Union Organizer Website Redesigned

Union Organizer.com is a website for union organizers in the construction industry.  The site has been redesigned to be more video based. Articles are still published on the site for those who prefer to read, but now you have the option of watching videos on your computer, phone or other portable devices. Check out the new look at http://www.unionorganizer.com

UCLA Labor Center Report Makes A Case for Deep Green Energy Efficiency Retrofits

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Thursday, May 20, 2010

CONTACT: Daniel Villao - CCA Director

Phone: 213-500-6463

Email: daniel@constructionacademy.org

UCLA Labor Center Report Makes A Case for Deep Green Energy Efficiency Retrofits

Why Basic Weatherization will Fall Short in Maximizing Carbon Reductions and Green Job Opportunities

Los Angeles, CA – Today in the United States, buildings account for approximately 40% of total energy use and 73% of total electricity use annually. A deep green approach to energy efficiency refers to the design and technical implementation of energy efficiency retrofit programs in a manner that maximizes job and business creation, greenhouse gas emissions reductions, and energy savings as compared to basic weatherization.

“The Case for Deep Green Energy Efficiency” report, which has just been released by the California Construction Academy (a project of the UCLA Labor Center) highlights how and why a deep green approach to energy efficiency can unlock the opportunities mentioned above. The report outlines recommendations for developing clear program objectives and outcomes for a deep green approach to energy efficiency. Click here to read the report, or access it through the CCA Website.

Stakeholders and decision-makers who are interested in achieving significant reductions in energy consumption and expanding green job opportunities should opt for a deep green approach to an energy efficiency retrofit program over those that only do basic weatherization, or those that advocate for starting with basic rebate measures instead of beginning with a comprehensive building audit.

In the residential market, basic weatherization traditionally includes “lowest hanging fruit” elements such as insulation, air sealing, and pipe-wrapping. Deep green energy efficiency work takes a “whole-house” approach to retrofits by including a whole building audit at the beginning of a retrofit process, and consists of electrical, plumbing, heating and air-conditioning, water conservation, and other energy and water-related upgrades.

As compared to basic weatherization and/or appliance upgrades, a comprehensive deep green energy efficiency retrofit unlocks the largest opportunities to reduce the amount of energy used by buildings, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase indoor air quality and comfort, and create the largest number of green career opportunities in construction and other industries.

Deep green energy efficiency shaped through comprehensive audits will help local municipalities, states, and the federal government accomplish program objectives and meet the “triple-bottom line” goals of economic growth and stability, responsible environmental stewardship, and social justice and equity.

For municipally-run programs, the authors of the report recommend the following program objectives for a deep green approach to energy efficiency:

1) Maximize reductions in green house gas emissions;

2) Maximize potential energy savings;

3) Maximize the opportunities to generate high-road apprenticeable jobs, and business development opportunities (within the construction sector & indirect sectors);

4) Strengthen community-labor-management-municipal relationships; and

5) Educate community on energy-saving and green behaviors.

The authors of the report recommend the following design components for effective implementation of a deep green energy efficiency program:

1) Targeted outreach and education based on neighborhood geography and demographics (determined by available financing)

2) Detailed analysis of building stock, building types, tenancy, and utility metering

3) A turn-key approach to program delivery (one-stop for the customer)

4) Local hire job opportunities and enforceable labor standards

5) Work begins with standardized, BPI/RESNET certified, whole building audits

6) Aggregated and bundled contracts by a public-private Coordinating Entity

7) Immediate improved comfort and/or energy savings for participants

8) Sustainable financing options based on consumer type

9) Third party certification of savings, including monitoring and verification of completed work

Through careful consideration of best practices in the home performance and construction industry, and along side community groups’ desire for jobs and equity, cities can accomplish simultaneous objectives through the design and technical implementation of deep green energy efficiency programs.

The California Construction Academy (CCA), a project of the UCLA Labor Center, provides leadership, coordination, and research on the most relevant issues facing the construction industry throughout the State of California. The CCA accomplishes these objectives through convening educational meetings on workforce development, conducting research on innovative and impactful trends in the construction industry, disseminating research on relevant policy initiatives, and facilitating multi-stakeholder collaborations. For more information, go to http://constructionacademy.org/

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Grab The Future

“Grab the Future,” that was the message to organizers attending the 2009 Membership Development Conference. During the general session use of social networking technology such as Youtube, Facebook and Twitter was discussed at length as a way for organizers to forge relationships with today’s workers. Social networking as a recruitment tool is something I wrote about in my book, Bigger Labor; A Crash Course for Construction Union Organizers. I was glad to see so many organizers and local unions embracing social networking. All were encouraged to link sites and members together for greater communication.

