Last week, local residents, business owners, employees and labor unions joined together to show their support for Doc Burnstein's Ice Cream Lab in the midst of a seven month conflict with a Carpenter's Union from Camarillo, Calif.

On June 2, more than 100 people marched to union hall to address the union.

"The union banner holders stayed home that whole day, and the hall was locked up when we arrived. They knew our march time was 12 to 1 p.m., since it was on a banner two days prior," Doc Burnstein's owner Greg Steinberger said. "The sign said they'd be back at 1 p.m., so some media reporters went back at 1:30 p.m. The union refused to answer the door, even though people were clearly inside."

The union began picketing in front of Doc Burnstein's Ice Cream lab on Oct. 30, 2009. Steinberger said they have been there ever since, distributing flyers and displaying a large banner that indicated a Carpenter's Union from Camarillo was protesting a company hired by Doc Burnstein's for work at the Santa Maria Town Center Mall. 

But the Doc Burnstein's owner says the business never hired the "non-carpenters union workers" that are the subject of the banner and protest. Steinberger maintains that the non-union company was hired by the owner of the Santa Maria Town Center, and performed some minor labor in a business space that was never occupied by Doc Burnstein's. 

"I have still never gotten a response from my repeated calls and letters to the Carpenter's Union," Steinberger explained. "The banner holders know nothing. They are not even union members. The National Labor Relations Board seems powerless to do anything. The NLRB investigator said it was illegal, but the NLRB Board refuses to make a ruling on this type of protest."

Community supporters began demonstrating in support of Doc Burnstein’s in late December, after the union reportedly continued protesting during a blood drive sponsored by the parlor.

The next week union officials arrived in Arroyo Grande, not to talk to the business but to incite dispute with the business’s supporters, Steinberger said. The incitement resulted in a call to Arroyo Grande police, and the business asked supporters to back down. 

When other labor unions learned of the injustice, the Tri-Counties Labor Council bought more than $1,200 scoops of ice cream from the parlor in support of the small local business.. The Carpenter’s Union banner returned the following week. 

Following the show of support from other labor unions, flyers distributed by banner holders were then changed to declare the protest was now sponsored by the Arroyo Grande-based chapter of the Carpenter’s Union, Local 1800. 

Repeated calls to the local union office have also gone unreturned, so Doc Burnstein’s responded to supporters’ requests to help end the bannering by organizing last week's counter-protest at the Carpenter’s local Union Hall.

"The banner holders returned the next day, and nothing has changed," Steinberger said. "We are not even intending to go into the mall, and the mall was the one who hired a non-union local licensed contractor, which should be an allowable action in America. That contractor has not worked at the mall for six months. We are not sure what to do next."

Visit Doc Burnstein's Ice Cream Lab for some of its unique ice cream flavors like Merlot Raspberry Truffle or Root Beer Marble at 114 W. Branch Street in Arroyo Grande, Calif. For more information on Doc Burnstein's, visit www.docburnsteins.com.