By LINDSAY WHITEHURST
A heavy equipment workers’ union will turn the former United Auto Workers Local 662 union hall into an training center for X-ray and ultrasonic testing workers in January.
The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 112 closed on the $500,000 sale Tuesday. UAW Local 662, which represents workers at bankrupt auto supplier Delphi Corp., built the building in 2000 for about $1 million.
“It’s not good, but things haven’t been good for quite awhile,” UAW Local 662 President Rick Zachary said. The union will continue to lease about 2,000 square feet in the back of the 14,400-square-foot building for member services. Located at 2715 Rangeline Road, the building is on about three acres.
The revenue will be used to fund some kind of buyout program for the unions’ 10 maintenance and clerical workers whose benefits the bankrupt union was forced to cut off this year.
Zachary wasn’t sure how much the buyout would be or when it would be offered.
“Sometimes there are other reasons to sell other than price,” said real estate agent Jim Bittner, commercial broker at RE/MAX Real Estate Groups in Anderson. The list price was $750,000 when the site went up for sale in May.
Over the last five years, membership at Local 662 has dropped from 3,300 to fewer than 700 in May. Delphi officials have said they will close Anderson operations in summer 2007.
The facility will only have a few permanent employees, but bring between 60 and 180 trainees into Anderson during its first year.
“They’ll be flying here for training, staying in local motels, eating at local restaurants, contributing dollars to the local community,” Bittner said.
IUOE Local 112 represents workers who do non-destructive testing on welding and pipe structures using X-rays and ultrasonic technology, according to Jim Kelly, business representative for Local 112.
“Most of our (work) deals with ... the chemical and petroleum industries,” he said.
Workers will get both safety training and new technology training.
Currently training operations are in St. Louis, Mo., and the union leadership chartered a new local to open the center in Anderson.
Another IUOE Local, 103, already operates a heavy equipment apprentice program at 4483 E. Indiana 67 in Chesterfield.
“We have nothing to do with them; they are hoisting and portable (workers),” Kelly said. “Those people will still be there.”