The conference was held at Bally’s Las Vegas and was attended by over 1000 of the top organizers and labor leaders from the United States and Canada. The keynote speaker was IBEW, International President Edwin D. Hill. Hill reminded the delegates that challenges create opportunities. Las Vegas Mayor, Oscar B. Goodman welcomed delegates to the city. Comedian Mark Lundholm who has appeared on Comedy Central and has had his own Showtime Comedy Special provided energetic humor in the opening session.

Director of Construction Organizing, Kirk Brungard gave the opening remarks on the second day. He also led a panel discussion on Grabbing The Green Energy Market with experts Solomon Furer, Paul Costello, Dennis Affinati, Bill Dever, Michael Redlund and John Bourne. Veronica Soto, of the We Build program spoke on Developing the Message. I had the honor of helping to present a training session on Organizing Work in Public Agencies. The construction seminar offered attendees an opportunity to practice public speaking before a mock city council on issues related to public work projects. Other training sessions included construction law, Apprenticeship Updates, Building a Vibrant Volunteer Organizing Committee, etc.

At the closing session, guest speaker, Stewart Acuff from the AFL-CIO gave a passionate speech on the need to pass National Healthcare Reform now.

Green Opportunities at California Construction Expo

There will be many Green opportunities for contractors, designers, exhibitors, sponsors, construction professionals, and suppliers at the upcoming California Construction Expo.

It’s a huge annual event that draws the best in the green construction industry. Registration is now open for the August 13th, 2009 event at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Contractors could potentially find access to public contracts from $5,000 to $100,000,000.

Register at http://www.calconexpo.com/ Admission is $55; after July 31 it goes up to $70. A full access pass includes all events, workshops and exhibits. Exhibitors can get a discount before July 31st too. A standard exhibit will run $700. For more information call 1-(877) 8CalCon or send email to info@calconexpo.com . I’ll see you there!

Work at CityCenter Project Halted

The huge number of jobs created at the CityCenter Project has given construction workers around the country hope during the economic meltdown. If times were tough at home you could always travel to Las Vegas and find work it seemed. That has all come to a grinding halt as of last week. Sources say as many as 500 electricians and 1200 carpenters were given pink slips as funding for the project has all but dried up.

If you’ve never seen the Las Vegas CityCenter Project in person it’s hard to imagine the scope. Try to envision the largest construction site you’ve ever seen and then multiply that by three. It’s the largest construction project in the history of Las Vegas. That should tell you something right there. We’re talking billions of dollars worth of work. One blogger describes it as the Deathstar from Star Wars. Perhaps Dubai has something of this size, but I’ve never been there.

Book Review for Bigger Labor

Book Review

Building Trades News, August 2008, Volume 13, No. 8

 

Bigger Labor: A Crash Course for Construction Union Organizers

By Bob Oedy

Union Organizer Press, 2008

While there are many books available in union organizing, none directly spoke to organizers in the construction trade or were written by a union organizer. Until now. Bob Oedy, a veteran organizer with IBEW Local 11 has just written a primer for construction union organizers based on his years of experience in IBEW 11.

“Virtually all the books on the subject of organizing have been written by management, attorneys or academic’s with zero field experience organizing.  This has always bothered me” said Oedy. “In some cases the people who are actually driving the discussion are from entirely different industries! They have no idea the challenges that construction organizers face.”

            Bigger Labor is a comprehensive guide book to construction organizing best practices.  It covers everything from what to do on a picket line to tips on visiting jobsites, effective handbilling, dealing with police, building a banner, salting, as well as extensive communication tips for every situation from following up with potential recruits and effectively getting your point across at public hearings.

