Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Space contractor sues union over alleged ‘smear campaign’

Las Vegas-area space contractor Bigelow Aerospace LLC is suing Carpenters Union Local 1977, charging the union is engaged in a "false smear campaign" against the company.

Bigelow Aerospace filed suit last week in Clark County District Court, claiming it's been victimized because of a long-running dispute between the union and contractor Pete King Construction.

Union protests over wages and working conditions at Pete King, which have been going on for years, included an action at an office building project developed by Bigelow Development & Construction, said Bigelow Cos. senior counsel Steve Stefani.

Bigelow Aerospace and Bigelow Development are separate companies that are part of developer and space mogul Robert T. Bigelow's Bigelow Cos.

The lawsuit says that on Feb. 16, Carpenters officials Frank Hawk and Dan Drydahl were informed that Bigelow Aerospace was not contracting or conducting business of any kind with Pete King and that "union representatives were witnessed engaging in unlawful and intimidating tactics in furtherance of its campaign against Pete King."

The suit says the union, despite being advised that Bigelow Aerospace was not doing business with Pete King, has persisted in involving Bigelow Aerospace in the dispute by displaying a "Shame on Bigelow Aerospace" banner at the corporate office in Las Vegas and at the Bigelow Aerospace plant in North Las Vegas.

Bigelow complained the "union's willfully false and defamatory campaign against Bigelow Aerospace was observed on multiple occasions by high ranking foreign, U.S. and state government officials as well as third party aerospace industry executives visiting the aerospace plant."

"Bigelow Aerospace has had to explain to customers and government officials that despite the union's banner and leaflets, it does not have an ongoing labor dispute with any union. These instances resulted in undue embarrassment to Bigelow Aerospace and jeopardized multi-million dollar procurement contracts," the lawsuit says.

Bigelow Aerospace's suit asserts claims of defamation, negligent misrepresentation and other charges and seeks an injunction blocking "defendants' wrongful acts."

"Defendants continue publishing falsehoods against Bigelow Aerospace in a misguided attempt to injure the business reputation of Bigelow Aerospace, intimidate its employees and interfere with its business relationships," the suit charges.

Union spokesman Marc Furman said Tuesday he could not comment on the allegations in the lawsuit because the union had not seen the suit.

The union understands and complies with labor organizing laws and is confident it will prevail in any litigation, said Furman, senior administrative assistant for the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters.

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