No doubt you've seen people holding those red-lettered Shame On signs around town. We wanted to know who's behind them.

You may have seen the sign on California Avenue or the one on Ming Avenue near Seven Oaks, or perhaps the one at Truxtun and Mohawk complaining about a labor dispute with local real estate developer Greg Bynum. When we asked the sign holders for more information they refused to answer our questions and gave us a flier instead.

We got another flier when we approached the people protesting Froelich Homes in Southwest Bakersfield but apparently we scared them off. "Q: Can we ask you some questions about the sign you're holding? A: I'm getting ready to go right now. Q: What's the problem with Froelich homes? A: Just call the number on the flier; they'll answer your questions. Q: Can we ask you some questions? A: I'm getting ready to go now. Bye-bye."

The number on the flier belongs to the local Carpenters Union. What's the connection? "They're there because they believe they should use their First Amendment rights to say that they believe people should use only union labor," said Greg Bynum.

According to the fliers, the union is upset with any developer, builder or business who employs non-union laborers, claiming the practice contributes to the erosion of area standards, forces prices for health care to go up, and ultimately promotes crime and other social ills through substandard wages. Targeted firms like Bynum and Associates are compared to rats. "We've repeatedly said that we hire on the basis of competitiveness and competency, and without regard to whether a company is union or non-union," said Bynum.

And Bynum says the sign holders don't even have the problem with the businesses they protest. "I've never talked to them individually, but according to others that have talked to them, they're hired individuals at non-union wages to hold those signs."

Bynum sees the workers as victims and wonders whether they're being treated fairly. He says they're not provided facilities and actually have to use his parking lot and bathrooms. "I think there's several potential violations of the labor code there taking place. I'd be interested in seeing their payroll records, et cetera."

We asked one of the workers, "Q: Who, who's paying you? A: Tami, it's the number on there. Q: The Carpenter's Union, are they paying you? A: It's the number on the thing you can call to ask more information about it."

Bynum says he's heard the union insists the workers are volunteers. We tried to get the union's take but it seems, like the sign holders, nobody wants to talk.

I asked a worker, "So if I went back and reported that you're paid by the Carpenter's Union, I wouldn't be too far off? A: No comment. Q: You've got that part down, no comment. A: No comment."

I've contacted union rep Bill Mangum several times over the last couple months but haven't been able to schedule an interview. So I went to the Carpenters Hall on 19Th Street to track him down.

The receptionist called him. "We have a news reporter here to speak to you. Jeff Lemucchi. You're the invisible man, you're a ghost. You're something, I'm not sure what. Okay, I'll tell him. Okay, bye-bye.

She told me, He's doing an "event" at the Doubletree. He said he's very sorry he missed you, he just left 10 minutes ago and he will not be back this afternoon."

And so I called Mangum one more time and got his voice mail. "I'm working on the shame on signs, plan to air the piece this week and would love to have your side of the story. My number is 325-6397. Thank you."

So at the end of the day, how does Bynum interpret being targeted by the union? "They do it in such a way that seems unreasonable, but they have the right to do it, so we'll uphold that concept as far as our company goes. And we'll continue to do business as we have always done."

Bynum says the signs have had no negative effect on his business whatsoever.

In fairness to the union, I've spoken with Mangum several times since I started working on the story in September, and each time he was busy.