For many members of the Chapman community, signs bearing the phrases “Fraud, Deceit & Elder Abuse” and “Labor Dispute” have become a common sight on campus. 

Often present on weekdays near Schmid Gate and the Lastinger Parking Structure, the signs are part of a demonstration — which began in October 2021 — against Chapman and its hired contractors by Carpenters Local 714, an Orange County-based union. 

Handouts from the protest explain that the union filed a labor dispute with Chapman, R.D. Olson Construction and Framing Specialists, Inc. over a construction project near the K Residence Hall, alleging that the parties involved had “(eroded) area standards for carpenter craft workers.”

Representatives from the union have not responded to The Panther’s requests for comment.

Rick Turner, Chapman’s vice president of facilities management, affirmed in an email interview with The Panther that the university does not plan on altering their current approach to construction. This approach, he explained, often entails hiring a mix of both union and non-union contractors.

“Over the years, protestors supporting union contractors have occasionally appeared on campus,” Turner said. “This is neither new nor different.”

It was a surprise to Mike Chavez, vice president of construction at R.D. Olson, that the union continues to protest near Chapman’s campus. Much like Turner, Chavez doesn’t believe there will be any change in R.D. Olson’s approach to the project.

“We've kept to proceeding with the same subcontractor, but we hire union and non-union guys, it just depends on the project,” Chavez told The Panther in a Feb 14. interview, noting that a subcontractor in the later stages of the project will be from a union.

The Carpenters Local 714 demonstrations marked the first time Chavez had heard of protests against R.D. Olson’s partnership with Chapman. The construction company has been working with Chapman for at least 15 years.

While the construction agreement remains intact in the midst of the union’s dissatisfaction, some students have expressed wavering confidence in the demonstrations’ ability to invoke change on campus.

Fiona Burrows, a senior communication studies and theater studies double major, attempted to research the union after demonstrators handed them a pamphlet, but had difficulties finding references to the protests or labor dispute.

“There isn't much information beyond that flyer, and they don’t have much of an online presence,” Burrows said.

The protest’s claims of elder abuse were another source of confusion for Burrows. 

The handout she received included an article on the now-settled 2015 lawsuit against Chapman by donors Catherine and James Emmi, who claimed at the time that former Chapman president Jim Doti had “put undue pressure on James Emmi” to pledge an irrevocable $12 million to the university. 

Doti declined to comment on the lawsuit being mentioned in the union’s handouts.

“The elder abuse lawsuit (seemed) completely unrelated,” Burrows said. “I feel like ultimately it does complicate the argument in a way that is confusing.”

Before graduating with a political science degree at the end of fall semester, alumnus Ryan Fabre also received a handout from a demonstrator on campus. While he empathized with the union, he wasn’t sure how he could contribute to the effort as a student.

“I read it and was like, ‘This really sucks. I know about this, (but) I can't do anything,’” Fabre said. “They're going up against Chapman, a very wealthy school that can afford very expensive lawyers.”

With Chapman and its contractors remaining committed to their original agreement, Burrows is unsure of how the union can bring about change through the student body, let alone seriously grasp the interest of students. 

“I feel as though Chapman students don't really care about a controversy that doesn't affect them,” Burrows said.