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Saturday, May 9, 2009 | 2 a.m.
This is an artist's rendering of the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, which is expected to be the "anchor tenant" of the Union Park development, a city official says.
Sun Archives
Smith Center for the Performing Arts
When bids came in two years ago to determine which company would be the main construction contractor for the Smith Center for the Performing Arts — the largest cultural public works project in the city’s history — one out-of-state company had home-field advantage.
Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., century-old and Baltimore-based, had been selected to build the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute, as well as the first two massive World Market Center buildings — each a stone’s throw from the Smith Center’s Union Park site.
The initial Las Vegas City Council selection of Whiting-Turner to oversee a quarter-billion dollars worth of construction raised no hackles in early 2008. But now, as Smith Center officials are set to break ground this month, concerns are being raised about the amount of work being given to nonunion subcontractors.
City officials who recently asked Whiting-Turner about the issue said more than one of every five subcontracting dollars is going to companies with nonunion labor.
By law, Whiting-Turner can select any companies it wants. But labor leaders are crying foul over the use of nonunion workers, who they claim are often exploited and don’t provide as high a quality of workmanship.
One local union boss, Carlos Aquin, president of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 13, said he is outraged that Whiting-Turner is not going strictly union.
“My main concern is that Whiting-Turner has a history of going nonunion,” Aquin said. “Look at the economy. What they’re doing is basically taking advantage of people who are hard up.”
Aquin said that on previous construction sites run by Whiting-Turner, including those at Showcase mall and Forum Shops at Caesars, nonunion labor was used.
Aquin said he and his roughly 2,100 members — more than 40 percent of whom are unemployed — “will do whatever it takes” to get the company to back off the nonunion contracts for the Smith Center. Their efforts might include a picket and handbilling campaign at that and other Whiting-Turner sites, he said.
Whiting-Turner Vice President Paul Schmitt of the company’s Las Vegas office, declined to comment, citing his company’s long-standing policy of not talking to the news media.
As often happens when union-related matters come before the City Council, Councilman Steve Ross was put in a tricky position Wednesday as many of the final financing details for the Smith Center were approved, including its deal to pay Whiting-Turner $245 million as the main contractor, or “construction manager at risk.”
Ross, whose day job is secretary-treasurer of the Southern Nevada Building and Construction Trades Council, voted with the rest of the unanimous council to approve each of four Smith Center-related items.
Aquin’s union is among those in the trades council that Ross heads, and the two have spoken about Aquin’s concerns.
Ross said that in his capacity as head of the trades council, he’s “absolutely” concerned about Whiting-Turner’s selection of nonunion subcontractors. Regarding Aquin’s threat to picket the contractor, he said “they have every right to take any action they so desire.”
But he added that the main Smith Center subcontract at issue — the masonry and exterior stone contract that a city official confirmed went to Frazier Masonry, a nonunion contractor — was awarded legally.
As a councilman, he said, he has to do what’s in the best interest of the city.
Despite his misgivings, he said, he voted for the Whiting-Turner contract because of the council staff’s recommendation. He also noted that Smith Center officials were pleased with the company, which survived a tough vetting process.
According to a memo written by the city’s manager of purchasing and contracts, Kathy Rainey, the city used the “construction manager at risk” process to select a general contractor. The Legislature approved the process two years ago as a method to deliver public works construction using a competitive, qualifications-based process.
One of the benefits, Rainey said, is that the construction manager, in this case Whiting-Turner, establishes a “guaranteed maximum price” — and assumes the risk of cost overruns. Plus, if the project comes in under budget, savings are split, 75-25, between the city and the company.
Whiting-Turner is set to earn a 4 percent fee for its work, said Rainey, or about $10 million.
Union leaders, including Aquin and Ross, said one way for a main contractor to save money is to hire nonunion subcontractors, which typically bid lower than their union counterparts.
