Union protestors wave their banner near pre-school construction site

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette

Tuesday, May 10, 2011, 2 p.m. — Two men support a banner at the intersection of East John Rowan and Salem Drive that protests the Nelson County Schools use of Bennett’s Carpets Inc. at the renovation of the former Central Office building on South Salem Drive. When asked what the men were protesting, they pointed at the sign and then back toward the construction site. The former Central Office building is being converted into a preschool.

According to several web site posts, the protests are an effort launched by the Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Carpenters, aimed at Bennetts’ use of a non-union contractor for installing the products it sells. A flyer handed out last summer at a similar protest in Bowling Green mentioned Bennetts use of Reyes Construction in construction projects at the Medical Center, Bristow Elementary, and South Warren Middle/High School.

On its Facebook page, Bennett’s Carpets — a company based in Russell Springs — noted that similar protests are being sponsored by a labor union that they believe “would like to pressure Bennetts Carpets Inc. into joining their efforts to drive up labor costs.”

As this writer drove past the men at noon hour, they were breaking down their protest sign and packing up.

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