At the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council meeting earlier this week, Governor Deval Patrick--introduced as the biotech industry's "best friend"--surprised attendees by using the platform to urge the industry to hire union members for construction jobs.
According to the Boston Herald Business, the governor had remained silent on the this issue until the MassBio meeting. With a dozen union members surrounding him, Patrick explained, "One in five unemployed people in this state work in construction. These people do not feel they've been given a fair shake by this industry, and that has to change...I could not tell you who to hire for which jobs at which building projects, but I would ask you, as your friend, your partner and your governor, to give them a fair shake."
Union officials have been protesting building projects across the state, including those of Genzyme, Shire and EMD Serono. At the heart of the "Stop Biotech Looting" campaign is the claim that biotechs have been using a high number of non-union, lower-cost workers, many from outside the state. "I'm happy to see the governor urging these employers to do the right thing and hire local people who have proper training," Massachusetts Building Trade Council President Frank Callahan tells the Boston Herald. "This has to be economic development for everybody, not just a few corporations."
But MassBio President Robert Coughlin believes that they have been given a "fair shake." According to Coughlin, over half of the jobs on construction projects are given to union members. Biotech leaders say that the unions' are still asking for too much money and refuse to negotiate; Coughlin, in particular, believes that in this economy, unions need to be more flexible.
- check out the Boston Business Journal story
- read the Boston Herald's take
- view the Boston Herald Business report