Though all public works subcontractors have to pay workers the “prevailing wage” for their trade, unions claim nonunion subcontractors often make lower bids because although they claim to pay prevailing wage, they often don’t. This can happen, Ross said, because nonunion workers sometimes don’t know their rights, sometimes they’re undocumented immigrants, or they’re simply desperate for work and afraid to rock the boat.
Moreover, Aquin and Ross said, union workers are usually better trained in their trades and in safety procedures.
Four companies bid for the Smith Center project and the field was whittled down through an extensive proposal and interview process.
The city went with Whiting-Turner, Rainey said, because it brought a combination of tested ability and value. “We wanted a certain level of quality, but not gold-plated,” she said. “Something reasonable.”
Rainey said Frazier Masonry is among the subcontractors Whiting-Turner has so far selected, but that those contracts have yet to be officially awarded.
A Frazier spokeswoman did not return a call.
Whiting-Turner reported to the city that 78 percent of the subcontracting dollars to build the Smith Center main hall are going toward union outfits, and 22 percent to nonunion companies.
Since architect David Schwarz came up with the designs for the neoclassical structure, the Smith Center has been touted as the most important cultural institution ever to take root in Nevada soil.
The cream-colored Indiana limestone center will include a 2,050-seat performance hall, two smaller theaters, a 300-seat cabaret space, and an educational center with classrooms. It will serve as a cultural oasis, at which local, national and international touring symphony, opera, ballet and theater companies will perform.
Funding for the project is coming in large part from city redevelopment agency bonds, Las Vegas bonds backed by a tax on tourist car rentals and a gift from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.
At the Wednesday council meeting, a Smith Center board member said the complex will compare favorably with New York’s Lincoln Center. Mayor Oscar Goodman went further, calling it “the epicenter of all that’s good for years to come.”
Myron Martin, president the Las Vegas Performing Arts Center Foundation, said he’s delighted with the choice of Whiting-Turner.
The Smith Center project is especially complex, he said, because of the precise acoustic requirements for the performance hall. Only a highly adept contractor can pull the whole thing off effectively.
“This is a team that’s worked as a team,” Martin said.
ROTLMAO, just because the unions want to be part of the work doesn't mean they provide a better product or good service.
I use union contractors and non-union contractors and the non-union contractors tend to provide the same level of service at a much lower price.
Union contractors don't have the flexibility to fire the lazy worker or replace the worker without having to go through the grievance process. The grievance process is just about telling the employer, use the worker, provide more training and pay more for workers that require training. If they're journeyed out then no training should be required.
If the unions would go back to the old way and only allow skilled people to become a journeyman and not just a body who paid the initial dues to become a journeyman then maybe the union workforce would be respected more and work would be available. Look at City Center, 100% union and all the defects and safety violations, hum makes one wonder how good the union really is and what they've done to their own trade.
Union are not about the people anymore, the union is all about numbers and sucking the worker dry. They allow anybody into their union and they have ruined the trade. Unions allowed schools to drop the programs that taught kids to work for a living. Put the trades back into the school system and teach the kids at a young age that it is okay to work with your hands for a living and make a decent wage.
Unions use to fund projects, not anymore. They want something for nothing and they do employee some really dumb people, I speak from experience on this and as you drive around and see projects, you'll see no difference with union and non-union trades; you will see a workforce that works harder than union trades.
Prevailing wages and The Davis Bacon Act is approved and pays the same as the union. All publicly funded projects pay the same rate of pay as union scale but offer more flexibility to hire qualified personal without have to deal with the BA and the constant grievance process.
The Unions should go into standup comedy...are not 100% of the workers at City Center Union...hmmmm....and hundreds of non compliance citations...and one building even had to be shortened by 50% because of those dutiful UNION WORKERS...
