Plumbers in Massachusetts are calling out corporate shop, Roto-Rooter, for sending unlicensed plumbers and apprentices without complete training to do jobs they are unqualified for. From the Patriot Ledger:
Three local plumbers are suing Roto-Rooter, claiming the company repeatedly sent unlicensed apprentices out on plumbing jobs in violation of state rules.
The plumbers, who worked for Roto-Rooter’s Stoughton office, claim they were regularly deprived of work that was instead given to apprentices. They also claim the company penalized them for signing their names to a wage-and-hour class action lawsuit in New York federal court by further reducing their work assignments.
One of the whistleblowers, also highlighted in a DigBoston.com piece, said he is speaking out to show his "license means something."
A Facebook page has just been launched with the stated goal of "protecting the value of Massachusetts plumbing licenses."
DigBoston provides some insight in to the motivations of Roto-Rooter:
Why send someone who could royally fuck up a house’s plumbing? Roto-Rooter works on a system of commission. Experienced, licensed plumbers like Pedersen get a bigger cut out of the fee for a job. The people without a license get paid a smaller share, but the company gets to charge the same. They can get away with this because they bill themselves as a “drain cleaning company,” and work in the shadows of state regulations.
Managers would get bonuses if they could get all the jobs done for as little as possible. So, instead of sending Pedersen to the important stuff, he was stuck on free estimates and other jobs where he was earning peanuts. Instead of $100,000 a year, he was making less than minimum wage, while the branch managers were raking in bonuses. Pedersen was kept around because his license helped make the branch look legit: “The State Board,” according to Pedersen, “mandates one apprentice per journeyman, no more. When I left the company, the ratio was 2 to1.”
This problem in particular struck a nerve with Pedersen, who helped train new employees.
Unlicensed plumber. Where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, the 2008 Presidential election.
The lawsuit has sparked retaliation from Roto-Rooter, according to the plaintiffs. It is part of broader federal class action against the company, a case that alleges that "the company unlawfully reduced their wages through paycheck deductions requiring them to bear Roto-Rooter’s business expenses. That lawsuit also alleges that Roto-Rooter encouraged workers to put in unrecorded time."
Read the full stories: Taunton Daily Gazette || Patriot Ledger || DigBoston