HUDSONVILLE, Mich. – Proving once again that unionists jump to the aid of all workers – union or not – the Ironworkers are trying to find jobs for 280 non-union colleagues left high and dry without pay when a large non-union Michigan contractor suddenly shut its doors last month. And the union hopes they’ll eventually become members, too.
The crisis arose when Lamar Construction Co., a large, long-time nonunion contractor headquartered in Hudsonville in west Michigan , abruptly closed July 9, throwing about 280 workers onto the jobless rolls.
Lamar, established in 1938, shut down after a bank cut off its credit line, MLive reported.
The company employed about 170 workers in Michigan and also operated in Kentucky and Colorado. Lamar’s statement said it would continue operating its structural steel erection business, but nothing else. That prompted quick offers of help for workers from the Iron Workers International Union and the anti-union Associated Builders and Contractors.