OK - can someone clarify why there's so much uproar about union/non-union in this city when its a "Right to Work" state? With budgets for any project getting smaller shouldn't we be looking at any options to save costs - as long as the contractor is delivering a quality product under safe conditions? I'd have to say the whole City Hall debate falls under the same category. In the end its OUR money they are spending. Do you want someone paying more for the same product simply because they have a big political lobby? The first thing the union claims is that the labor gets paid less - lets see some billable hour estimates and then a payroll sheet. Union overhead has to pay for their lawyers and lobbyist who muscled them into the job in the first place. Look at Detroit... yes they "protect the workers" as a business, and a business intends to make profit which translates into mark up on costs. And they are the first people to scream when they start losing out to smaller competitors because it hurts the CEO's wallet. Try this instead - hire the contractor based on its qualifications. Equal wages for equal skills - not the 800 pound gorilla of a lawyer saying "thats not fair" standing behind them.
At one time rich people donated their own wealth to build cultural centers.
Today, the rich get the public - people less wealthy than them - to build cultural centers.
What a scam - robbing from the poor so the rich can look at bad art.
John M.
City Center was 100% union when Perini started the project and when MGM replaced Perini with Tishman then the project became dual gates. The project today is being built by both, union and non-union.
You are correct, the project has received numerous NCR's (non compliance reports) and personal and companies have been charged and/or fined. Structure heights have been lowered as a result of the NCR's and defective work provided.
Safety violations and all the deaths that have occurred is pure negligence by all parties. The lack of safety training by employers and enforcements thereafter is the primary reason for what occurred. I do agree Perini has some obligation but for the most part, employers and unions don't allow enforcement when it comes to truly enforcing safety. One can't fire on the first offense, you must provide warnings and more training, bull pucky, fire each and everyone when safety violations occur then others know, WE MEAN IT - SAFETY FIRST OR YOU ARE FIRED! With the unions, this will never occur; being non-union it occurs by the minute.
Go to McCarran and see how Bechtel works, ZERO tolerance, They had their first death on the roadway package in 27 years and have produced billions in work with no lost time accidents or deaths until recently. As sad as this is, they've tightened the reins and safety is non-negotiable.
The strip is turning to more non-union contracts since the union trust funds / pension funds don't finance the work anymore. They have no need to use union and pay more when the casinos have to pay exorbitant lending fees and points plus pay for a workforce that really has no skilled workers that produce a higher quality work. The unions have done this to themselves and they can fix should they decide to get back to their roots which they were founded upon. Until then the unions are a dying breed.
Hilarious is the only way to describe the protests from the union. Like the UAW the trade unions have priced themselves out of work and want local government to BAIL THEM OUT. Wake up, it's Obamanomics.
Good morning to all the above 'union haters'.. I can see that trade unions have fallen in some areas, but the way all of you talk, the unions have fallen from grace. Each of you had some good points, but should we throw the baby out with the bath water?
As a non-union contractor for 25 years I can clearly see the good in union ideology. First is the fact that trade unions in Clark County have spent their own money, 30 million dollars on education and training centers. While the non-union shops have spent less than 5 million in the same period. So who is really dedicated to educating the next generation?
Second important factor is that union shops pay full health benefits so you don't see their memberships down at the county health facilities using tax payer dollars for medical treatment for themselves or their families. They also pay into pension funds; and so most union retirees are not on the government dole system like their non-union counter parts.
Third is the fact that they pay prevailing wage rates, which translates into disposable income to help stimulate the local economy. Which is exactly what Clark County needs today, sales tax income from disposable wages. FYI... non-union companies will pay the same rates as the union shops on prevailing wage jobs, but on non-prevailing wage jobs they pay lower rates which hurts the economy. So the non-union contractors only help our econmy when they take over government jobs, other than that "they stick it to all of us."
And neiman1... the government is not bailing out the UAW, they are bailing out GM for postponing wages that workers earned while working for GM... come on .. you know better than that. Reaganomics was based on the idea that financial stability would trickle down to the workers ... it never did and that is why Obananomics is the rule of the land today.... neither works in my opinion... we need 'retire-econimics' ... everyone needs to make enough to retire someday and enough to pay for those who have already paid into the system to retire. It will be the only system that will keep our children's children from paying in half of their income so we can retire.
