage & Safety Violations
|
BAY HARBOUR ELECTRIC’S NEGLIGENCE DAMAGES THE ELECTRICAL
SYSTEM AT THE LAKEVIEW HIGH SCHOOL IN CORTLAND, OHIO
| This troubling story
started when Bay Harbour Electric was installing new electrical service at the
Lakeview High School in Cortland, Ohio. To facilitate the installation, Ohio
Edison did their part and disconnected the existing electrical service to the
site during a four hour planned outage. However, what happened next was anything
but planned. According to Ohio Edison’s court suit: "After various delays ...
[Bay Harbour Electric] employees incorrectly wired the new electric service from
the new electrical panel to a sub panel, causing improper rotation and
electrical problems and as a direct and proximate result ... Ohio Edison
permanently rebuilt
the electrical configuration and... was subject to substantial delays
completing the project due to [Bay Harbour Electric’s] negligence."
Ohio Edison estimated their losses due to Bay Harbour Electric’s negligence
to total $4,709.49, which Bay Harbour Electric refused to pay. As a result Ohio
Edison was compelled to sue for compensation.
|
NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD FIND BAY HARBOUR ELECTRIC
GUILTY OF UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICES
WHO IS BAY HARBOUR ELECTRIC HIRING INSTEAD OF EXPERIENCED
ELECTRICIANS?
| In January 2002, the NLRB
issued an order that required Bay Harbour Electric to post a notice admitting
past violations of federal labor law and pledge not to violate those laws in the
future. Among Bay Harbour Electric’s violations was coercing its employees
regarding their legally protected activities. Since then, another complaint was
filed against Bay Harbour Electric, charging that the company had fired one of
their experienced workers because of his membership in the Electrical Workers
union. In the last two years, similar complaints have been filed against Bay
Harbour Electric on at least two other occasions, alleging that Bay Harbour
Electric has refused to hire, or to keep on staff, at least ten highly
experienced electricians, because of their union membership. If Bay Harbour
Electric is rejecting and even firing experienced electricians, who is working
now at Bay Harbour Electric?
On March 6, 2001, Mark Norcia, Operations Manager of Construction Labor
Contractors Corp., filed an Affidavit for Claim with the Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Recorders Office. He charged that Bay Harbour Electric had failed to pay his
company $16,821.17 for wages for temporary workers that were supplied to the
Orange Elementary School project in Pepper Pike, OH. Construction Labor
Contractors was named in the NLRB complaints that also named Bay Harbour
Electric.
One Construction Labor Contractor employee testified that he was told to say
he worked for Bay Harbour Electric if anyone asked, because Bay Harbour Electric
did not want the customer to know they had imported temporary employees.
In other words, it appears that Bay Harbour Electric is rejecting
applications from and firing experienced electricians. Meanwhile, they are
arranging for the hiring of electricians off of the street and are using
temporary workers, but not paying for them.
Although Bay Harbour Electric is attempting to operate with non-union
employees, this does not mean it doesn’t have its share of labor disputes. In
addition to these NLRB charges, the NLRB issued other charges against Bay
Harbour Electric in past years and some employees went on strike a few years
ago. | | | | | | |
