The Millennium Morning Project’s
goal is to ensure that the Union as a whole grows and prospers
in the years ahead…
“We
are facing a new century with tremendous opportunities
and challenges. Today the issue is not survival,
but how we can combine the best of the old with the
new to build on our progress and set a course for
the 21st century. Our challenge is to be a union
of the future. There's an old saying. Lead, follow,
or get out of the way. We are all here because we
are leaders. We have a responsibility to help shape
this broad vision of our future.
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| I propose taking the Executive
Council members' wealth of experience and knowledge
and utilizing it for a project that I will call the
Millennium Morning Project. The Executive Council
will serve as a committee of the whole. Through this
project, the Executive Council will create a vision
for our Union in the 21st century. It will be charged
with taking our existing structure and within that
context deciding what steps we need to take internally
and externally with other groups to expand the unionized
masonry industry's share of the construction pie.
Its work will involve formulating a strategy, programs
and priorities. The Council will be asked to predict
the future; and based on that prediction, create
a plan for our Union to prosper.” |
—
BAC President John J. Flynn,
Excerpts from the 2000 BAC Convention
Proceedings
September 25, 2000
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The International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers
(BAC) ended the 20th century strong and growing. The Union
had weathered the severe construction downturn in the early
1990s and taken advantage of one of the longest periods
of continuous construction growth in recent history. BAC
ended the decade in a solid financial position with the
strongest membership growth in more than 25 years. Despite
this progress, the Union still faced significant challenges.
The question facing BAC at the turn of the century was:
How do we respond to these challenges and position the
Union for the future? The answer was to undertake a comprehensive
study of the industry and develop a long-range strategic
plan to guide the Union.
The Millennium Morning Project (MMP) was first announced
and endorsed by the IU Executive Council at its September
2000 meeting. Later that month it was accepted by the
delegates to the IU’s 2000 Convention. The Executive
Council, which represents every BAC region, craft, and
constituency group, was designated to serve as the MMP
Committee.
The Committee was charged with:
- Identifying the internal and external factors that
would shape the Union and the masonry industry in the
future;
- Developing a system for engaging those most affected
in the decision-making process; and
- Evaluating the Union’s existing structure
and, within that context, deciding what steps must
be taken to expand the unionized masonry industry’s
share of the construction market and work opportunities
for BAC members.
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The Committee relied on two methods to gather information
on industry trends, the outlook for the future, obstacles
to growth, and the pros and cons of policy options. The
first approach involved soliciting the opinions of experts
from all segments of the industry on the most critical
issues facing the Union. This approach took the form
of presentations to - and discussions with - the Committee,
one-on-one interviews with individuals identified by
the Committee as “industry experts,” and
surveys of BAC members and non-union masonry craftworkers,
masonry contractors, and the general public. This more
subjective method was then combined with more precise
data-driven information from government and industry
sources on labor force and industry trends, and market
share.
By using these two approaches BAC was able to:
- Create an on-going dialogue with broad segments of
the industry and the labor movement;
- Develop reliable and quantifiable information to
identify and track industry trends;
- Focus on the actions that must be taken today to
position the Union to grow and prosper in the future;
and
- Place BAC in a leadership role in charting a course
for the unionized masonry industry.
Throughout the process, all levels of the Union – Regional
Councils, Locals and members – were kept informed
and involved. This was done to ensure that everyone in
the Union had an understanding of the facts and the opportunity
to weigh-in on the resulting recommendations.
The study was conducted in three phases. The first phase
of the project focused on identifying the external factors
affecting BAC’s strategic leverage in the construction
industry, and collecting data and information on each
of these factors. It involved taking a detailed look
at labor force issues, industry trends, market share,
and the Union’s competitive position. Within these
key areas, the impact of other factors were considered
such as: new technology and products; public attitudes
towards labor; the importance of the regulatory and political
environment; and the overall economic climate.
In Phase 2, the Committee focused on internal factors
impacting the Union, including differences between BAC
members and non-union masonry craftworkers, steps being
taken by other unions to prepare for the future, and
BAC’s structure and culture.
In Phase 3, the Committee took the information that
had been gained through these first two phases and developed
a union-wide strategy.
Recognizing that planning is most effective when those
responsible for implementing the plan are involved in
the process, opportunities were created for members at
all levels of the Union to stay informed of the Committee’s
findings and to have direct input into the recommendations
as they were being developed. At each stage of the Project,
the information discussed by the Committee was taken
to Regional Council meetings and educational forums for
further deliberation by a broader group of officers and
members. Members were given the opportunity to weigh-in
on the process and preliminary findings through member
surveys, and at Local and Chapter meeting discussions
using Issue-Bulletins on the MMP. In addition, BAC publications
and the website featured articles on the MMP’s
findings and progress.
Since planning should never become an excuse for inaction,
whenever possible, Locals were encouraged to use the
information and apply what they learned to their current
operations.
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