Window installers strike against major glass contractors

Published 1:30 am Thursday, July 7, 2016

EVERETT — Broken windows may have to wait.

Glaziers — the men and women who install windows — are picketing major glass contractors around Western Washington after going on strike Friday. The union and the contractors’ group are separated over wages, sick leave and work hours in a new contract.

Negotiators are expected to resume contract talks Thursday with federal mediators in Seattle.

Glaziers “aren’t glazing doughnuts,” Michael Marley said as he picketed outside Goldfinch Brothers in downtown Everett this week.

“When you see a high-rise building that’s all glass — we did that work,” he said.

At construction sites, interior work often cannot be finished until doors and windows are installed.

Members of Glaziers, Architectural Metal and Glassworkers Local 188 don’t work directly for any single contractor.

“We switch from shop to shop, depending on where we’re needed, where the work is,” Marley said.

Goldfinch and 12 other big contractors band together for contract negotiations as the Western Washington Glass Contractors Multi-Employer Group. The contract covers about 700 Local 188 members.

Union members rejected two contract offers last month, including one recommended by Local 188 negotiators.

The union had backed off its demand for more paid sick leave and agreed to extend regular work hours, said Mara Vinnedge, an attorney representing the contractors. “We had a recommended deal last time we met with the union, which led us to believe there were no sticking points.”

A union official said he’s hopeful the two sides can reach a deal this week.

Dan Catchpole: 425-339-3454; dcatchpole@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @dcatchpole.