Union attempts to strong arm Meathead Movers
November 23, 2009 3:15 pm
Aaron Steed
By KAREN VELIE
Since a local general contractor refused to hire a union company to install drywall at the future San Luis Obispo home of Meathead Movers, the tactics and aggressive antics of the rejected bidder’s union have reached a level that caused workers at the job site to call the police.
In October, two of the construction workers asked representatives of the Union Brotherhood of Contactors (UBC) Local 150 to leave their property because of alleged bullying. When their refusal to leave led to a heated argument that included foul language, a worker called the San Luis Obispo Police Department for assistance.
Hired by a group of businessmen that include Aaron and Evan Steed, the owners of Meathead Movers, the general contractor rejected the bid by an out-of-area union sub-contractor. That bid was almost double the amount of bids submitted by other contractors.
And even though Meathead Movers is a tenant and not an owner of Central Coast Mini Storage, where the disputes have taken place, the picketers are handing out flyers that say, “Shame on Meathead Movers for desecration of the American way of life.”
“The idea is to do enough harm to the business to make the business owner try to persuade the land owner to hire their workers,” Meathead Mover co-owner Evan Steed said. “People think our employees are picketing. This is misleading and extortion.”
Added Aaron Steed, “If we had to build this project at 43 percent more, this project would not be happening. This Southern California union is trying to extort Meathead Movers.”
Meathead Movers employs more than 160 people and is expecting to hire more employees after work on the new offices and storage area is completed (eight months).
“We take a lot of pride in that (putting people to work),” Aaron Steed said. “We are taking a risk trying to grow during a bad time.”
According to the union’s flyer, which displays a large rat gnawing on the American flag, Rarig Construction is a rat who does not pay its workers’ health care or pension benefits. Although the marchers appear to be unemployed union laborers, those holding signs as they march in front of the future home of Meathead Movers are paid picketers.
While Rarig Construction provides their employees with health benefits and a 401 K retirement plan, the union pays their picketers an hourly wage but does not offer them any health care or retirement benefits.
Newspaper articles have reported that UBC generally pays picketers $8 per hour. Union representatives said they hire non-union workers to picket, though they would not divulge what they pay them.
The Camarillo-based Local 150 hires the homeless, the unemployed and the retired to promote its message. Three picketers walk the line from about 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday on the corner of Higuera Street and Hind Lane in San Luis Obispo.
“They go down to the Salvation Army and pick up people,” said Steve Weiner, secretary-treasurer of the Tri-County Building and Trade Council, AFL-CIO. “We don’t approve because it affects the other business trades and makes (legitimate union workers) look bad.”
Local 150 is not affiliated with the AFL-CIO, Weiner said.
The fact of who the picketers are is scandalous. This happened at circuit city in SLO a couple yrs, ago. the guys picketing where non union bums. As a construction union member I was appalled.
Like or Dislike:
0 
1
Meathead movers is insured because the State made them do it. They ran under the radar for YEARS w/o workmens comp, then got invited to all the business forums big successes.
Like or Dislike:
1 
1
first off, i would like to state that i strongly believe in the good that unions have provided to us working class – with that said, however, i cannot tolerate the abuse that an out of area union comes in with, having the audacity to hire “scab” (non-union) picketers – there are plenty of unemployed union members that could be out on that line – however, this out of the area union probably does not want to pay union wages – ironic, isn’t it ?
Like or Dislike:
6 
1
Who knows the rest of the story. Maybe the union boss received an outrageous bill from Meathead and he is just trying to recoup some of his money. Aaron and Evan Steed have worked hard and they deserve the business they have created, but alone the way they seem to have forgotten it was the little man that made them millionaires. Perhaps this is a wakeup call for all involved. Nice story. Now the union can go back to L. A. and take their Pickett signs with them.
Like or Dislike:
1 
2
Hey they got rich, so now so one has to bitch, at least they didn’t steal their money, Unions want a share, loved the part about how they hired non -union help to pickit! Kind of sums it up if you have a brain, go booty!
Like or Dislike:
5 
2
I must say that both Aaron and Evan are strong Obama supporters (see facebook page). You can’t have it both ways boys. You want the benefits of a free market to successfully run your business, yet you supported the biggest road block to Capitalism in the history of our country. I think it’s funny and ironic that this “union” is giving you trouble.
