Las Vegas unions file lawsuit over employment benefits

Tuesday, June 6, 2000 | 10:42 a.m.

A flood of Las Vegas local union claims for employment benefits continued last week with the filing of several new complaints in U.S. District Court.

The Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades local 159 sued C.T. Rankin Painting & Wallcovering Inc., M&H Enterprises Inc., National Guaranty Insurance Co. and Fremont Construction Co. Inc., alleging they failed to pay $32,408 in fringe benefits from April 1, 1997, through Sep. 30, 1998.

C.T. Rankin was subcontracted by M&H and Fremont to build several elementary school projects including Ferron, Dondero, Wengert, Tate, Smith, Diskin, Edwards, Harley Harmon, Harris, Tomiyasu and Ward elementary schools.

Chester Rankin, C.T. Rankin's president, declined comment.

The Southern Nevada Laborers union local 872 sued Contractors Bonding & Insurance Co., alleging it is liable to pay employment benefits.

A Contractors Bonding official declined comment.

The California-Nevada Regional Council of Carpenters sued Charles David Inc., the Mack Co. and its owner Charles D. Mack, alleging they failed to pay fringe benefits and make monthly remittance reports to its members.

The defendants could not be reached for comment.

Teamsters' local 631 sued Prestige Trade Show Service Inc. and its owner R. Philip Bassett, alleging they failed to pay employment benefits or make monthly remittance reports to the union's security fund.

The defendants could not be reached for comment.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local 357 sued Desert Construction Inc., alleging it failed to pay fringe benefits to its union workers' trust funds.

Tom Harmon, Desert's owner, wasn't immediately available for comment.

The Southern California-Nevada Regional Council of Carpenters Vacation Trust sued Hernandez Construction Inc. formerly known as H & M Construction Services Inc., alleging it failed to pay employment benefits to its union members.

Pete Hernandez, the company's owner, wasn't immediately available for comment.

The Plumbers and Pipefitters local 525 sued Frontier Insurance Co., alleging it failed to make fringe benefit payments and monthly remittance reports on a timely basis to its workers' union trust funds.

The defendant could not be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, the Cement Masons & Plasterers trust funds won an order to recover $26,483 in allegedly unpaid employment benefits from Cooper Concrete Co. and its owner Luther Cooper.

And the Construction Industry and Laborers Vacation Trust was awarded $56,347 in restitution from LVI Environmental Services Inc. and LVI Environmental of Nevada Inc. for their alleged failure to pay employment benefits.