Construction workers to rally at Ground Zero
Thousands of unionized construction workers and a few elected officials are expected to hold a rally Tuesday to pressure the two sides warring over rebuilding part of Ground Zero to reach an agreement.
Thune Amendment Defeated
By a vote of 38-61, Senator John Thune's (R-SD) amendment to strip Davis-Bacon from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was defeated. The amendment, attached to the Tax Extenders Act of 2009, was introduced in the Senate Wednesday.
Southern California Port and Water Districts Endorse PLAs
Within a span of about 12 hours, the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building Trades Council scored two major victories, winning support for Project Labor Agreements (PLA) from the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners on March 1, and the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District Board of Directors on March 2.
9th Annual California Women in the Trades Conference Information
The Women Building California conference is a statewide conference for women who work in construction or are interested in exploring a construction career. We hope to bring more women into the trades and offer them skills, resources, and support to thrive in these careers through retirement.
Iraq Vet and Union Member Through Helmets to Hardhats Lauded for Heroism During Austin Terror Attack
Robin De Haven is no stranger to danger. As an American who served with honor in Iraq he returned home to a difficult economy but the hope for peace. That peace was broken last week as an anti-government terrorist flew a private plane into a building in Austin, Texas. De Haven is credited with the rescue of five people from the burning building. From 9/11 to the Miracle on the Hudson to the Fort Hood shooting, union members continue to represent the best of America.
$360 Million SunCoke Energy Project to Begin in Ohio
For many months now, 500 building trades workers have been waiting in anticipation of breaking ground on the $360 million SunCoke Energy project in Middletown, Ohio. After enduring delays attributed to the snowy weather, the project is now ready to move forward. And, just in time for the skilled craft professionals of Butler County.
Can’t Find the Exit Off the “Low-Road”: GOP's Key Anti-Union Witness Underpaid Workers, Violated Wage Laws
House Republicans held a forum last month to slam the Obama administration's alliance with organized labor, charging, among other things, that government favoritism toward the labor movement was unfairly preventing non-union companies from getting contracts. But GOP lawmakers declined to mention that a key witness at the event, the CEO of a Pennsylvania construction firm had, in fact, agreed to be temporarily barred from receiving government contracts after being found to have violated state wage laws by underpaying workers.
BCTD President Ayers Named to Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future
U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu today announced that BCTD President Mark H. Ayers has been named as a member of a Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future that will be charged with providing formal recommendations for developing a safe, long-term solution to managing the Nation’s used nuclear fuel and nuclear waste.
PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENTS’ EFFECT ON SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION COSTS IN MASSACHUSETTS
In their on-going, mostly futile, attempts to discredit and tarnish the value of Community Workforce Agreements, the “race to the bottom” apologists (e.g. the Associated Builders and Contractors) show slovenly devotion to one specific study concerning school construction costs that was conducted by the widely discredited Beacon Hill Institute.
White House Pegs ARRA Construction Jobs Impact at 168,000
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has produced or saved an estimated 168,000 construction-sector jobs through the end of 2009, the White House Council of Economic Advisers says in its latest update on the impact of the stimulus legislation.
California State Assembly Deals Another Blow to the ABC
Three bills backed by the Associated Builders and Contractors, and which were specifically designed to weaken Building Trades-backed requirements on design-build contracts were killed in a policy committee this week after Building Trades representatives exposed them for what they were: anti-worker measures crafted to maintain a “race to the bottom” low-wage, low-skill, indigent worker business model that continues to extract heavy social and economic costs on communities all over California and the nation.
California Building Trades Leader Retires
Lucille Palmer Byrd, who served as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Stanislaus, Merced, Tuolumne and Mariposa Counties (CA) Building and Construction Trades Council, retired in early January after many years of committed service to the Building Trades and to her local community. Lucille was a pioneer in many respects, becoming one of a very few women to serve as an officer of a local building trades council. In her case, she served as Secretary-Treasurer for 6 years.
Building Diversity in Union Construction
Like their counterparts all over the nation, Building Trades Unions in Peoria, Illinois are reaching out to women and minorities to entice them into careers in the skilled trades. Read this terrific story from PeoriaMagazines.com.