Like or Dislike:
18 
19
Obama is the leader of a really big Union dude, you are probably a member, better check your facebook page ;-D
Like or Dislike:
11 
5
When Meathead was fairly young they took me for a pretty good ride on moving fees. Promised a refund that I never got.
Like or Dislike:
5 
1
I have never done business with Meathead Movers, and I was a union employee for over thirty years; what this union is doing is flat wrong, period. Many unions have had multiple problems over the years with corruption, that is for sure; but to denigrate all unions based on this one sorry example does no one any good, unless it makes you happy to crap all over working men and women. The true fact about unions and what they have provided over the years cannot be illustrated by the examples provided here, either the jist of this article, or the lame link provided by booty juice to a right wing crank. I will not argue that some of the unions that the government workers belong to have become too strong, but, once again, these two examples are not the norm for what unions can provide. I think that Meathead Movers should buy their own banner and refute the banner that this rogue union has attempted to slander them with. If anyone wants to continue to bash unions just because they think it is the right thing to do, please remember that over the past thirty years when most every corporation has had many leaps and bounds in profitability, while CEOs have seen their salaries increase 200 to 2000 percent (or more), the average salary for most workers have not even kept pace with inflation, so in reality, most workers have less buying power, and most families have to be two income families. The action of this one union disgusts me, period, and all though Meathead Movers may have their detractors, they do not deserve this slander.
Like or Dislike:
14 
3
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
religion/political remark removed
Like or Dislike:
1 
4
Think unions aren’t sh*tting in your face and bankrupting the entire state? Think again.
http://www.city-journal.org/2009/eon1123sg.html
They openly laugh.
Like or Dislike:
14 
7
In many ways I feel for the Meatheads. It would truly suck to have your business picketed due to the refusal to accept a bid and I will definitely not be using any contractor from UBC Local 150 – ever. What is this, New Jersey?
On the other hand, I used the Meatheads back in 2007, and vowed to never use them again because of a pricing dispute. I suppose what goes around comes around.
Like or Dislike:
7 
2
Moving your sh*t from point A to point B is a wholly price-dependant activity unless the cuteness factor blows your skirt up. I’d use Chinese slave labor if it saved a buck, as would their 25 million political prisoners were they not chained to a metal cot with car batteries attached to their gnads.
Like or Dislike:
6 
14
Come on now booty, it’s the Chese, we can’t go there, I am going to redeem you as a proficient and competent writer! I know you are angry like me, but, to create a good ending to this nightmare, we need to stick it out together, I have faith in you! You have so many good points do not let them categorize you! Bootyjuice some of us can completely relate to your rants.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I used Meathead Movers to move twice within San Luis and then once more to move to Orange County. All three times, the not-to-exceed price that I received from them during the estimate was higher than the other bids. However, the first time I chose them because they are licensed, insured, and they have trained employees and weren’t using underpaid immigrant day labor like the other movers in town. The next two times, I went with them because of my initial experience: the movers are polite, cute, well-trained, careful, and fast. And because the guys ran when going back to the truck to get more of my stuff, the bill at the end of the day was lower than I expected. And even if the bill was the same as the top range of the estimate, I am one of those who beleives you get what you pay for (like shopping at Nordstrom vs. Big Lots). I never experienced the moving nightmares that you hear about from friends and on 20/20.
Throughout all three moves, I was blown away by the professionalism of every single employee at this impressive local company. The owner himself did two of my estimates, and I almost wonder if MccDave really got an estimate, because the process was professional, polite, and thorough. Nothing overly salesy.
It is ridiculous that even two young guys working hard and employing dozens of other young men and women are being attacked when they are paying for a project that is putting dozens more people in the building trades to work in a recession. AND, as many others here have mentioned, the picketers aren’t even union! Too ironic.
Like or Dislike:
22 
6
Glad to hear all that.
But we are losing to the union-skrotes by making this conversation at all about Meathead. This conversation needs to remain on how underhanded/lazy/conniving/inappropriate the union is. If you let them change the conversation to smearing/defending the victims of union bullying, then the union has already won.
Like or Dislike:
16 
3
“union-skrotes” – lol.
