Arrests in Protest of Nonunion Workforce at Construction Site

By Darrell Sapp, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Jan. 26–Construction union members, above, shout at the driver of a truck they had briefly blocked from entering Point State Park yesterday morning in protest of a contractor using nonunion workers from out of state.

City of Pittsburgh police arrested at least eight protesters and charged them with obstructing traffic.

The pickets, members of Laborers Union Local 1058 and Local 373, have been demonstrating since Monday at the park, which is undergoing a $35 million renovation.

Some shouted curses and “scab” at the trucker, but those arrested went peaceably. Traffic was tied up at Liberty Avenue and Commonwealth Place. “We’ll be here tomorrow and the next day,” one picket said. “Whatever it takes.”

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