Your View: Non-union Contractors Never Shut Out

(SouthCoastToday.com)

YOUR VIEW: Non-union contractors never shut out

By PAUL J. COUTINHO

Paul J. Coutinho lives in
New Bedford.

August 08, 2009

In Greg Beeman's opinion published in Your View, "Union contractors try to shut others out" (Aug. 4), he continues to mislead the public and not provide accurate information for the readers to make their own assessment.

Beeman represents management of the non-union sector of the construction industry, not workers. As president of the Massachusetts Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, his mission is to discredit unions and their working members to lower wages and benefits for working families.

Beeman claims 80 percent representation of the construction industry. The Massachusetts chapter of the ABC has 412 listings of companies. Of these companies there are approximately 110 non-construction entities, which leaves approximately 302 construction firms. According to the Massachusetts Labor and Workforce Development Web site, the average monthly number of construction jobs in June 2009 was 111,600. Therefore, based on the claim of 80 percent, 302 companies employed 89,280 workers.

Based on a very simple analysis, there are approximately 380 contractors signatory to Plumbers Local 12 Boston, Pipefitters Local 537 Boston, and IBEW 103 Boston. There are many other signatory contractors outside of Boston signatory to other union locals of these trades. Also, there are numerous other contractors who are signatory to the sheetmetal union, the carpenters' union, the laborers' union, plus at least 12 other trades not named here. Therefore, according to Beeman, the unions only employ 22,320 workers. The total number of contractors signatory to unions exceeds 500, therefore, signatory contractors are the largest employer of construction labor, not the ABC.

Based on these employment figures, this would explain Beeman's argument in reference to apprentices. The non-union sector is not a great supporter of educating and training our future work force. Union apprentice programs represent greater than 80 percent of registered apprentices with the Division of Apprentice Training. Construction unions invest in the future workers of the industry and produce a highly skilled work force. The ABC, based on its Web site, promotes temporary, short-term employment, via the temporary hiring agencies promoted within their own organization.

Beeman's conclusion was based on his argument that open shops only want a level playing field. His argument was illogical and absurd. In the last decade there have been millions of dollars reclaimed in back wages from non-union contractors. Non-union contractors are never shut out of competition. On a very large project on Deer Island in Boston, there were many non-union companies who competed and won jobs on a project under a project labor agreement.

Misinformation is a tool that is used to deceive readers to gain sympathy. The information provided herein can be verified by anyone, including Beeman. If everyone adhered to and played by the same rules and did not cheat, we would have a level playing field.