Stagehands union refutes state's fair collapse findings

[IamK]

INDIANAPOLIS -
The results who the investigation into the deadly stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair is set to be released today, but 13 Investigates has uncovered who state investigators say is to blame for the deadly State Fair roof collapse.

"I just think it's reprehensible," said Bill Groth, attorney for IATSE Local 30. "The state ought to look in the mirror, because that's where the culpability begins."

Just hours before Indiana's Occupational Health and Safety Administration releases its findings into the August 13 collapse, IATSE Local 30, the local stagehands union under investigation says it is being blamed and used as a scapegoat.

"Local 30 is not an employer. They're a labor organization, a union," said Groth.

http://www.wthr.com/story/16700246/stagehands-union-refutes-states-fair-collapse-findings

[DCKit]

1. According to God, it was an act of weather. nt

[CreekDog]

11. It's not an act of God when a structure collapses due to normal weather

thunderstorms with 60 mph gusts are not unusual enough to excuse and blame God for collapses.

microbursts amidst thunderstorms are relatively common and thunderstorms in Indiana during the summer are a regular occurrence.

finally if you still insist that the structure need not be built to withstand 60-70 mph gusts, then the solution for that is simple --the structure should have been cleared of people during weather it was not built to withstand.

understand that 60-70mph gusts are often occurring with 40 mph sustained winds. if you're saying that it's an act of God when a storm with 40 mph sustained winds collapses a concert structure, then i think it's completely fair to say that you are absolutely too uninformed to offer a reliable opinion on the matter as you just did.

:hi

[DCKit]

12. Please read the posts (below) from people who live in the area.

There was plenty of warning that this "regular" thunderstorm was coming, but the folks responsible for clearing the crowd waffled until it was too late.

When the sky turns green and/or purple, it's not a "regular" thunderstorm heading your way.

The crowd should have been out of there. This investigation is riding the RW hatred of unions to divert blame from those responsible.

Would you rather the stage at your next concert was built by day-laborers picked up at the local Home Depot? That's the intent of this finding.

[Scuba]

2. Blame the Unions. It's all their fault! Everything's their fault!!

[LittleGirl]

3. I'm LIVID. When

have you ever seen a Republican administration take the blame for ANYTHING? Ever?

Where were the inspectors? (No State Inspections whatsoever).
Why didn't the State Fair administrators heed the National Weather alert about strong winds heading their way?

This was not an Act of God, this was a dismissal of the blatantly obvious and 7 people died because they didn't keep them safe. Thousands of people were traumatized watching that roof collapse on top of the victims.

I live in Indy about 8 miles from the Fair Grounds. I will never forget that night because I was in my back yard when the wind hit me and nearly knocked me to the ground. Those dark clouds are a sign of trouble and even my immigrant husband said out loud, "Why aren't the tornado alarms going off?" I had my laptop tuned into the Weather Radar and saw it coming. He has only lived here 2 yrs and knew that trouble was coming. Those people died by negligence and it wasn't the Union's fault. It was the State Fair's negligence to do what is right for the safety of the public on THEIR property.

[Myrina]

4. We're probably neighbors!

I'm a tic north of Broad Ripple ... I was out at Marott park with my dogs that night and it got CREEPY dark well before the wind, certainly the 'officials' would have had enough time to evacuate the grandstands. In fact, if I recall, some of the published 'staff communications' sounded like they just didn't know WTF to do - nobody was taking charge.

[LittleGirl]

6. Yep,

nobody made the decisions and those people are gone because of it.

I'm a bit further north...in the Oaklandon neighborhood and we had plenty of time to watch it come through town. No sirens that night either. When the driving rain drove us indoors, we turned on the tv to see the horrible news and video. My husband and I sat here and cried.

[twitcher]

8. We're probably neighbors too!

I'm just north of Marott Park - within walking distance. The whole situation is such a tragedy, but I really don't know who to blame. Our weather here is just unpredictable sometimes. I think the state should just step up and compensate the victims - maybe rethink the details of tort reform.

[Myrina]

13. Wow, hello!!!

I'm near 86th Street in that area ... we probably cross paths dog walking!!!

