Peckham workers protest golf fundraiser
Peter Klein, 25, East Lansing, Volunteer at the Lansing Workers’ Center.
LANSING — The United Peckham Workers Association picketed the annual Peckham Inc. golf outing at Eagle Eye Golf course this morning.
“We just wanted to come out here and expose their (Peckham Inc.) hypocracy, that they are actually exploiters of the disabled and refugees,” said Mike Kolhoff, 53, an organizer and volunteer at the Lansing Workers’ Center, a community group that advocates for individual workers and groups of workers.
Kolhoff is an organizer for United Peckham, an independent union formed in March.
Brian Owens, 51, of Lansing. United Peckham Employees Association.
Lansing-based Peckham provides job training for people with disabilities who work in manufacturing, warehousing, office cleaning, information technology and other fields. The company is a major supplier of garments for the U.S. Army and other branches of the military.
Peckham officials could not be immediately reached for comment about the protest at the golf course.
About 200 clients have signed union pledge cards since the organizing drive began in March, Kolhoff said. The union has not been certified as a bargaining agent for the workers. He and other union supporters said the layoffs began in April and now number 200 or more.
The union has filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, Kolhoff said.
“People are being bullied and taken advantage of,” said Brian Owens, 51, who was laid off by Peckham in the beginning of May.
Owens went on to say that the severely disabled make less than minimum wage and workers that don’t speak English are paid minimum wage.
