Union contractors meet with basic trade leaders for strategic planning session

The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) representing Union Contractors recently held a Trades Forum meeting in Washington, AGC members and their staff from across the country attended the meeting provided an opportunity for union contractors to voice their concerns to leaders of the national unions and the Association. 

Labor leaders decried lost man-hours and jobs over the past two years and mentioned some of their efforts to manage the crisis. They also discussed efforts to raise capital for both public and private construction and to be even more politically active.  

Items discussed included joint efforts with contractors to market the value of union construction in terms of productivity and training, as well as outreach to non-signatory contractors seeking to overcome anti-union prejudices. Initiatives to boost training including a significant increase in journeyman upgrading, development of a new, state-of-the-art training center and added focus on training craft workers to keep up with changing technology and materials.

The meeting also included discussion of cost-competitiveness, jurisdictional disputes and other inter-union strife, and workforce development. Read More 

We believe AGC Members have a long road ahead of them given the fact that the wages that their members are forced to pay their union employees are as high as 50% higher than Merit Shop Contractors who already pay their employees well. That in itself inhibits union contractors from being competitive, add to that the lavish benefit packages they have signed on to give their union employees and it is no wonder they find it difficult to compete in the free market private sector.

Their inability to compete on a level playing field has in fact been negotiated and agreed to by their own members. Their own self destructive contracts are the primary reason why they are forced to spend hundreds of millions on political advocacy to get any substantial work in this economy at all. 

Meanwhile the Republican controlled House has passed at least 17 Jobs bills that can help AGC members and their union employees. However, those measures sit languishing in the Senate on Harry Reids (D) desk who has no intention of considering any of them. 

Perhaps on this election day they should take a good look in the mirror to see where the blame for their troubles really lie.....Or, they can maintain their anguish by going to the Polls and voting for every Democrat on the ballot. 

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