Use of non-union, non-local labor on the Rockies Express Pipeline project is resulting in a protest coordinated by the Laborers International Union of North America, and being conducted on Highway J near Mexico. In addition to picketers, the protest – officially termed a job action – is symbolically represented by two inflatable rats displayed near the CTS Cement Manufacturing facility.

"What they signify is a non-signatory or non-union contractor – a rat," stated Carl Baysinger, marketing representative of the Midwest Region Organizing Committee of the laborers union.

Baysinger stressed that the union has no grievance with CTS.

Rather, he said the protest is principally directed at the Ranger Plant Constructional Company of Abilene, Texas. That firm has been contracted by Rockies Express corporate interests to perform pre-fab pipe work related to construction of the Rockies Express natural gas pipeline, which is traversing much of the country, including Audrain County. Accordingly, the Texas firm has temporarily rented space at the CTS facility as it conducts its work, specifically in relation to a compressor station to be built in eastern Audrain County.

"They are using non-union and non-local people, and that will eventually affect the people of Mexico," stated Baysinger, referencing hiring practices of the Ranger Plant Constructional company. "If they are not using people from Mexico who pay taxes, it will eventually bring down the standard of living."

The union representative said area workers are available from General Laborers Local Number 955 and Operators Local Number 513. "There are a lot of laborers that are off work, and that is what we're fighting for – our jobs out here."

Officials of the Ranger Plant Constructional firm directed calls to Rockies Express representatives. Allen Fore, spokesperson for the project, responded by commenting: "Most of the project is union. In fact, all of the mainline construction, all of the above-ground facilities, except for the compressors. And there's one of those in Missouri, one in Illinois, one in Indiana, and two in Ohio. And those are the same contractors that we used on the western phase of the project. And we brought them over for the east, primarily because of the work they do, and the schedule that we have. All of our contractors for the mainline are union contractors, and we've got a very specific schedule, trying to complete this project on time. And we feel this is the best way to do that, with our union contractors on the mainline, and all the other above-ground facilities, and these contractors on the compressor station."
He concluded by stating: "Over 90 percent of the work on this project is union, and we're talking about five facilities (in the eastern section) that aren't. So we're certainly working with the unions on the vast majority of this project."

Responding to Fore's comments, Baysinger stated: "Honestly, it wouldn't cost them any more time to have trained workers that are union doing the (compressor-related) work than these guys are doing, and that would be local help and local workers."

Compressors are a vital facet of the Rockies Express project, which is a $4.4 billion joint venture of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, Sempra Pipelines and Storage, and ConocoPhillips. Commenting last autumn, Fore stated compressor stations are constructed approximately every 200 miles along the pipeline's 1,679-mile route, including in eastern Audrain County. "They're primarily exactly for what their name says – compression," he said.

"They re-compress the gas so that it can be re-pressurized and sent along the lines to keep the velocity to get to the next compressor."

The pipeline – which ultimately will wend its way from Colorado to Ohio – is expected to be fully operational by summer 2009. Described as the largest stateside project of its kind in the last quarter century, general intent of the Rockies Express pipeline is to increase natural gas supply to eastern markets. Natural gas is considered a plentiful fossil fuel source, and is commonly used to heat homes. It is also sometimes mentioned as a potential energy alternative for vehicles.