“I’ve heard from organizers all over the country who were given a quick drive around their jurisdiction and handed the keys to the office and expected to figure it out. That’s who this book was written for; the new organizer who wants to get up to speed quickly and get a handle on who’s doing what work and where. He or she doesn’t need to know every detail about common-situs picketing or the Moore Dry Dock case,” Oedy said. “It’s how do we access more jobsites and what do we do when someone chases us off a job? How can we make a database of all the contractors and craft workers and keep in touch with them over time? What can we put on a flyer without getting the union sued? What should we do and not do when speaking at a city council meeting? I believe this book will help organizers everywhere be more effective. No legal jargon, just everyday street language, I think most organizers will appreciate that.”

Bigger Labor will help new and veteran organizers alike avoid common mistakes and pitfalls. Oedy has made many of them, and he recounts some of those mistakes in the book so others can learn from them, such as his harsh introduction to the importance of listening that he learned as a young organizer:

             “Shortly after I was hired as an organizer, a young man contacted me. He had heard he could earn substantially more that he was earning at the time. I assured him it was true and immediately started telling him about the benefits of being accepted into apprenticeship program. …I completed his paperwork and sent him down to be interviewed and placed in the program. The next day he arrived for his interview, and the first question he was asked was ‘So you want to be an electrician?’ He answers, ‘Well not really, see I’m trying to earn enough money so my brother an I can open a muffler shop.” Ouch! See, he was probably tried to tell me that, but I was too busy flapping my jaw, telling him about the benefits and rewards of being in the union.”

Oedy credited the highly successful organizing department of Local 11, which has organized nearly 50 new contractors in the last year alone and the leadership of the Local with providing him training and guidance without which he couldn’t have written the book. This is the first of ten books he plans to write which he hopes will be help union construction organizer reach what he sees as a bright future: “The labor movement has a chance for explosive growth in the next few years. The Baby Boomers are retiring, and young people are choosing college more now then in the past. This will create a shortage of skilled craft workers thereby driving up the wages for those who choose construction as their trade. If unions can bring in enough contractors and meet the growing demands for apprenticeship training we can expect to see union density reach record levels.”

 For more information about or to order a copy the book, visit www.biggerlabor.com

Labor's Own Think Tank

The UCLA Downtown Labor Center sponsored a 2 day conference called the California Construction Academy. It is a think tank for Statewide Building Trades representatives from the most active unions. The focus of the event was economic justice for those who face barriers to employment and rebuilding California’s dwindling middle-class. The statistics are staggering; 35-50% of craft workers will be retiring within the next 3-5 years. The growing need for apprenticeship training needs to be met in order to fill those positions. Union organizers participated in breakout sessions to help identify solutions. The majority of training in the construction industry in Los Angeles is done by Joint Apprenticeship Training.

Construction Careers Policy Adopted

The City of Los Angeles has passed a landmark project labor agreement covering construction through the Community Redevelopment Agency. The City Council voted unanimously to adopt the language. Members of the Building Trades, many of whom were wearing their hard hats packed the Council Chambers. Every Council person took the opportunity to congratulate the great work of all the union as well as community groups that worked together to get it passed. After the successful vote a victory luncheon was held in the Tom Bradley Penthouse atop City Hall. Maria Elena Durazo of the LA County Federation of Labor introduced the various stakeholders and participants who worked so tirelessly to bring this measure to fruition. After lunch Mayor Villaraigosa held a press conference on the West Lawn with members of the Building Trades holding signs and banners as a backdrop. Then it was off to the LA County Fed for a Victory BBQ. This has been a great week for Labor!

Big Turn-Out for Rally

Over 300 community activists and Building Trades supporters from as far away as San Diego packed the corner at 10th Street and San Pedro in Los Angeles. The crowd began to assemble in the mostly industrial area at 5am. The event was billed as a Stop The Violence Rally in reaction to recent attacks on construction organizers. Two large inflatable rats were set up. Signs and flags reading, “Stop The Violence” were distributed. Richard Slawson Executive-Secretary of the Los Angeles and Orange County Building & Construction Trades Council addressed the crowd by megaphone while standing in the back of a pick-up truck. A Declaration of March 14, 2008 was distributed which read as follows;

“Hirex Construction and the Developer on the 10th & San Pedro Project, will not get away with Violence against Union members.”

Everyone in the 16 million member strong, American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations, will contribute money, manpower and votes to make it absolutely clear that no business owner will escape the consequences of any physical harm done to a worker, Union representative or organizer.

On March 14th , the Hirex Construction Company, allowed its job site bosses to physically attack six Union Business Representatives, Organizers and members who were using legal rights to inform the public that there are workers being underpaid on the 10th & San Pedro Project.