Unions Support Vermont Yankee Contract Renewal
The Vermont Building and Construction Trades Council descended upon the state capitol of Montpelier on January 4th to urge state legislators to vote in favor of the continued operation of Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant.
Pharmaceutical-Bio Industry Expects to Deliver $2.2 Billion in Capital and Maintenance Project Starts for Fourth Quarter
After the dark and dreary news of this year's financial headlines, the Pharmaceutical-Biotech Industry managed to light up the end of the fourth quarter. While not escaping the maelstrom of financial disorder, the sector will have started construction on 114 North American projects during the last quarter by the time 2009 comes to a close. With a combined total investment value (TIV) of $2.2 billion, the project average translates into a healthy $19 million. While the vast majority of the projects are for new research facilities, there are several scheduled that will add biological manufacturing capacity.
Tri-State Building Trades Council Sponsors Ironton Basketball Tournament
The Tri-State Building and Construction Trades Council is the lead sponsor of the 2009 Ironton High School Basketball Tournament that features some of the top teams in the nation. Proceeds from the tournament will help remodel the Conley Center in Ironton, OH…including replacing the flooring and bleachers. Proceeds will also be used to create scholarships and more.
President Ayers Joins Congressional Leaders in a Call to "Re-Build" with Green Jobs
On November 18th, BCTD President Mark Ayers joined Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Congressman Peter Welch (D-VT) and a coalition of business, labor and consumer advocates in a call to action to address America’s immediate needs for job creation and energy security. The “Re-Building America” initiative is designed to push the “restart” button the current energy debate and get our policymakers focused on building a cleaner energy future that saves and creates millions of American jobs. The initiative is designed to foster a national commitment to “retro-fit” 50 million commercial buildings for increased energy efficiencies.
Congress Extends Unemployment Benefits
The United States Senate voted unanimously on November 4th to extend unemployment benefits by as much as 14 weeks to out-of-work Americans who have exhausted their jobless benefits or would do so by year’s end.
Project Labor Agreement Approved for Power Plant in Lodi, CA
Despite intense lobbying and premature boasting by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), the Board of the Northern California Power Agency (NCPA) voted overwhelmingly today in favor of a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) and maintenance agreement for construction of a $432 million power plant in Lodi, CA.
Fisker to purchase, retool GM plant
The old General Motors plant in Delaware that until July cranked out sports cars for Pontiac, Saturn and Opel will be sold and retooled to build plug-in hybrids with UAW workers.
Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. Awarded $200 Million in Federal Stimulus for Smart Grid Initiative
Constellation Energy(NYSE: CEG) today released the following statement from its Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mayo A. Shattuck III, regarding the announcement by the Obama Administration that Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) has been awarded a $200 million federal stimulus grant in support of a comprehensive Smart Grid initiative that would be one of the most advanced nationwide.
Time For True Pension Reform
The president and Congress understandably have been preoccupied with fixing the economy and reforming health care. The nation will not achieve lasting economic growth, however, unless the president and Congress do something to permanently ensure the economic security of America’s current and future retirees.
New Jersey Town Council Considers "Responsible Contractor Ordinance"
This month the Secaucus Town Council will consider a so-called “responsible contractor ordinance” purportedly in an effort to improve the quality of construction work done on large-scale municipal building and renovation projects. But critics of similar measures elsewhere say such laws only serve to limit the pool of qualified companies eligible to bid on public contracts.
Cincinnati Public Schools Feeling Pressure on Project Bids
With a crucial campaign season looming, a labor union-led coalition is ramping up political pressure on the Cincinnati school board to impose new restrictions on construction contractors looking to help build new schools.Last week, the board voted to delay action until August, but the pressure to require higher wages and better benefits for workers on CPS building projects isn't going away.
NH Legislature Passes Budget...Ignores Workers' Concerns
The New Hampshire state legislature approved a budget that failed to address the concerns of job-hungry workers...including a rejection of an expanded gaming initiative that would have produced $200 million in additional state revenues and over 500 union construction jobs.
Chaplaincy Center to open for Summit safety forces
Early in his career, Summit County Sheriff Drew Alexander, then a rookie with the Akron Police Department, was sent to the grisly scene of a murder-suicide. When he arrived, he found a 2-year-old child had been shot in the head, killed by one of his parents.
