The painters working on the renovation of the Saenger Theatre are making $26/hour, but unfortunately they are from Michigan, not Pensacola —according to the leaders of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades.
The local members of the union are picketing the Saenger Theatre today.
“We could do this job better and cheaper,” says Scott Kilpatrick, IUPAT representative. “There are local painters out of work.”
The union members are passing out flyers that read: “Eugenio Painting Company is an out of town contractor from Michigan refusing to use local painters on the Saenger Theatre Renovation —IUPAT Local Union 164, representing North Florida.”
I agree. We should be using local workers on all these city and county projects.