Federal Site Clearing Work Begins Soon

Federal Site
Clearing Wc^rk
Begins Soon

BY BOB SCHAIRER
Business-Labor Reporter

Work is scheduled to begin shortly on
taking down buildings at the downtown
site which will be the location of a new
fpripral hi»lrling.

iwever, hints of some la-
bor »iiliiCUilifc;A.

Some equipment has been moved onto
the site, but Peter Shontz, president of
the Progressive Wrecking Corp. of De-
troit, said this morning that actual raz-
ing probably will not being until some-
time next week. Shontz said one of his
employes is now engaged in some lum-
ber salvage work on an individual basis.

The site consists of a major part of the
block bounded by E. Liberty St., S. Fifth
Ave. and S. Fourth Ave.

Progress Wrecking holds a subcontract
from the general contractor, Barton-
Malow Co. of Oak Park. Award of a $3,
862,035 contract? 'n-Malow was an-
nounced late Id i i iih by U.S. Rep.
Marvin L. Esch, R-Ann Arbor. The con-
tract is from the General Services Ad-
ministation.

Razing work will take about six weeks,
Shontz said. Before it begins, however.
the site will be fenced by Barton-Malow.

Among the buildings which will come
down are the former Masonic Tample,
the old Eberbach Building the former
Varsity Laundry Building.

Replacing them and other structures
on the site will be a four-story building
which will house federal facilities now
spread throughout the city. Included will
be a postal facility, which will replace
the one now located at N. Main St. and
Catherine St.

The federal building will be on the tax
rolls for 20 years bt> '^nt
actually acquires ov>' i hat
time it will be leased from the contractor
or investors.

S( vti :ii members of Lahore; 959
were at the site this morning spi-
cions that nonunion work Wii on.
They were gone later, and thne wus no
picketing.

-, Shontz said his firm is unionized. He
said he suspected the employe doing sal-
vage work may have borrowed a local
nonunion firm's truck.

Enos Greer, Local 959 secretary-
treasurer, said this morning, however,
the union status of Progress Wrecking is
not so clear.

He claimed the firm had brought out
nonunion labor from Detroit.

The local organization's position is that
local, unionized labor should be em-
ployed. Local 959 wants Progress Wreck-
ing to recognize it as bargaining agent,
Greer said. ,

If the situation is not resolved there
Kwill be pickets on Friday, he said.