PLA Signed for Major Global Foundries Project in New York
A Project Labor Agreement has been negotiated, and is close to being signed, for the construction of a $4.2 billion chip-manufacturing facility in Saratoga County, NY. Among many innovative provisions, the agreement calls for local women-owned and minority businesses and local vendors to receive opportunities with the project.
Building Trades Leaders Gather in Washington for 2009 Legislative Conference
The Building and Construction Trades Department kicks off its 2009 Legislative Conference on Monday, May 18th in Washington, DC. Roughly 3,000 state and local building trades leaders will descend upon the Marriot Wardman Park Hotel for three days of intense discussions surrounding key legislative issues. The theme for this year’s conference is “One Country. One Purpose. One Movement.”
President Ayers Testifies on "Green Jobs"
BCTD President Mark H. Ayers appeared before the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) to provide the viewpoint of America’s Building Trades Unions on the overall issue of “green jobs”.
New Study Confirms Benefits of Project Labor Agreements
A new study commissioned by the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University once again affirms the fact that Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) do not discriminate against employers and workers; do not limit the pool of bidders; and do not raise construction costs.
AFL-CIO Launches “Center for Green Jobs”
The AFL-CIO announced on February 5 the formation of The Center for Green Jobs, for the expressed purpose of assisting unions, their employers and other partners by stimulating the development of good “green” jobs and helping to train the skilled workforce of the future those jobs will require.
California Building Trades Seeks Investigation into General Assembly Vote Trading
The California Labor Federation, the State Building and Construction Trades Council, the Sierra Club, and the Planning and Conservation League, are urging State Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. to investigate Republicans in the Legislature who, according to press reports, are trying to trade favorable votes on the budget for agreements to weaken worker protection laws and environmental regulations
House Passes Economic Stimulus Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives on January 28 approved, by a vote of 244-188, an $819 billion stimulus package designed to get the American economy moving again.
Building Trades Secure Victories on Davis-Bacon and PLAs
America’s Building Trades Unions are working diligently with the new Obama Administration, and the US Congress, to move policy and legislative proposals that will provide immediate assistance to our nation’s economy, and protect the interests of US workers.
TRCP Releases 2009 Policy Agenda
The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) has released its 2009 Conservation Policy Agenda, which represents the consensus priorities of its wide-ranging partners.
LA City Council Approves PLA
The Los Angeles, CA City Council unanimously approved a Project Labor Agreement between the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council.
Rancho Santiago PLA Upheld by Federal Court
In an important victory for Building Trades workers, a federal district court judge has ruled in favor of the building trades, and against a challenge by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) to the Rancho Santiago Community College District’s project labor agreement (PLA).
IUPAT - The “Black and Gold Army” Mobilizes for Obama
Members of the Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) union are launching a national political mobilization tour, kicking off this weekend, to help energize union members and send Sen. Barack Obama to the White House.
House Passes Energy Bill With Davis-Bacon and PLA Language Included
The House Sept. 16 passed an energy policy bill with both Davis-Bacon Act and project labor agreement components that the White House promptly threatened to veto over provisions that officials said either failed to pass in other legislation, or which were previously threatened by veto.
Buffalo Building Trades Exterminate Their Rat
Leaders of those unions, as well as heads of contractors they work with, cut up the deflated rubber rodent with scissors on Tuesday in Niagara Square. They said the gesture was meant to symbolize a break with tactics of the past and a shift toward more labor- management cooperation.
Arizona's Employer-Sanctions Law Not Preempted, Ninth Circuit Affirms
Arizona's tough immigration law requiring employers to use the federal E-Verify employment verification system and penalizing those who hire illegal immigrants by revoking their business licenses is not preempted by federal immigration law and does not violate employers' rights to due process, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled Sept. 17.
US Industrial Manufacturing Spending Rebounding in the Fourth Quarter
The prime construction seasons of spring and summer in 2008 have been devastating for the U.S. Industrial Manufacturing Industry. Coming on the heels of rising oil and gas prices, the credit crunch, the housing market collapse and a weak dollar, spending had been dramatically reduced for the industry when compared with spending in 2007.
New Report Touts Job Benefits of Green Project Investments
A newly release report claims that a $100 billion investment program in green economic recovery for energy efficiency would create 2 million U.S. jobs over a two-year period while also addressing global warming and building a green, low-carbon economy.