Turf wars, Chicago-style: Roofers vs. green-roof landscapers

While climate scientists warn against the possible unintended consequences of global warming solutions like geoengineering, a different kind of unintended consequence of going green is playing out in the city of Chicago.

The Chicago Tribune reports that the city’s success in becoming a leader in green roof has set off a, pardon the expression, turf war between roofers and landscapers.

According to Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, Chicago stands at the top of the list of North American cities in terms of green roof installations, with 534,507 square feet of rooftop landscaping in place as of 2008.

The city’s roofer-landscaper flap apparently began this past April, when a landscaping firm began installing an 80,000-plus-square-foot green roof on a residential-retail project. Arguing that it takes no special horticultural skill to put down ready-to-plant trays of greenery, the local roofers’ union filed an objection with the city and county Building & Construction Trades Council.

The Tribune article notes that the prevailing wage for landscapers is nearly half that for roofers.

The dispute eventually ended up before the National Labour Relations Board, which decided in favour of the landscapers, pointing out that they are no less experienced but are more efficient at installing green roofs.