Stupid Newman1. Usual redneck rant about Obama. Gets old after a while. Tired Dixiecrat BS.
I worked for Bechtel on both Union and non-Union work. Either way, they sure didn't mess around on safety. I preferred to supervise non-Union work-too much crud from the Union business agents. If we asked for 3 additional welders, 2 would be skilled, and one would be a drunken relative. Same with the carpenters. Always had to worry about one of them cutting off his hand with a Skilsaw. Plus if the project was located near a tavern, the return to work after lunchtime was a real adventure. The worst thing was that you knew the Union boys were sitting in their cars at noon, sucking on some mysterious substance. But the drug tests don't test for booze, so they happily ingested as much as possible in 1/2 hour.
The quality of the work was the same. "Craftsman" is the name of a tool. It sure isn't the Unions workers. More like "Craftyman".
I think the bigger problem is that the government is giving work away to out of state contractors. The city is essentially taking money out of the pockets of Nevadans by way of sales taxes and giving this huge job to a company that will send their profits back to Maryland. These companies employ Nevadans for operations, but even their clerical work is done in their home offices, and the profits completely leave the state. If the government made it a point to hire Nevada-based contractors, more Nevadans would have work because not only would the construction operations employees be Nevadans, but so would the support staff. Furthermore, the ten million dollars in profit would go into the pocket of a Nevadan, who would use that money to further stimulate the local economy. For example: when the CEO of this Maryland-based company buys personal cars or donates to charities or eats out at a restaurant, his money goes to Maryland car dealerships, Maryland philanthropic organizations and Maryland eateries. When the CEOs of Freihner, Marnell Corrao, Martin Harris and Penta spend their money, they do so in Nevada, thereby employing more Nevadans.
unions are about sucking workers dry- are you kidding me. you're just like alot of folks that don't give a darn for anyone but yourself. what a country we've become.
Jake Stone:
First, Frehner isn't owned locally they are owned by Holcim / Aggregate Industries. The monopoly Holcim has in the valley will astound you. They own Southern Nevada Paving, Frehner, Bardon Materials, Bradstone, Southern Nevada Concrete, Sloan Mountain, Lone Mountain, Race Track Pit, and many other aggregate supplies in the valley along with the new 4 million-ton Ste. Genevieve-Missouri Greenfield plant, holding the world's largest single clinker production line, is expected to come on-stream in 2009. Where do you believe Sloan Mountain is going and how long until Sloan Mountain disappears?
Holcim is certainly emphasizing the importance of vertical integration within its geographic diversification game plan. Annual report statements describe the company "as a vertically integrated group, we are able to generate added value along the entire value chain"Building materials that complement each other" enable strengthened presence and position in the market place, as well as financial performance. Holcim took a major step forward within this concept via its $3.4 billion acquisition of Aggregate Industries. Paying a 23% premium for this leading industry producer yielded a 4.4 billion-ton aggregate reserve and a cement customer consuming 3 million tons annually. It likewise returned Holcim to ready mix production in the U.S. A subsequent July 2006 purchase of Chicago-based Meyer Materials for $231 million reinforced Aggregate Industries' aggregate and related businesses. This included 24 more ready mix plants. Holcim's expectation was of significant synergies from more efficient cement logistics and product optimization. Their cement manufacturing facility to be servicing this area had overcome extraordinary environmental and activist opposition to break ground in March 2006. The new 4 million-ton Ste. Genevieve-Missouri Greenfield plant, holding the world's largest single clinker production line, is expected to come on-stream in 2009.
Very few of the companies in the industry are USA owned; they operate under the original name but are owned by foreigners or investment firms. The Las Vegas Valley has very few locally owned firms and employs locals in non management roles. The most senior managers are from outside the USA, keep in mind they do appoint original personal who've worked for the original owners and they have no control or decision making power, they retain the face with pay for being a cog in a much larger wheel who makes the ultimate choice.