Like or Dislike:
3 
1
This kind of union brown shirt goose stepping goes on all the time in LA. Nothing new there. I’ve had Meathead quote three jobs for me in the last twelve years, and they were triple the other bidders each time. They are complaining about gouging? The ironing is sweet.
Like or Dislike:
5 
18
Ironing the brown shirts?
Like or Dislike:
5 
4
“The ironing is sweet”???????? What laundry are you using??????
Like or Dislike:
1 
3
Morons,
“The ironing is sweet” is a well worn Homer Simpsonism as obvious as open sores on a north county newlywed. Do try to remember that not everyone is as stupid as you are.
Like or Dislike:
3 
14
I was a union member for years….all they ever wanted was my dues. Unions have become totally useless!!
Like or Dislike:
20 
6
I was a union member for years, I had full medical,dental, vacation, sick time ; for about thirty five dollars a month.
Like or Dislike:
3 
2
I think there is definitely a place for unions in this country — and I say that from having toured textile mills in the South — but unfortunately too many union bosses suffer from the greed they are supposed to protect workers against. I definitely side with Meathead in this situation.
As far as the Trib not covering this story, shame on those guys. However, in defense of the paper, it has covered the Weyrich situation while this blog has not. Plus, when the Trib does choose to cover a story, there tends to be a much higher degree of accuracy than you find here. And I say that from being closely associated with stories that have run in both outlets. The Trib, obviously, bows to ad dollars and circulation. This blog is all about a reporter’s agenda, IMO.
Like or Dislike:
9 
5
There are very few, if any domestic mills in the south any more. Mills have closed up facilities and shipped there looms to Asia for production. Unions again have contributed to the elimination of jobs for their members in this industry.
It is very typical for unions to not concede anything until it is too late and the jobs gone.
Today’s unions are all about collecting dues, not honestly negotiating fair labor conditions and pay. Unions are just not run by a very intelligent crowd.
Like or Dislike:
4 
3
How can you say CCN hasn’t covered Weyrich? CCN told us all about what was happening with Weyrich months ago and even the New York Times has recently covered the Weyrich story and mentioned CCN in the article as having reported on it months ago. Go to the front page of Daily Briefs on this site and read How To Lose 10 Million. The “brief” will take you to the NY Times article and also to the article done by CCN. I disagree that CCN doesn’t report with accuracy. They have never reported anything that wasn’t factual.
Like or Dislike:
2 
9
“The owners of Meathead Movers, the general contractor rejected the bid by an out-of-area union sub-contractor. That bid was almost double the amount of bids submitted by other contractors.”
The irony of this story is pretty rich to me. (I have no connection to this union or dispute.)
Five years ago, I got an estimate from Meathead for a local move that was in the $1200 range. It was just my belongings and three appliances moving thirty miles, and one of the Meatheaders came by to do an elaborate in-person estimate that took up an hour of my time. I’d moved three years earlier for a cost of about $400-500, and when I hired a different company for this move, it cost about the same — barely more than one-third Meathead’s estimate.
I got the impression that Meathead saw my previous neighborhood, assumed I was very well-off, and jacked up their estimate. Or maybe they didn’t want my business. It left a very bad impression, especially after all the schmoozing during their in-person estimate, and makes me wonder about their purportedly good rep.
Like or Dislike:
10 
16
Did the thugs at Meat Head then print up a sign to shame you into making a business decision that was not in your best interest? Did they hire protesters to loaf outside your house? What’s your point, other than that Meat Head was more expensive than the company you ultimately chose?
Like or Dislike:
16 
7
Here’s the point, spelled out so you can’t miss it: Meathead Movers, in my experience, can be meatheads too, i.e., poor businessmen. I’m not the only one with a story like this one. There’s only one thing worse than union corruption or intransigence: management corruption and intransigence, which after all is the reason unions exist.
Even acknowledging serious problems with unions, the wholesale union bashing here is ridiculous.
Like or Dislike:
10 
11
The “poor business men” of Meathead Movers have worked hard and have grown a highly successful business in our little town here. I’m not sure how you equate a higher bid you received to corruption??? I don’t think that Meathead Movers grew their business by advertising “the cheapest price in town”. But rather on quality.
There will always be a cheaper option, not always the best.
