Union protests University with inflatable rat

The Asbestos, Lead & Hazardous Waste Laborers’ Local 78, which is part of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, brought the rat to Nassau Street to protest the University’s use of non-unionized asbestos removal workers.

LIUNA 78 could not be reached for comment despite numerous attempts. The chapter’s phone number did not lead to a voice mailbox and emails sent to the email address listed online were bounced back.

University spokesperson Martin Mbugua called the rat demonstration “an informational action” regarding an asbestos abatement project on the University’s Merwick construction site.

The site, which is adjacent to University-owned Stanworth Apartments, previously housed the Merwick Rehabilitation Hospital, a nursing home. The University is currently conducting asbestos removal work before demolishing the building to construct faculty and staff housing.

The University’s contractor for the asbestos abatement, which the Princeton Patch identified as NCM Demo & Remediation, does not employ unionized workers.

In addition to the asbestos removal team, the University has employed a second on-site consulting company to oversee and inspect the project’s safety. “We actually have members of LIUNA working on several other projects on campus” through other contractors, Mbugua said. He added that the University chose NCM for this project by “following the standard business practice of hiring the most experienced contractor with the right skill sets, financial ability and most appropriate bid.”

“Safety is the most important consideration in this project,” Mbugua said. He explained that all of the contractors’ employees who enter and exit the “isolated, sealed and protected” work area are required to pass through a three-stage decontamination shower.

LIUNA has claimed that NCM does not provide its workers with decent wages or benefits, Princeton Patch reported. LIUNA 78 represents over 3,000 environmental workers throughout New York and New Jersey, according to the union’s website.

Inflatable rats, such as the one placed outside campus, are common in protest demonstrations by LIUNA 78 and other unions, especially in New York City.

LIUNA members of Laborers’ Eastern Region Organizing Fund also came to campus last month with an inflatable rat and a coffin, according to the Princeton Patch.

The rat has prompted inquiry and debate among students previously unaware of the University’s labor practices. On the online student forum PrincetonFML, one unidentified student asked on Thursday, “What was with the giant inflatable rat on Nassau Street today? MLIWTF.” The question provoked a brief debate about the social benefits of labor unions.