See www.aggregate.com
See www.holcim.com
I always like all the love and light that is in these messages. Think about all the workers who were shot when they wanted to unionize. Think of all the workers who were fired when they tried to form unions. Think about some things like abolishing davis bacon which has become an extreme probloem. (just when u thought I was a total union nut - then I say get ride of unreasonable protections) Hey, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. And may we ALL survive this current economic situation as well as the huge number of comments on websites like this!
Its2Hot:
I appreciate the background on Frehner, but I think that you missed my point.
A company with its home office in Nevada (e.g. Frehner, Martin-Harris, Marnell Corrao, M.J. Dean, Taylor, Penta) has more of an investment in this community and spends more of its money in this community than does an out of state company that sets up a satellite office in this state. This is true even if the Nevada based company has a non-Nevada based parent company or non-Nevadan investors.
Companies that employ CEOs, executives, vice presidents, accountants, support staff, etc. in Nevada are helping employ more Nevadans than companies that set up satellite offices in Nevada, but keep as many jobs as they can out of state. This employment of Nevadans results in more Nevadans able to pay their mortgage and more Nevadans making purchases in Nevada (which in turn leads to the employment of more Nevadans at shopping malls and grocery stores, etc.). It also means that the Nevada based CEOs of these companies (for example, Tony Marnell) will have more capital to spend on their Nevada ventures.
What you are saying is that Frehner has a parent company not located in Nevada, and that many other Nevada companies have raised capital by taking on investors from out of state. While this does result in sales tax dollars leaving Nevada, it does not have the same detrimental impact on the Nevada economy as awarding 100s of millions of dollars worth of contracts to an organization out of Maryland that hires as few employees to staff projects in Nevada as they can. These companies simply do not hire as many Nevadans as Nevada based companies.
I don't care about Frehner, or any of the other companies I have mentioned, but I do think that the more money we can infuse into the local economy, the better all of us will be, and that we are all worse off when our government gives big jobs to carpetbaggers.
I agree. I'd rather see local companies get the projects than out of state companies or ownership out of country.
Tony is a good example; Marnell should've built City Center, not Perini. We'd have a more successful project and Ron Tudor wouldn't be here doing as Tudor has done in California.
Can we build anything in this town without drama?
I am non-union Cement Contractor in Cleveland Ohio and on monday I am filing a defamation of character lawsuit against the union for say these lies. You don't like your fellow man because u r union and we are not thats ok but your paying me to do it. My attorney's will introduce the union to right to work and the union will pay them to do it.
Unions use to fund projects, not anymore. They want something for nothing and they do employee some really dumb people.its2hot, got a mirror?
I'll say this again, you nonunion workers don't realize that if you and your coworkers had union help you too could organize your contractor and make a union wage yourselves. Imagine medical insurance and a retirement plan.It seems you'd rather waste your energy pissing and moaning than concentrating you energy towards organizing your company and bettering your lives. Have any of you gone to a union and asked them how they could help you organize your company? Unions are there for the workers, But if the worker won't stand up for himself, how can he expect the union to stand up for him. The first move is yours. Stand up and be noticed!
Labor leaders are crying foul over the use of nonunion workers, who they claim are often exploited and don't provide as high a quality of workmanship.
With all of the defects in the City Center, the union should shut up. All of the defects should have to be repaired at the expense of the union, since they are the ones that created them. The city Center is a great example of why no one should use union labor. Once a person, good or bad, gets on with the government or unions, they never get off. Unions are the reason for the automobile industry failures today along with the defective construction in the City Center.
revtomperl
That was before OSHA, right to work laws, worker compensation laws and minimum wages. There is enough worker protection in this country now, without unions. Unions are destroying this country. That is why companies are going overseas to have their products manufactured.
