The Worcester carpenters union said it has filed an unfair labor practice complaint against a contractor for a downtown apartment project after a carpenter working on the site was allegedly fired for trying to improve conditions for employees at the project.
The complaint, filed with the National Labor Relations Board, alleges the former employee of New Jersey contractor P&B Partitions had spoken with union organizers about safety and wage violations concerns at the 145 Front St. project. The contractor was then fired for trying to improve conditions for workers, according to the New England Regional Council of Carpenters chapter for the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America.
The filing comes three months after a group of local carpenters on the same project said they were victims of wage and hour violations. In complaints filed with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office, two out of the three contractors alleged they were fired when they brought concerns about their compensation to the company’s attention.
Ilene Jabolonski, senior vice president of marketing for 145 Front St. developer Roseland Residential Trust, said the company expects its contractors to pay employees fairly.
“We hire our contractors based upon price and quality and expect all of them and their subcontractors to comply with all employment laws. Other than that we have no comment,” she said in a prepared statement.
Representatives for P&B and construction manager Erland Construction did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday morning.
The 145 Front St. project will include 365 apartments as well as retail space when it opens later this year.
