Fremd turf installers back at work

A crew installing artificial turf at Fremd High School was back on the job Friday.

The project had halted earlier this week after workers refused to cross a union picket line set up in front of the school to protest a paving contractor also doing work there.

The paving company, Murphy Paving and Sealcoating of Hinsdale, was not on site at Fremd Friday, as its crew had moved onto Prospect High School in Mount Prospect. The union pickets and their inflatable rat were there, too, though did not prevent the Prospect parking lot work from proceeding.

The Fremd paving still needs to be completed, so it's unclear whether any additional labor issues could further delay that project.

Union Local 118 set up a picket at Fremd Wednesday in protest of Murphy Paving because it does not hire union workers.

President Mike Murphy did acknowledge his company was once fined for not paying the prevailing wage for publicly funded work but has since been in compliance with the law. He's said he can't afford to pay prevailing union wages for nonpublic jobs.

But it's what Murphy is paying on the publicly funded jobs that's still the concern of Local 118, union Vice President Leo Esparza said.

He contends that if Murphy is ending up as the low bidder on many of these publicly funded projects, where paying the prevailing wage is required, it's got to be because Murphy is cutting corners on personnel costs.

The best way to prove that's not the case is by signing a contract with the union, Esparza said.

"If he's doing everything by the book, what does he have to lose by signing a contract with us?" he said. "All we're trying to do is to level the playing field for everyone out there."

Jim Murphy of Murphy Paving said a small group of union pickets were already at Prospect High Friday when his crew showed up at 6:15 a.m. He said the union regularly follows Murphy's trucks to various asphalt plants to try to stop the plants from supplying Murphy.

Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 plans to install synthetic turf at all five of its high school football fields, starting this year with Fremd and Schaumburg high schools. Officials have said contingencies are in place in case the field isn't completed by the start of the football season.