Carpenter awarded $15,000 in wrongful termination case

Earlier this month activists and workers rallied in front of the 145 Front St. development in Worcester to celebrate a $15,000 settlement in a wrongful termination case between subcontractor, P&B Partitions and carpenter Eddie Vasquez who says he was fired by the company after joining forces with the New England Regional Council of Carpenters on a case involving wage theft.

Although P&B Partitions never admitted guilt during the settlement proceedings, they did make a statement recognizing the right of carpenters at the site to unionize without being afraid of penalties or job loss.

At the rally, Vasquez told reporters that the larger issue continues to be wage theft as the union is currently waiting for  the U.S. Department of Labor to review 12 complaints filed by the union on behalf of  other carpenters working at the property, stating “We got the upper hand. More workers are coming forward. More workers are telling the truth,”

Several City Council members also attended the rally, with Khrystian King telling reporters, “As a City Councilor, it’s incredibly upsetting to repeatedly hear reports of wage theft occurring right here in downtown Worcester,” concluding that “Wage theft is preventable. It is incumbent upon us to enact stronger policies and put real resources into enforcing laws that guard against wage theft.”

You can read more about this recent victory for the New England Regional Council of Carpenters here and here.