Political Action
The Path to a New Era of Success
2/3/2009
For any organization or movement, there are pivotal moments in time that require immediate and distinct actions in order to shape one’s destiny. For America’s Building Trades Unions, we have arrived at that moment. And it is a moment that necessitates a practical imperative for positive and sustained action.
Perhaps at no other time in the 100 year history of the Building and Construction Trades Department has a confluence of critical events occurred that has resulted in our unions being advantageously positioned to achieve measurable and sustained success.
In 2009, Barack Obama will assume the presidency of the United States. And he will inherit an American economy that is reeling from a combination of body blows that were the result of mortgage, housing and credit crises unlike any we have witnessed in our history. Jobs are disappearing at an alarming rate…with the construction industry leading the pack. Our nation’s domestic auto manufacturers are on the brink of implosion…along with the direct and indirect employment prospects for millions of American workers – including union skilled craft professionals who supply the maintenance workforce for many auto manufacturing facilities.
However, this disturbing economic picture is accompanied by an underlying promise of hope and opportunity for America’s Building Trades Unions. We are hopeful for the occasion to put our skills and expertise to work in re-building America’s crumbling infrastructure, its burgeoning renewable energy industry and, by extension, the American middle class. And we anticipate the opportunity to show America, the world and, most importantly, our industry the inherent value of the world’s safest, most highly skilled and productive workforce.
On becoming president, Barack Obama has made it plainly clear that his first order of business will be to work with Congress to enact an economic recovery program that will be heavily infused with investments in building, and re-building, America’s critical infrastructure systems. The Obama plan will also put forth significant investments to spur additional growth in our nation’s emerging renewable energy industries. In every aspect, the Obama economic recovery plan will have the effect of placing a spotlight on our unions, our members, and our performance.
At the same time, we must be diligent in educating the American public and its policymakers that renewable energy generation has not yet advanced to the point that it can be considered a cure-all for addressing America’s baseload energy needs. Without question, renwabnle energy is a very important component of an overall energy portfolio, one that should be pursued in addition to nuclear power, oil and natural gas, and coal-fired power generation that is accompanied by carbon-capture and sequestration technologies.
But, at the end of the day, our actions and performance during this historically critical moement in time will be especially critical given the bruising treatment received by the United Auto Workers (UAW) – and by extension, all union workers – over the past several months...as the Big Three automakers lobbied Congress for federal financial assistance. Even though many of the facts relating to domestic auto manufacturing labor costs were faulty and misleading, the critics of the UAW succeeded in once again resurrecting the old stereotypes of union workers being overpaid, greedy and counter-productive to the health and success of American industrial and economic might.
But with the Obama economic recovery plan, combined with our own plans to achieve legislative and policy changes that will benefit our unions and our members, America’s building trades unions intend to change those perceptions. For we are being presented with the opportunity not only to physically repair and re-build America, but we will also have the opportunity to restore the battered image of organized labor and assume a leading role in a newly energized American labor movement. The end result, should we succeed in these endeavors, will be to re-cast ourselves as a value-added partner to govenrment and owners and contractors throughout the North American construction industry which will enable us re-claim significant market share for the union construction industry.
All of these objectives are well within our reach. However, they can only be achieved through the immediate and consistent embrace by all state and local building trades councils of a new culture for the union construction “brand.”
America’s Building Trades Unions are emerging as one of the labor movement’s most carefully watched brands. We are set to occupy a prominent position in the glaring spotlight of both industry and public scrutiny as the United States gets set to launch this ambitious and unprecedented economic growth strategy...again, one that is centered upon re-building America’s infrastructure and constructing new avenues for domestic energy development.
In each instance, the skilled crafts people of our unions, as well as our apprenticeship training programs, will be center stage…with the opportunity to showcase an exciting new brand identity in ways never before realized or even imagined.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to demonstrate our worth as a value-added partner – not just to our industry, but to America! And along with that, the opportunity to showcase to the world – and especially to those who vigorously advocate the elimination of unions from the American landscape - the knowledge, professionalism and expertise of the unionized American skilled craft worker...and the value that brings to our nation and the communities in which we work.
This is not an insignificant objective. Now is our moment to demonstrate that we are the workers upon which America has relied in war and in peace…to build its cities, its water, power and transportation systems, and its schools and industrial facilities. It’s high time we stand up and make it plainly evident to everyone, that we – America’s Building Trades Unions- are the movement that has sustained, and will once again restore, the American Middle Class Dream!
