Carpenters’ union protests at Yeshiva Gedolah

On the first two days of Sukkot last Thursday and Friday, employees of Carpenters Local 1506 sat outside Yeshiva Gedolah on the sidewalk facing Olympic Boulevard, with a box of yellow fliers and a white banner that stated: “Labor Dispute — Shame on Yeshiva Gedolah.”

The union is accusing the yeshiva, which has hired general contractor Millie & Severson to construct a building on a lot adjacent to its Michael Diller High School, of “contributing to erosion of area standards for carpenter craft workers” because the general contractor plans to use NU Enterprise/Interwall, which the union claims pays substandard wages.

“A rat is a contractor that does not pay all of its employees prevailing wages, including either providing or making payments for health care and pension benefits,” the flier, adorned with a rat gnawing the American flag, stated.

Union representatives declined to comment, referring all questions to the flier. Rabbi Yossi Gross of Yeshiva Gedolah could not be reached for comment. The yeshiva was locked down in observance of Sukkot during the protests last week and this.