The Construction Trades
For more information visit: www.btrades.com
The Building and Construction Trades Council represents 4000 members in 9 counties and is comprised of basic and mechanical trades. The workforce is mobile with opportunities to relocate short-term or long term/temporarily or permanently.
The basic trades generally include those signed with general contractors such as laborers (Local 464), iron workers (Local 383), carpenters (Local 314), cement finishers (Local 599), bricklayers (Locals 13 and 34), and operating engineers (Local 139). Some large union employers include Findorff, J. P. Cullen, Vogel Bros., CD Smith, Tri-North, Boldt, Ideal, KBS, Ken Sullivan Co., Marshall Erdman & Associates, and Miron. These trades commonly work out of doors and in all elements, although work is sometimes seasonal. The basic trades also include painters (Local 802), glaziers (Local 941), and teamsters (Local 695) who usually work for subcontractors.
The mechanical trades generally include those signed with subcontractors such as plumbers (Local 75), steamfitters (Local 601), electricians (Local 159), and sheet metal workers (Local 18). Those in the mechanical trades tend to work more inside.
Commercial jobs require all workers to undergo an apprenticeship program (see below) and workers are often more skilled than those in residential projects because the work is more complex and have onsite engineers and inspectors.
Wages and benefits vary by union and job title. Common job titles include Apprentice, Journeyman, and Foreman.
Most construction crafts are represented in the Building and Construction Trades Council. Each trade appoints delegates to weekly meetings.
During labor negotiations with a representative group of contractors, emphasis is placed on reaching a contract settlement, but contract dispute resolution can include binding arbitration or strike.
Hiring Hall
Historically, workers would go to the union hall and wait until the business agent finds work. A job would go to the first person on the bench. Currently, if laid off or out of work, members are placed on a list and called to work based on their experience, credentials, skill set, and productivity.
Union Structure
Union officer elections usually occur every 3 years. In most cases, elected Business Managers hire Assistant Business Managers and/or Business Agents. Some unions elect Business Agents as well as Business Managers.
Not mandatory to have a union steward on-site but that varies by union.
Individual unions have newsletters and the Building Trades Council has a website (btrades.com) and a printed Directory of Union Contractors.
Main Issues
On the job: Jurisdiction - which union has the “rights” to a particular type of work.
Legislative: Moving Best Value Contracting to state level after ordinances passed in 2007 at the Dane County Board, City of Madison, and MATC. Securing funding for public works projects.
Contractual: Wages, subcontracting clause.
Economic: Growing the union share of the construction business.
For Union Reps: Safety on the job, violation of jurisdiction, enforcing subcontracting, apprentice absenteeism, and increased drug screening.
Most Significant Labor Laws
1) Two Gate System (see below)
2) Methods of organizing – “salting” non-union employers with union supporters, top-down model of organizing, “stripping” workers from non-union employers
3) OSHA standards
Things to Consider:
• Work is highly specialized and often requires working outside in the elements.
• Organizing tends to be top-down due to workforce constantly moving between sites and employers, which often impedes the development of strong grassroots leadership.
• From the day a job is started, members are working their way out of a job, because when the project is finished, they are finished.
• Some job sites have two gates, one for union workers and one for non-union workers. Unions are only allowed to picket at non-union gate, causing confusion among members about what to do when encountering a picket.
• Members need more basic education on general labor rights and picketing rights.
Common Misconceptions:
It is often perceived that construction workers are overpaid. The average wage is $29.49, and the average wage package is $42.92 (2008 rates). Must factor in that the work is not steady year-round employment, due to seasonality and constant layoffs, involves strenuous physical activity in the elements, and there is no paid time off for holidays, illness, or vacations.
Recent Highlights:
• Establishing the START (Skilled Trades Apprenticeship Readiness Training) Program to recruit more women and people of color into the building trades (see more information below).
• Winning Best Value Contracting in 2007 requiring that contractors bidding on City, County and MATC contracts participate in apprenticeship programs.
• Negotiating a Project Labor Agreement at Cogen power plant on the UW Campus to guarantee quality, on-time project completion as well as union-scale wages, benefits and working conditions.
• Electrician licensing bill signed March 5, 2008. Requires that in order to be licensed as an electrician, a person must either complete an apprenticeship program or have a minimum amount of experience in installing, repairing, and maintaining electrical wiring, and pass an examination administered by the Department of Commerce.
• An increase in Green Building projects have given electrical, heating, and ventilating trades a boost.
Apprenticeship
The Building Trades apprenticeship programs are governed by the apprenticeship law of 1911, which is based on the craft guild system of the Middle Ages. Each union has its own program with specific requirements and training procedures. Most apprenticeships last 5 years and apprentices are broken into categories based on length of training. Job placement is based on these categories as well as ability, productivity, and skill set.
Apprenticeship committee’s are set up by each union to set requirements for day school and night school. The committees also are responsible for administering exams and routinely evaluating apprentices’ progress. The classes and programs are run by skilled journeymen.
Basic Requirements:
Minimum Age
High School Diploma/GED
Valid Driver’s License
Ability to Pass Drug Test
The 1st year average wage for an apprentice is $14.72 and wage package is $23.74 (2008 rates) with benefits.
Plumbers and Electricians must pass written and/or practical exams before given license, and must renew regularly to maintain their status.
Most trades put an emphasis on outreach to recruit women and people of color.
For more detailed information on the requirements and application process for each trade, go to: http://btrades.com/apprenticeships.htm
START Program
The Skilled Trades Apprenticeship Readiness Training (START) Program is a six week program designed to help candidates gain access to one of the seventeen construction trade apprenticeships available in the Madison area.
Applicants are given information on working conditions, application procedures and requirements, selection procedures and the qualifying test for each trade at the beginning of the program. Reading and math skills are assessed by program administrators as a way to find a trade that is the best fit for each participant. During the final week of the session, participants take a mock trade test and undergo an exit interview to determine their next steps.
For more information on START, go to: http://btrades.com/images/START1.pdf.
– Presented at February and March 2008 SCFL Delegates meetings
For more information visit: www.btrades.com