Giant Hand and Death Head Greet Drivers On Contra Costa Boulevard

Traffic going back and forth past Sunvalley Mall on Contra Costa Boulevard has been treated to an unusual sight the last few days — a giant hand with its thumb pointing down at one driveway, and a ghostly death-head sheathed in black at another.

These are the visual dramatics that Carpenters Union Local 152 is using to draw attention to what it says is an unfair labor practice being sanctioned by the Taubman Company, which owns Sunvalley Shopping Center.

According to a flier union representatives are handing out, Taubman has hired J.R. Lennen Construction, Inc., of Stockton, for work at the mall, and that company is not paying prevailing wages.

Union representatives would not say more than “all the information is on the flier.”

A spokesperson for Taubman, Karen MacDonald, said, “We welcome union contractors and encourage union contractors to bid on our work. We have used union and non-union labor in the past when they meet our criteria. We give everyone an equal opportunity to competitively bid on projects. Decisions are made and contracts awarded based upon experience, quality and terms.”