I have never known a worker who is guaranteed his job a rate of pay to put out higher quality work than a person who’s pay is dependent on his performance, and ultimately needs to rely on customer satisfaction to succeed.
Like or Dislike:
10 
5
mccdave, I am not sure I understand. Is “wholesale union bashing” more ridiculous or less ridiculous than trying to sully Meathead because you didn’t like their price five years ago?
Generally, I agree with your poignancy. But I can’t figure out what your point is.
Like or Dislike:
6 
4
Kids, their $1200 quote was unreasonable enough to be insulting — especially after the smarmy sales job I got — and I’m not the only one who’s been similarly surprised given their purported good reputation. Take from that whatever you want. If you want to hire them as movers, feel free to do so with the knowledge that you may be paying a 200% markup over reasonable rates.
While I don’t have direct knowledge of the dispute in this article — and as far as I can tell none of you do — it wouldn’t surprise me that they’ve been unreasonable elsewhere.
Like or Dislike:
7 
9
Imagine how much it would cost you to move if either one of the movers was using union labor. You would not have moved for $400.00 – $500.00.
Like or Dislike:
10 
3
I’m delighted to hear that someone was mean to mccdave. Makes my day!
Like or Dislike:
2 
4
WOA! This might be the new paradigm! Unions hire bums to picket low buck employers! Win Win for the publickkk at large!
Ah, the nobility of work!
Like or Dislike:
5 
9
I think unions have been the backbone of this country. I don’t like what is going on here but that doesn’t negate the worth of unions. If you want to get outraged and castigate something take a look at the bloody corporations that are rapidly sinking the average Joe.
Unions are supposed to help guarantee fair wages, safe work place conditions and fair retirement plans-none of which would exist if left up to the corporate bosses. The flaws that exist do not make unions obsolete or a joke.
Like or Dislike:
15 
33
I would say that the unions have BROKEN the backbone of this country. Look how they helped the US auto workers. They extorted pay rates and benefits that ran these companies into the ground. Yes, there are other issues with the auto companies but the major cause of there demise which diverted resources from producing quality products was when they were forced to pay a guy with maybe a high school education 100 grand a year with 4 weeks paid vacation, full medical benefits and pension, to install lug nuts on a Chevy in the factory.
This kind of pay can only be supported by the people of San Luis for the union supported police officers… many of which Do have a high school education I’m told.
Unions in this country had there appropriate time, in the 30′s. They are now dinosaurs.
Like or Dislike:
27 
7
We have laws to protect employees. Unions were relevant when there were no laws protecting employees. Unions succeeded in creating a safe fair work place, everyone thanks them, now it it time for them to disband. They are like a rouge army out looking for a war. The war is over but no one told them.
Like or Dislike:
5 
1
The unions are doing the same thing to all of us taxpayers. Just look at the benefits that our current civil employees receive. Enough is enough, hopefully the tea parties will wake everyone up and lead us back to reality.
Like or Dislike:
25 
7
Another reason that I support NON-UNION companies!! The Union in this and some other instances can go F**K themselves!! I am so tired of Union bullies. What a bunch of wimps. I would personally like to get some of them in a back alley and go to town!!
Like or Dislike:
20 
10
Where is the Tribune on this issue? Geez, its right across the street from there offices????? I have not seen a single article in the Trib on this issue. But I guess they would not want to change there liberal biased format and point out the ridiculous actions of a union. Go Obama…
Meet Head Movers is a great local employer; we need to run these Union idiots out of town. Go Meat Head Movers and all SLO local businesses!
Like or Dislike:
21 
4
I didn’t know anyone still read the Tribune… I guess my only question is why?
Every local story of substance for the last six months has originated on this site!
Thanks Karen!
Because of the flak, I will use no one but Meathead Movers in the future.
Anyone doing construction should use only non-union workers from now on!
Like or Dislike:
16 
10
I get the Trib for the local sports and to wrap up fish guts. Go Meathead Movers!
Like or Dislike:
6 
5
Unions are destroying this country. What a joke they have become. This story should be in all the newspapers.
Hot debate. What do you think?
42 
14
That is too funny that the union hires non-union labor to do its picketing.
This article is prime evidence that unions have become obsolete, for those few people on the planet who didn’t already know.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
49 
8