Labor Rising readers meet Brother Brent. Brent is the creator and author of CCM (Complete Construction Manager), which was a Construction Manager exclusively owned by the Milwaukee Building Trades in the early 1990’s. In our next blog we’ll provide more detail on his bio, as well as how valuable these concepts are to address the current state facing the building trades. In preparation for our next informative blog – review the links provided at the end of this blog, as they demonstrate some of the legal work involved – you’re sure to come away with appreciation for the work needed to produce these documents and strategies.
Introducing CCM which is part 2 of a 3-part blog geared to solutions for the Building Trades in the era of industrial modularization and miniaturization.
Part one dealt with the carpenters. In summary, get rid of them throughout North America and declare their jurisdiction vacant and enforce it! Forget all the sob stories. Leaving the carpenters quasi-affiliated and on the margins in many areas will result in the balance of the trades being odd-trade(s)-out of construction as the decade unfolds.
Part 2 has EVERYTHING to do with hours – those that will be lost in the upcoming decade and how specifically to replace and even increase them!
Brent is a visionary in the world of organizing and building a union market. He doesn’t just talk – he solves issues with structured actions and strategic thinking. He has a proven track record of CBA’s signed, along with measurable hours of work added by strategic actions of organizing. CCM is just part of that track record. In LR’s opinion, probably the most important of many.
These are the sectors which are at the core of the first wave of using industrial level modularization: healthcare, senior housing, low-income housing, commercial office building to 30 floors, multi-floor residential condos to 30 floors, student housing, hotels, and a few other types of buildings. It is not a coincidence whatsoever that these markets were picked. They make money and can be produced on an industrial scale on a factory floor. Simply put, they are the low hanging fruit of industrial level modularization and will make big $$$$ well past what they do now for disruptors and investors. A lot more!!
Since most locals throughout the trades rely heavily on the hours in the above sectors to a high degree, a train wreak is coming down the pike for the trades. Perhaps the Boilermakers are less affected in the early years, but the rest of the trades are on the track already!
A consistent loss of 10% to 15% of hours and more year over year and even so-called healthy pensions and H&W funds go on the chopping block. This isn’t fear mongering – it is math. The trades MIGHT be able to take that kind of hit short term; however, the more hours your local loses in the above markets, the quicker those funds WILL fail! As union leaders and trustees, back those hours out of your funds calculations starting in approximately 3 years and see what the real hard numbers tell you. The sooner you do this the better for your participants and union members. You cannot smooth these lost hours for very long. They are not coming back! This calculation will move the “good ole boys”, or perhaps give rise to new leaders. In many areas the effects of modularization will be even sooner. Time is not on the side of the trades’ pension, H&W and general funds.
For locals doing heavy industrial work, modularization and miniaturization WILL have a parallel action; however, those are big hour jobs. Take even a couple jobs off the books or have substantially reduced hours and what happens to the pensions, H&W and general funds? And it will be more than just a couple of jobs.
The pyramid style of running construction projects is dead and/or dying NOW. It is over – we need to get that thru our thick skulls. As the Marines say, “adapt & overcome”. Just being a temp agency with best-in-class training and appeasement of management is not enough in the era unfolding!
The sheer number of total constructors and workers, union or not, is going to be put into a shredder. At a projected loss of 60% to 80% of total skilled workers & HOURS no longer needed in the above sectors going forward, where & specifically how are the locals, DC’s and internationals going to replace those hours?
This introductory blog tees up CCM (Complete Construction Management) for our next blog.
Value on Display professes to be “business oriented” – we (the trades) are “professionals”, and we interact with “customers” in the construction world. We appear to be totally confused about how to operationalize the above business words, nor do we make effective use of other business vernacular, such as free, exclusive, easy, limited, get, guaranteed, best, etc. VOD is a total joke as a strategy and as a business proposition. Measurable hours and market share for VOD’s entire history is conclusive— IT IS A LOSER!
Why? Because if you asked each local, DC or international marketing rep to write down, in their own words, what the Value on Display strategy is, how confident are you that they would be consistent?
CCM was designed far ahead of its time to use true business terminologies & actions in the correct context and setting. As for HOURS: CCM will turn a train wreck into a bullet train if the senior leaders will adapt and overcome!
LINKS HERE:
Articles of CCM Incorporation: https://1drv.ms/b/s!AmKOi71GyLcggwsE741khfQsVeXn?e=IFalzF
Business Plan: https://1drv.ms/b/s!AmKOi71GyLcggwpYNOemTE-Y2Ha-?e=MJlNqF
Bylaws: https://1drv.ms/b/s!AmKOi71GyLcggwiX19QC-CoRGe6y?e=xGSEiX
Meeting Notes 1: https://1drv.ms/b/s!AmKOi71GyLcggwdBj6Y1yfAZc0KQ?e=LzDtPP
Meeting Notes 2: https://1drv.ms/b/s!AmKOi71GyLcggwZdP0LFjmkN3_ko?e=OSGxVa
Meeting Notes 3: https://1drv.ms/b/s!AmKOi71GyLcggwXAkJLCSaqUzW-R?e=Zgq0X2
Stockholders Meetings: https://1drv.ms/b/s!AmKOi71GyLcggwMHqF1hPTzYGu5S?e=tda61W
“if you see a good fight – get in it”
Danny L Caliendo
Organizer
Labor Rising
