Plumbers Union Pickets in Anaheim Arena Dispute

ANAHEIM — Plumbers union pickets briefly halted work Thursday morning on the Anaheim Arena in a dispute over use of non-union labor.

“The whole job was shut down,” said Ted Reed, business agent for Local 582 of the Plumbers & Steamfitters Union in Santa Ana.

But a construction official, who spoke only on condition that his name not be disclosed, said the picket line was up for only a few minutes. The protesters left shortly after 7 a.m., he said, when the city of Anaheim issued a citation against the non-union workers.

Both union and non-union workers are involved in construction of the $103-million arena. For now, the facility is being called “the Pond” by Walt Disney Co., which will field a National Hockey League team, the Mighty Ducks, there starting next year.