As this link and many more show construction spending continues to rise.
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2014/01/02/construction-spending-rises-to-nearly-5-year-high/
The Dow and S&P are at record highs and so is the profits made by big construction so the work is there, however the Building Trades total “net” market share of available work continues to drop.
Hundreds of millions of dollars spend by the trades in Labor-Management and traditional business type marketing programs as the core go to strategy over the last 20 years and the total “net” market share is negative.
The world of construction is now over 85% non/anti-union and still trending up, and yet many Building Trades leaders continue to feel that we can reverse this with a “Value on Display” tag line and concessionary bargaining which cut wages, benefits and conditions.
At what point do we as Building Trades quit letting corporate end-users and construction managers threaten our jobs and our way of life?
The jobs are “ours” and the only way that we have ever been successful at getting them is going out and getting them, and not asking/begging for them.
Corporate end-users and construction managers are systematically rendering the Building Trades impotent. That is there job people, cutting cost and maximizing profits on the backs of workers.
The only thing a corporate end-user/construction manager understands is grabbing them by the wallet. Corporate end-users/construction managers historically only work with labor by and large is because they are forced to in one manor or another.
A CBA has always been about labor peace – read it! Worker activism is why we have unions and a middle class.
Letting corporate executives totally decide if and when they want to use union Building Trades is exactly why we have gotten to this point of collapsing market share. Construction end-users and managers are playing us like a fiddle, using threats and playing trade against trade extracting concessions at every turn.
Until the Building Trades decide to take our jobs and way of life back using 21st century concerted activities that advance workers – then the Building Trades will continue losing market share. We have to rise up and not wait on corporate executives and do nothing politicians.
But first we have to break the status quo and also have a comprehensive strategic written plan to get our jobs and market back.
Labor Combat will be transitioning to Labor Rising in the next couple of weeks. This will be a formidable platform featuring 4 core competencies that will enable unions to win and break the status quo!
Danny L Caliendo
Organizer
Labor Rising
