On October 2nd we ran this notice. This is a letter dated May 2, 2012 to our respective International Presidents. They in their wisdom thought it was all BS and never responded to it. https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=20B7C846BD8B8E62!2726&authkey=!AMv6zDqFHbbhidw&ithint=file%2cdocx
A mere 483 field hands direct and structured responses to what is, and still going on in the field. We concentrated on CURTs (Construction Users Roundtable) and also on many scores of union contractors that supposedly left because of lack of work after the 08 stock market crash.
This was solid research then and is bullet-proof now.
We have expanded the coordinated work of this group, to include understanding the hard core and aggressive recruitment of union trained journeypersons going on now.
Since Oct 2nd, I personally have fielded 537 Facebook posts and other social media on union members being recruited. We are in the process of following thru with most of these with direct calls to ascertain just how bad it is. Bad because most of these union workers are clearly and embarrassingly stating that they “are good union Brothers & Sisters”, however cannot feed their families locally and are just done traveling for substantial periods of time.
We have clearly concluded that the information given in gated jobs by union workers to management are the pathway that the recruiters are getting the union workers info.
Signing bonus and referral fees are also being paid to veteran hands. Especially those with estimating, operations, supervision skills, etc.
I have put my belt back on and have now gone to 3 jobs to talk with our Brothers & Sisters as we get incredible information when it is first hand and find it very credible. The union hands have info only they can get from direct contact with these non/anti-union recruiters.
Understand these ARE NOT the Temporary side of securing workers, it is long term.
Some of the trades in the field are securing us the ability to come on their jobs, especially in the south and mid-west.
So between Labor Rising classes we are staying very busy in the field filling in the puzzle of how the non/anti-union will proceed in the near and distant future.
One hint is there is high to very high renewal in the end-users wanting to reach out and talk to us and use the rhetoric of “how great we are” and especially playing to our pride in our apprenticeship.
To those we say – you are being used – just saying! The trades should be securing CBA’s, Collective Bargaining Agreements so as to make binding their NEED for us! If they are signing PLA’s, this will be short lived.
We will continue to report on what we find in the field, and the Internationals may continue to ignore it and/or have endless power meetings with it as they are good at that!
“if you see a good fight – get in it”
Danny L Caliendo
Organizer
Labor Rising/Labor Combat