Facts are Facts? At the city center the contractors are the one who tell the workers how they should do the job to the specifications per plan. Any building under construction may have specifications differing from other buildings being built or that has been built. The contractor tells the foremen and the foremen relay information to their crews on any specifications which apply to the job. The contractor does job walks and if specifications aren't being followed in the work that has been done it should be modified to match said specifications. This obviously wasn't done. If you people want to put down the union worker you have your right to freedom of speech.
Nonunion workers are exploited. They have no one to represent them in a labor dispute, unless they have money for an attorney, which is rare. Contractors take advantage of nonunion workers because of this reason alone. No representation.Like I mentioned above, the nonunion worker has a right to stand up and be recognized.
I happen to be employed by one of the non-union shops on Smith Center. We worked hard at securing this project. It did help our success at Lou Ruvo with Whiting-Turner. They are a solid GC and have a ton of work in town. We saved the customer money but we also have a proven track record. Since city hall approval last wendnesday, theres a nice big fence up around the site already. I'm sure we'll be seeing the picketers from inside the fence.
In regards to the hiring and firing of Union employees... I was under the impression that the employee had a 30 day probation period (maybe 60-90 day) in which the employer decides wheither or nor the employee is working out. Is this no longer true?
Linda in Vegas
Not today. We can't fire without just cause. We can't fire them for being under the influence, the unions require us to bring them back after the employee goes through a class then they're on probation.
For every one that is sent to a project we go through 25 people and we have to pay either a 2 hour or 4 hour minimum to that employee. Many of these employees make their living just showing up knowing they're going to be paid. This is what drives the cost of the projects up and we do put these costs into the estimate to ensure costs are paid. We call this burden and it is about 12 1/2-percent of the total labor cost projected into the estimate before overhead and profit. Example: for each 1 million in direct labor cost 125,000.00 is union labor waste that we're forced to pay for show up time
The unions have done this to themselves and they will continue to destroy what they were founded upon. The unions of today do not represent quality workforce, they allow anybody to join without any accountability.
So for you union people, clean up your own house and when you say you're a journeyman then by all means, perform as if you really know what you're doing. Until then, Unions are worthless which is why I retired from the Union and became a consultant to the industry I worked.
its2hot: Thank you for answering my question.
What a shame that a person no longer has a probation period before a complete hire. I wonder how this changed... It's wrong!
I also was a Union worker years back, and while it was a protection from sometimes very poor employers, we also had to "prove" ourselves worthy before we were actually hired on.
There were pro and cons to the Unions. It's true, once someone is hired on, it is difficult to fire them if they don't do their job, which makes it difficult for those of us who do work hard ... That part isn't right, then or now.
As for being under the influence while at work, I find that appalling! No wonder there are so many accidents on the job sites.. Where is OSHA in all this?
<Sigh> Times have certainly changed, and not for the better. Many people apparently don't take pride in their work anymore.. just want to take and not give. The world has turned into an "all about ME society".. That's what has caused our economy downfall downfall as well.. Greed, and the "all about me" syndrome. How sad is that?
Quality work in minimal time is what 'we the people' taxpayers will pay for. Unions, seems as though your leaders have achieved no work at any time for top pay. Sorry, you talk to them & when enough do that, you'll be requested for work.
A vote of the people is the rule for this expenditure here, but Las Vegas Council made themselves LV Redevelopment Agency as well and have, in this case, circumvented 'we the people's vote. They also allowed a councilman to take a key building union position! Are any of them representing US?
Let's break that ground within 2 weeks! Possibly even the acoustics will be acceptable w/o the horrendous extra expense required at that Cashman Field center on E. Washington St.
