Illinois unemployment rate hit 10.5% in September of 2009 and a Kewanee-based company, Jensen Construction, chose to use out-of-state workers to build a $3M building in Sycamore, IL. According to Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES), the unemployment rate in DeKalb County is 9.2%.

Last week,

union members from a number of trades picketed the construction site using banners. When one picketer left the site to answer an emergency phone call, he returned to find that the banners had been stolen. Unions responded by putting a rat out in front of the construction site.

Union members are asking citizens and unemployed workers to join them in protesting Jensen’s use of non-union, out-of-state workers this Monday, November 16, 2009 from 7-11:00 a.m.

Union and non-union workers in America have the labor movement to thank for the 8-hour work day, 40-hour work week and decent wages. All are invited to show their solidarity with Illinois workers who are being replaced by out-of-state workers.

The construction site is located on Peace Rd., just west of Rt. 23. Please park off on the shoulder of the road and exercise safety when entering and exiting your vehicle.

Jensen construction has a long history of building non-union, low-quality construction projects in the Illinois Valley. Recent responsible bidder legislation passed by many municipalities in the Illinois Valley has caused Jensen to take their hack work on the road to Sycamore and Cherry Valley.

Tags: construction, DeKalb County, Illinois, Jensen Construction, non-union, rat, Sycamore IL, unions

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