May
2013 8
2013 8
Mountains of College Debt, Expansion of Natural Gas Industry are Reasons to Ramp Up Apprenticeship
A recent Washington Post op-ed from two top economists highlights the need for apprenticeship to help U.S. workers gain a competitive edge. Stuart E. Eizenstat, a former adviser to Presidents Carter and Clinton, and American University economics professor Robert I. Lerman argue that a growing natural gas industry means manufacturing jobs could be...
May
2013 7
2013 7
Does a PLA for Maine’s Big Natural Gas Project Mean Smoother Sailing for Labor Under LePage? Probably Not.
The political spirit of Maine is fiercely independent. In 2010, many voters felt they were getting a unique leader in former businessman and Tea Party favorite for Governor, Paul LePage. Sadly, like many of his victorious 2010 Republican Governor peers — Scott Walker (WI), John Kasich (OH), and Rick Snyder (MI), for example — his ...
May
2013 7
2013 7
Massive NY Developer that Secured Stimulus Funding Being Sued by Unions for Underpaying Workers
The controversial City Point Development in downtown Brooklyn, New York, faces increased legal problems stemming from the underpayment of construction workers. Elected officials, construction unions and community groups last week have filed an Article 78 lawsuit against developer Arcadia Trust which aims to shut the project down. Due to...
May
2013 7
2013 7
Canadian Prime Minister Responds to Outcry, Reinstates Prevailing Wages for Guest Workers
Following the controversy sparked by the RBC-iGate affair in which the Royal Bank of Canada was replacing Canadian IT workers with foreign counterparts in order to lower labor costs, the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has announced changes to the country’s temporary foreign labor program. The changes, made under...
May
2013 6
2013 6
Constitutionality of Wisconsin’s Anti-Worker Act 10 Still Uncertain as Law Heads Back to Court
The fate of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s now infamous Act 10, which stripped collective bargaining rights from public employees, is still up in the legal air as the State Supreme Court decides if it should decide the constitutionality of the law. Two years after its passage and a year after the failed recall of Gov. ...
May
2013 6
2013 6
In Denver, Protecting a Worker’s Right to Organize Means Getting Your Emails Searched by the CoC
In the 5280, a battle is brewing between the Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce (CoC) and the City Council after a formal request was sent by the CoC under the Colorado Open Records Act seeking access to council members’ emails. The Chamber is accusing council members of using their position to influence union organizing votes. ...
May
2013 3
2013 3
Baseball Phenom Bryce Harper Credits Union Ironworker Father With His Limitless Work Ethic
Nurture versus Nature. It is the age-old philosophical question of human development that has been asked of countless people who display out of the ordinary physical ability, moral positions or social proclivities. Were you born that way? Or were you taught to be that way? Any baseball fan who has had the pleasure of watching ...
May
2013 2
2013 2
CPWR Releases Fantastic New Numbers, Charts on Displaced Workers, Re-Employment in Construction
The Center for Construction and Research Training (CPWR) recently released a comprehensive new Construction Chart Book with a glorious array of facts and figures, in chart form, concerning the construction industry. In this post we are focusing on displaced workers and re-employment. The Great Recession disproportionally affected construction...
May
2013 2
2013 2
San Diego Contractors, Undeterred by PLA Ban, Enter into Similar Agreements to Bolster the Community
Despite a ballot measure passed last year to ban the requirement of Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) in San Diego, similar pacts are now being negotiated by contractors looking to ensure efficiency on public works projects. Two current projects are using labor agreements with PLA-like stipulations in order to maximize the positive effect that new...
May
2013 2
2013 2
UNION THUG ALERT: Building Trades Volunteer Time, Labor in Washington and Arizona
We turn the channel to the good news today with a pair of feel-good stories about pesky union thugs donating their wicked time and evil labor to help out in the community… WASHINGTON In the Pacific Northwest, a new regional distribution center for Second Harvest, a non-profit organization that provides 1.7 million pounds of food ...
May
2013 2
2013 2
Enviro Concerns Threaten Job-Creating $300 Million LG Electronics Headquarters Construction in NJ
A battle is brewing in the New Jersey palisades as South Korea-based LG Electronics is looking to build its new North American headquarters on a 27-acre lot near the Hudson River. Environmental groups and labor are now going toe-to-toe with conservationists angered that the new LG campus will peek over the treeline. The area has ...
Apr
2013 29
2013 29
UA Local 669 Loses Member Who Was First Responder in West, TX Explosion
Sad news came down labor’s mountain this morning when the Building and Construction Trades Department (BCTD) of the AFL-CIO announced the death of United Association (UA) Local 669 member Morris Bridges in a statement by President Sean McGarvey. Bridges, a sprinklerfitter, was a volunteer first responder on the scene of the horrifying West,...