You people are out of touch. You want the whole world to believe that just becaus you work union,you put in a better product at a more efficient pace,you insist that you are better trained. BULL. In my 25 years of working in the industry as a non union Tradesman,I've had both the pleasure and displeasure of working along side of some of the largest union companies in the trades. No better, NO more skilled, No faster. The article states that non union contractors don't pay proper prevailing wage rates.Also Bull. Non union employers have to submit certified payroll forms that the employee has to sign. On almost every prevailing wage project that i have been on, there has been a union BA interviewing our employees to verify that they were getting the proper wage. The gentleman also states that there is some advantage for the non union contractor to be able to get the job, also untrue. The non union contractor actually has a slight disadvantage in preparing his bid in most cases due to the fact that there are no apprenticeship employees at lower rates. All the employees get the wage and benefit dollars in their check. There is no one to three foreman to apprentice ratio, everyone gets paid the same. Back to the training issue. When the union hall is empty,where do you get your employees? The union BA hounds all the non union job sites trying to get the NON_UNION supposedly un-trained, un-skilled workers to join the union by selling union books and making promises that they start as journeymen. Apparently the un-skilled and un-trained employees aren't so bad after-all.
bigswede, I hope you aren't angry with unions for trying to organize non-union workers to become a union hand. Wouldn't it be good if all workers made a union wage, had madical insurance, had a retirement plan, and had representation when they needed it?
Who cares about the fact that it's going to have some non-union workers out there!!! What about the FACT that there will be a Chinese company installing Chinese material out there!!!! What a joke the City of Las Vegas is for letting this happen in these hard times. Way to take the $$$ out of the American market and give it to the Chinese Whiting-Turner!!!!
Most of you people don't understand what the purpose of a union is. I am a union electrician, and I have also worked as a non-union electrician. Before there was an electrical union, being an electrician was the most dangerous job you could have. Companies didn't want to pay for a safe work environment, or safety training. That is the primary reason why unions were started. Secondary to this is worker rights. I do believe that the quality of work between non-union and union is the same in areas that have both a strong union and non-union presence (I wish that both union and non-union realize this). On commercial projects they both have skilled Journeyman and their learning apprentices. Apprentices in both areas keep the cost down, while doing a good job when supervised. Both union and non-union companies have their good workers and there useless workers. If a union worker does not produce, he will be fired, plain and simple. I don't know where people get the idea that union shops tolerate workers that are lazy, drunks, etc. The union these days is not in the business of protecting a worker from getting layed off or fired. Yeah, if a company wants you to do something unsafe, doesn't pay you properly, descriminates, or you get fired for refusing to do something that is unsafe or immoral, the union will fight for you. Actually, most of my non-union friends don't become union because they don't want to deal with the drug testing that are present on union jobs, or their employers have brainwashed them against unions. In areas where non-union labor has taken over this is what happens: Skilled craftsman that are well educated, and usually have 5 years of formal training and education and years of non-formal education and training are making lower class wages. Typically at most $18 an hour. They have no benefits, and no retirement. Non-union wages are driven by union wages, the more money a union guy makes, the more money the non-union counterpart will make. If non-union takes over, the workers are exploited and payed peanuts. This is a historical fact. Bottom line is this, companies will do anything they can to make more and more profit. They don't care about their workers, and will take advantage and make money any way they can. They will put the lowest bid possible to get a job; the lower the bid, the less they compensate their workers. And the bids go down and down to the point where the skilled workers find a new career. The only people that will then man the jobs are people that will work for peanuts: skilled illegal immigrants and unskilled workers (Preferably the skilled illegals of course).
Union workers don't have anything against non-union workers, we want you to join us. We want you to get good pay, be able to afford a house, retirement, and insurance. We think you should be compensated for the skilled and educated people that you are.
My unions mission statement:
# to organize all workers in the entire electrical industry in the United States and Canada, including all those in public utilities and electrical manufacturing, into local unions;
# to promote reasonable methods of work;
# to cultivate feelings of friendship among those of our industry;
# to settle all disputes between employers and employees by arbitration (if possible);
# to assist each other in sickness or distress;
# to secure employment;
# to reduce the hours of daily labor;
# to secure adequate pay for our work;
# to seek a higher and higher standard of living;
# to seek security for the individual;
# and by legal and proper means to elevate the moral, intellectual and social conditions of our members, their families and dependents, in the interest of a higher standard of citizenship.