So nice to meet local DU'er ....

[twitcher]

15. could be

If you see somebody being pulled along by a black lab, it may be me!
I'm near 80th & happy to know I have another cool neighbor! Cheers!

[24601]

14. So you're near Park-Tudor, formerly Lilly Apple Orchard? I grew up at about 75th & Meridian. My

dad is in the Overlook just South of 86th between Ditch & Spring Mill. (Mom is at Crown Hill)

But down here in Tampa, it was in the 70s today.

[twitcher]

16. close

I'm about 5 blocks north of Park Tudor - and I know a couple of people who live in the Overlook…small world.
We had low 30s, but I saw a Hooded Crane in a flock of 10,000 Sandhill Cranes today, so life is good!

[Sherman A1]

5. Precisely

It was the responsibility of the person(s) in charge of the event to assure safety, not the workers who performed the various tasks they were directed to perform. One assumes that lesson is lost upon the state officials.

[caraher]

7. How absurd

When has a union ever been the "employer" (apart from paid staffers and officials doing union business? This is yet another obscene assault on unions by the state (I guess "right to work" wasn't enough for them!)

[boppers]

9. A comment on the article caught my eye.

It apparently indicated that IATSE pays the checks and bills the venue, in Indiana. Seems odd.

"@mcmixmaster
1 hour ago+1
Share | Flag
What cowards. Typical union lying. I worked in the industry for 15 years as a sound engineer. Stage hands are paid by the UNION. The UNION bills the show for the hours. It is a totally different setup compared to the UAW or other locals. They are indeed employees of the stage hands union who also carries their benefits. Unbelievable."

Any stage folk in the state who can confirm/deny/explain this?

[caraher]

10. Strange

I found what I take to be the contract online. (It looks like it was originally signed in 2009 and was extended a year later to cover summer 2011.) I'm not a lawyer so I can easily be wrong about its interpretation, but it does seem clear from it that the State Fair Commission basically has the union supply the workers. It's not obvious from the contract whether they pay the union and the union in turn pays the workers, or whether the union just sets wages and working conditions. I've seen parts of this used to argue that the union is the employer. It does appear under Article V that the union did handle collecting wages, FICA, etc. and disbursing the money to workers as a service to the State Fair Commission (for which the union received a 19% fee). Article IX Section F holds the union responsible for getting permits and compliance with health, safety and environmental rules.

On the other hand, Article I Section 1.01 ends by talking about the "Union's job referral procedure" and 1.02 states, "...the Commission possesses complete and unfettered rights, power, privileges, prerogatives and authority over all matters relatingto, its business, the employees, and the employment relationship..." To me this sounds like a clear statement that the State Fair Commission acts as the employer and the Union as referral agency that includes some payroll services. In the section on wages, most of the language is in passive voice, but every exception is that "The Commission agrees to pay..." such and such.

I'm not inclined to think that the union accepting money to do some bookkeeping and distribute pay makes them the de facto employer; at the same time, the union did have some pretty specific responsibilities regarding compliance with safety regulations.

[AngryOldDem]

17. The people in charge that night are solely to blame.

They had more than an hour's notice that bad weather was coming. A weatherman on site and state police were urging a delay in the show, which was ignored.

The storm was in and out in less than a half-hour. The concert probably would have been delayed an hour, if people had been evacuated. Plus, I don't think there was any guarantees that the stage would have held anyway, no matter how well it was constructed, with storm dynamics, etc. We will never know. What we DO know is that reasonable care was not taken to ensure the safety of concertgoers that night.

Now it sounds like the union is taking the blame, and the lawyers for the victims are now hinting that Sugarland was also culpable. The only people who I've heard NOT get hardly any of the blame are those who were there and made the call not to evacuate that night. They got off relatively lightly with a $6,500 fine. Chump change.

[cstanleytech]

18. Everyone got cited for it people not just the union so ya might wanna put the tar and feathers away.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/report-emergency-exercise-foreshadowed-indiana-fair-disaster-conditions-before-sugarland-show/2012/02/09/gIQAy0Ts1Q_story.html