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STAMFORD, Conn. A giant inflatable rat has taken up residence outside the UBS building in downtown Stamford where Asbestos, Lead & Hazardous Waste Laborers' Union Local 78 continues a protest.
The New York City-based union began the protest in mid-December, setting up two coffins outside UBS with signs reading Asbestos Kills. At the same time, union members handed out fliers detailing the dangers of asbestos removal.
The fliers charge that New York Insulation, a non-union company hired by UBS Realty Investors to remove asbestos from New York's Buckingham Hotel, does substandard work and has a history of violating laws relating to asbestos safety. The flier also gives examples of how the company has violated the law.
Its a company that cheats anyone and everyone, Eli Kent, the union's organizing director, said of New York Insulation when the protests first began.
Kent and the union have accused of UBS of putting profit above public health by hiring a non-union contractor. A union contractor will have a union steward at the job site to ensure that proper safety precautions are taken, Kent said.
The protest is an appeal to the public, not a threat to stop work or deliveries, the flier said.
UBS has declined to comment.
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