New York City union carpenters' rank and file members rallied at union headquarters in Manhattan on April 12, protesting proposed changes to wages and mobility rules and calling for reform of council leadership. The “Rally for Solidarity” came as heated bargaining continues between local unions and contractor groups.
John Musumeci, Local 157, likened the conflict to the union battle in Wisconsin earlier this year. “We are in that same fight, only our fight is not with the governor; our fight is with [United Brotherhood of Carpenters'] General President Douglas McCarron and his sock puppet [New York City District Council of Carpenters Supervisor] Frank Spencer,” he told protesters.