Legal Action will be taken to the full extent of the law to shut down this project and fine and jail those responsible for the physical attacks on out Brothers of the Labor Movement.

The actions by Hirex management employees are an example of the lengths that business will go to exact the last drop of excess profit from their workers. It looks as though nothing has changed in more than 200 years of labor’s work for fair labor rights. Business is continuing to resort to the basest tactics, even violence, to gain indecent profits gouged from workers pay, benefits and conditions.

The Declaration ended with “Profiteers will not win. Workers will win!”

Announcing the New Union Organizer Video Newsletter

This new format will be available for viewing on various social media sites as well as UnionOrganizer.com . The series will offer tips for organizers to increase their effectiveness without burning out. In the first issue I review Microsoft's Streets and Trips Software with GPS Locator. Several construction organizers have recommended this program to me for planning travel routes and tracking job sites. Click on the play button above to see if I recommended it, or not.....

Don't Fall for it Northridge

Sometimes a construction site just begs for OSHA to visit. This non union job on Reseda Blvd. in Northridge California is a perfect example. Since OSHA is just a skeleton of what it once was after the Bush Administration gutted the program nothing is likely to be done about it. Watch the video to see what I mean.

Watch Your Step Northridge Seniors

7AM Thursday January 10, 2008 Reseda Blvd., Northridge, CA– Pedestrians could be seen walking along the side walk where a new apartment complex is under construction. Parts of the fence have been removed exposing a hole approximately 4 feet deep. The sidewalk open, no safety cones, handrail, or even caution tape to identify the danger. Electrical wires protrude from the hole from what appears to be damaged electrical conduits and rest on the steel plate where pedestrians walk. Are the wires energized? No one seams to know ........

Some residents have complained that the project is taking too long. Others are concerned about the obvious lack of concern for people walking on the sidewalk. My recommendation is to contact the city as well as OSHA and Watch Your Step.

Where The Hell Is OSHA?

"In my opinion the Broadstone project at 1st Street and Beaudry in downtown Los Angeles is the most dangerous construction project in town." Safety seems to be ignored for the purpose of completing the project before the fall 2007 deadline.

Be careful if you find yourself working on this construction site. Workers regularly throw heavy objects from up high and materials have been seen stacked in the street blocking easy exit. Trucks pull out of the driveway at a high rate of speed without flag persons and temporary cords are strewn throughout the job at shin level. Some balconies do not have handrails at this stage of the job. Also watch for improper use of barricade tape warning of hazards as they may be using "caution tape" where "danger tape" would be more appropriate. If this job gets completed without a major accident it will be close to a miracle in my opinion.

Just because OSHA has been rendered impotent by the Bush Administration doesn't mean you shouldn't register a complaint. It's still a good idea to document safety violations by filling out an OSHA Complaint Form. At some point even OSHA will have to pay the contractor a visit. Let's hope OSHA visits this jobsite before a major accident occurs. Please take a moment to watch this short video.

Company Helps Identify Market Share

Dr. Stephen T. Staneff, President of Construction Data and Research, Inc. recently gave a presentation in Las Vegas, Nevada where he described the service that CDR provides. The experts at CDR perform analysis of the electrical construction industry to identify opportunities for growth. The information they provide can be used by union organizers to track market trends and competitors in their areas. Check out their website at: http://www.constructiondatares.com/

Is There a Future for Union Organizing?

I disagree with futurist and author Alvin Toffler, who recently predicted that the job of Union Organizer will disappear 20 years from now (By 2027). He was quoted on Forbes.com as also saying, “The labor movement has not come to terms with the knowledge economy at all.”

It’s just not true. The quality of union apprenticeship training has never been better. The building trades are heavily invested in their member’s education. Journeyman upgrade classes are packed with members who want to stay ahead of the industry. Innovation is encouraged; just look at the unions that are training their member’s to become contractors in expanding markets, like the electrical workers are with solar power.

That’s why I started this blog. To discuss the issues we face in construction organizing.

Here’s my prediction: I think progressive labor unions like those of the building trades who encourage innovation are going to come to terms with the value of organizing and rise to dominate the labor movement.

It does make one think though…… Have we invested enough in education? What skill sets will construction workers be required to have in 2027? What challenges will we face in the future?