But to achieve consistency in this regard, we will need to begin to measure ourselves against a brand revival checklist that includes the following:
1. Are we listening to owners and contractors and do we intuitively understand what they want and what they need from us?
2. Have we determined how our customers’ current experiences with us measure up to what they want and need from us?
3. Are we taking measures to fix the things that do not measure up? What is the most important issue that needs fixing right away?
4. Do we have a meaningful point of difference from the open shop sector? If so, are we exploiting it effectively on a consistent basis?
5. Have we created a focused, durable brand position that meshes with the answers to questions 1 through 4?
6. Are we communicating our new brand identity and message consistently throughout every customer touchpoint?
7. Are we breaking down the internal silos of our organizations that will ensure that all departments, affiliates, programs and councils are working seamlessly together to build the brand?
8. Are we creating effective mechanisms to solicit and gather feedback from our customers?
9. Are we making sure that each and every member of our unions understands how they can help build the brand…and are we making sure that these members are happy and proud to be members of our unions?
10. Are we making our customers happy? How do we measure our “buzz” factor?
11. Once we have built our brand from the inside out, are we prepared to spend the necessary resources to tell the world about it?
12. Do we have the discipline to follow – and constantly re-evaluate – all the points on this list?
A brand – even the union construction industry brand – cannot be separated from its business. And make no mistake about it…our unions are in a business. It’s time we started acting like it.
We have a product to sell – and that product just happens to be the world’s safest, most highly trained and productive skilled craft workforce known to man! And we sell that product, rightfully so, at a premium price.
But, for us to be successful, our “customers” need to experience sufficient value for the price that they pay for our product.
In other words, for better or worse, the union construction industry is, and always will be, defined by the way we do business.
It seems pretty simple and obvious…everyone associated with the union construction industry wants to project a newly revived brand that is based upon our fundamental values of pride, performance and professionalism.
However, unless each and every one of our elected officers, state and local councils…and by extension our local unions and rank and file members…act consistently with the tenets of these core values, any and all other organizing, marketing and advertising efforts will be wasted.
And with the opportunities being presented to us by the incoming Obama Administration…opportunities that will allow us to achieve monumental progress for our organizations and our members…we surely cannot afford any such wasted efforts.
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Pipe Trades Political Action Newsletter
The Path to a New Era of Success
2/3/2009
For any organization or movement, there are pivotal moments in time that require immediate and distinct actions in order to shape one’s destiny. For America’s Building Trades Unions, we have arrived at that moment. And it is a moment that necessitates a practical imperative for positive and sustained action.
Perhaps at no other time in the 100 year history of the Building and Construction Trades Department has a confluence of critical events occurred that has resulted in our unions being advantageously positioned to achieve measurable and sustained success.
In 2009, Barack Obama will assume the presidency of the United States. And he will inherit an American economy that is reeling from a combination of body blows that were the result of mortgage, housing and credit crises unlike any we have witnessed in our history. Jobs are disappearing at an alarming rate…with the construction industry leading the pack. Our nation’s domestic auto manufacturers are on the brink of implosion…along with the direct and indirect employment prospects for millions of American workers – including union skilled craft professionals who supply the maintenance workforce for many auto manufacturing facilities.
However, this disturbing economic picture is accompanied by an underlying promise of hope and opportunity for America’s Building Trades Unions. We are hopeful for the occasion to put our skills and expertise to work in re-building America’s crumbling infrastructure, its burgeoning renewable energy industry and, by extension, the American middle class. And we anticipate the opportunity to show America, the world and, most importantly, our industry the inherent value of the world’s safest, most highly skilled and productive workforce.
On becoming president, Barack Obama has made it plainly clear that his first order of business will be to work with Congress to enact an economic recovery program that will be heavily infused with investments in building, and re-building, America’s critical infrastructure systems. The Obama plan will also put forth significant investments to spur additional growth in our nation’s emerging renewable energy industries. In every aspect, the Obama economic recovery plan will have the effect of placing a spotlight on our unions, our members, and our performance.
At the same time, we must be diligent in educating the American public and its policymakers that renewable energy generation has not yet advanced to the point that it can be considered a cure-all for addressing America’s baseload energy needs. Without question, renwabnle energy is a very important component of an overall energy portfolio, one that should be pursued in addition to nuclear power, oil and natural gas, and coal-fired power generation that is accompanied by carbon-capture and sequestration technologies.
