NILES, Ohio (WKBN) – If you were driving along Route 422 in Niles Wednesday, you may have spotted a big blow-up rat and some protesters.

Members of the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters were picketing near a GreenHeart Companies’ project site.

Members of the Council oppose what they call GreenHeart’s practice of paying carpenters less than the area’s standard.

“An area’s standard wage supports a strong community. It supports the tax base. It supports the municipalities. It supports the schools, the fire, it supports our community in lots of different ways,” said Tony Ditommaso, a spokesperson for the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters.

First News reached out to GreenHeart for their response. The company declined to comment.