To the editor:

In reading the Aug. 21 letter to the editor, “Urges fair treatment for members of UFCW,” it always gets to me the way unions picket jobs with signs that read “un-fair” to whatever union it’s protesting.

As a non-union HVAC contractor who pays my employees a very good wage, health insurance, vacation and retirement planning, how is it unfair if my company won the contract?

This is not about fair, it’s about the unions trying to control all of the work in St. Louis. This is not about training or quality work, as you hear so many times on the union’s ads.

Our company has it’s own apprenticeship program through the U.S. Department of Labor. All of my field employees are licensed through St. Louis County.

If you are in a union, do you really do better work than a company that is an open shop? I don’t think so. Is my cost of doing business any less to give me an unfair advantage in the bidding process? Once again, I don’t think so. Is it possible that my employees are harder working and get the job done on time? I think it just might be.

I treat my people fair and in return, they are dedicated, loyal and very hard working. Is there a problem with that?

Mark Menos

Ballwin