Dec
2012 18
2012 18
Cottage Grove, MN City Hall, Built Under “Best Value Model,” Comes in $2 Million Under Budget
CORRECTION: A previous version of this post suggested a Project Labor Agreement was used when in fact the “Best Value Model” approach was taken. In Cottage Grove, Minnesota, the city’s Public Safety Building was outgrown by the city’s population. The town’s two jail cells, housed therein and built in 1968, no longer...
Dec
2012 14
2012 14
Seven Wind Energy Programs to Receive $4M Each in Grant Money to Get Off the Ground
In an effort to jump start the offshore wind energy industry, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced on Wednesday that it would award $28 million in grants to underwrite seven wind projects. Located in Maine, New Jersey, Virginia, Texas, Ohio, and Oregon, each developer will receive up to $4 million to complete the engineering, ...
Dec
2012 12
2012 12
Teamsters Renew Challenge to DOT’s Pilot Program that Opens the U.S. Border to Mexican Trucks
In the D.C. Circuit Court, representatives from the Teamsters Union renewed their challenge of the legality of the Department of Transportation’s pilot program that opens the U.S. border to Mexican trucks. The Department of Transportation suggested that the Teamsters don’t have standing to argue against the program, a claim that union...
Dec
2012 7
2012 7
Undocumented Workers Found on U.S. Capitol Project Awaken E-Verify Conversation
An internal report by the Inspector General of the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) shows that several undocumented workers were used during recent construction on capitol grounds. Though contractors were instructed to use the E-Verify system, the instructions failed to make their way down the chain of subcontractor command. The Inspector General...
Nov
2012 29
2012 29
“Fast 14,” Completed with Union Labor, Named Best Project in the NY Region by ENR
While completing a paving project on I-93 in 2010, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation found structural deficiencies on 14 separate bridges that required replacement rather than repair. The reality of replacing these bridges along a major thoroughfare that accommodates 200,000 drivers a day was daunting. Using $93 million from Governor...
Nov
2012 28
2012 28
The Skills Gap? More like the Wage Gap, Old Chap.
Last week, New York Times writer Adam Davidson published an insightful piece on the future of advanced manufacturing in America. Highly skilled manufacturing jobs, Davidson writes, require training that is not available on the job site and result in low paying jobs with little job security. Both President re-elect Obama and former candidate Mitt...
Nov
2012 26
2012 26
New Prevailing Wage Video Creeps Toward 2,000 Views, Features We Party Patriots Screen Shot
Look, we’re not trying to fool anybody. We know full well that some of the topics we like to focus on here don’t exactly fall under the “sexy” category. There aren’t any celeb sightings or Petraeus pics. Heck, we hardly cover elections. But the issues that are most often overlooked — prevailing wage, employee...
Nov
2012 15
2012 15
Under PLA, Workforce on Georgia’s Vogtle Nuclear Plant Expansion Is 40% Military Veterans
In Georgia, two new units at the Vogtle nuclear plant (built under the guidelines of a Project Labor Agreement) currently employ 2,300 workers, 40 percent of whom are military veterans: “Veterans continue to be strong candidates for jobs on the Vogtle 3 and 4 project, as the cultures of the military and the utility industry ...
Nov
2012 12
2012 12
AFL-CIO Building Investment Trust Breaks Ground on $45M, 280-Unit Complex in St. Louis
A creative approach to creating union construction jobs is paying off for the construction trades in Missouri. The AFL-CIO Building Investment Trust is using pension funds to build its “crown jewel project,” Cortona at Forest Park Apartments. This $45 million project will be a five-story, 280-unit, multi-family complex that includes...
Nov
2012 5
2012 5
Iowa Veterans Landing Construction Work, Union Membership Through Helmets to Hardhats
In Southeast Iowa, veterans are beginning to work on some large-scale construction projects via the Helmets to Hardhats (H2H) program. While these veterans have previously acquired important skills during their military service, the opportunity to learn on the job is key to advancing according to Ryan Drew of the International Union of Operating...
Nov
2012 1
2012 1
TIME-LAPSE: Construction of the Barclays Center In Its Entirety
Being a resident of Brooklyn, I can attest to the fact that the Barclays Center seemed to appear out of thin air. The construction site, in the shadow of the Atlantic Center subway and shopping vortex, quickly rose and became the focal point of a resurgent Prospect Heights neighborhood. Having attended the first Nets game ...
Oct
2012 25
2012 25
VIDEO: IBEW Local 569 Out in Front on Green Technology Training
In San Diego, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 569 has been collaborating with the environmental community to help train its workers in clean energy technology. The jobs of tomorrow take training today, so kudos to the IBEW for getting out in front on meeting the challenge that will come with environmentally...