But, at the end of the day, our actions and performance during this historically critical moement in time will be especially critical given the bruising treatment received by the United Auto Workers (UAW) – and by extension, all union workers – over the past several months...as the Big Three automakers lobbied Congress for federal financial assistance. Even though many of the facts relating to domestic auto manufacturing labor costs were faulty and misleading, the critics of the UAW succeeded in once again resurrecting the old stereotypes of union workers being overpaid, greedy and counter-productive to the health and success of American industrial and economic might.
But with the Obama economic recovery plan, combined with our own plans to achieve legislative and policy changes that will benefit our unions and our members, America’s building trades unions intend to change those perceptions. For we are being presented with the opportunity not only to physically repair and re-build America, but we will also have the opportunity to restore the battered image of organized labor and assume a leading role in a newly energized American labor movement. The end result, should we succeed in these endeavors, will be to re-cast ourselves as a value-added partner to govenrment and owners and contractors throughout the North American construction industry which will enable us re-claim significant market share for the union construction industry.
All of these objectives are well within our reach. However, they can only be achieved through the immediate and consistent embrace by all state and local building trades councils of a new culture for the union construction “brand.”
America’s Building Trades Unions are emerging as one of the labor movement’s most carefully watched brands. We are set to occupy a prominent position in the glaring spotlight of both industry and public scrutiny as the United States gets set to launch this ambitious and unprecedented economic growth strategy...again, one that is centered upon re-building America’s infrastructure and constructing new avenues for domestic energy development.
In each instance, the skilled crafts people of our unions, as well as our apprenticeship training programs, will be center stage…with the opportunity to showcase an exciting new brand identity in ways never before realized or even imagined.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to demonstrate our worth as a value-added partner – not just to our industry, but to America! And along with that, the opportunity to showcase to the world – and especially to those who vigorously advocate the elimination of unions from the American landscape - the knowledge, professionalism and expertise of the unionized American skilled craft worker...and the value that brings to our nation and the communities in which we work.
This is not an insignificant objective. Now is our moment to demonstrate that we are the workers upon which America has relied in war and in peace…to build its cities, its water, power and transportation systems, and its schools and industrial facilities. It’s high time we stand up and make it plainly evident to everyone, that we – America’s Building Trades Unions- are the movement that has sustained, and will once again restore, the American Middle Class Dream!
But to achieve consistency in this regard, we will need to begin to measure ourselves against a brand revival checklist that includes the following:
1. Are we listening to owners and contractors and do we intuitively understand what they want and what they need from us?
2. Have we determined how our customers’ current experiences with us measure up to what they want and need from us?
3. Are we taking measures to fix the things that do not measure up? What is the most important issue that needs fixing right away?
4. Do we have a meaningful point of difference from the open shop sector? If so, are we exploiting it effectively on a consistent basis?
5. Have we created a focused, durable brand position that meshes with the answers to questions 1 through 4?
6. Are we communicating our new brand identity and message consistently throughout every customer touchpoint?
7. Are we breaking down the internal silos of our organizations that will ensure that all departments, affiliates, programs and councils are working seamlessly together to build the brand?
8. Are we creating effective mechanisms to solicit and gather feedback from our customers?
9. Are we making sure that each and every member of our unions understands how they can help build the brand…and are we making sure that these members are happy and proud to be members of our unions?
10. Are we making our customers happy? How do we measure our “buzz” factor?
11. Once we have built our brand from the inside out, are we prepared to spend the necessary resources to tell the world about it?
12. Do we have the discipline to follow – and constantly re-evaluate – all the points on this list?
A brand – even the union construction industry brand – cannot be separated from its business. And make no mistake about it…our unions are in a business. It’s time we started acting like it.
We have a product to sell – and that product just happens to be the world’s safest, most highly trained and productive skilled craft workforce known to man! And we sell that product, rightfully so, at a premium price.
But, for us to be successful, our “customers” need to experience sufficient value for the price that they pay for our product.
In other words, for better or worse, the union construction industry is, and always will be, defined by the way we do business.
It seems pretty simple and obvious…everyone associated with the union construction industry wants to project a newly revived brand that is based upon our fundamental values of pride, performance and professionalism.
However, unless each and every one of our elected officers, state and local councils…and by extension our local unions and rank and file members…act consistently with the tenets of these core values, any and all other organizing, marketing and advertising efforts will be wasted.
And with the opportunities being presented to us by the incoming Obama Administration…opportunities that will allow us to achieve monumental progress for our organizations and our members…we surely cannot afford any such wasted efforts.
Show All News Headlines
Employee Free Choice Act