Executive Council: A Stronger Union for the Future

BAC Executive Council members met in February to begin work on the Millennium Morning Project. At this meeting the Council was officially charged with creating a vision for our Union in the 21st century by predicting the issues, events, and developments that will shape our industry. Based on these predictions, the Council will develop a plan to take advantage of opportunities, respond to challenges, and strengthen BAC.

The Council also discussed the state of the Union and steps taken to follow-up on Convention resolutions, and reviewed BAC’s accomplishments in the 2000 elections and the challenges ahead.

This was the Council’s first meeting since members were elected at the IU’s Convention last September, and they wasted no time getting down to business.

Executive Board Sworn-In Retired IU Executive Vice-President Lou Weir swore in the International Union’s Executive Board on January 19 at BAC headquarters in Washington, D.C. From left are Weir, Executive Vice President Gerald O’Malley, Secretary Treasurer Jim Boland, President John J. Flynn, and Executive Vice Presidents Dominic Spano

Millennium Morning—Building on Our Achievements

“The work that you are about to embark on will be challenging,” President John J. Flynn told the Council. “But if we pool our knowledge and expertise, and if we are open to hearing the good and the bad, then we have the opportunity to do great things for our members and our Union.”

President Flynn encouraged the Council to approach this Project with an open mind. He noted that when the idea for undertaking this type of project was in its early stages, he was asked if he already knew what he wanted the outcome to be. “The answer I gave then, and will repeat today, is no,” said Flynn. “I firmly believe that if we’re going to create a plan for our Union that will keep us strong and growing in this new century, we have to keep an open mind. To do anything less would be a disservice to this Union and the members we represent. We owe it to the members who will come after us to leave BAC a better, stronger Union than when we joined,” he added.

A Look Back and a Critical Step Forward

As a starting point, the Council took a critical step back and objectively looked at the changes that have taken place within our Union since the Project 2000 Committee issued its recommendations in the mid-1980s. (See summary of Project 2000)

Professor David Weil, an expert in union strategic planning initiatives, asked Council members to consider three key questions: “What has Project 2000 taught us? Where does it place the Union today? And what can we learn from it as we move forward?”

“It’s important to look at the conditions the Union was facing at that time,” said Local 3 Massachusetts President Chuck Raso and a member of the Project 2000 Committee. “The country was coming out of a deep recession, the Reagan-Bush Administration was very anti-union, and we had no way to fight back because our resources were fragmented. Project 2000’s goal was to create a structure and tools to deal with those conditions,” said Raso.

President Flynn’s status report on Project 2000 showed significant progress in implementing the recommendations. But Council members were candid about what changes they thought had worked, and what still needs to be done. Local 1 Connecticut President Gerry Marotti called regionalization “a bitter pill, but it’s worked and will benefit us overall as we move forward.” Annette Ludwig of Local 1 Washington expressed concern that despite the progress made, “we still have members who don’t know what a Union is. We need to do more to get materials directly to the members so that they understand that their Union is there for them.”

Dr. David Weil discusses the importance of strategic planning for unions, and the goals of the new Millennium Morning Project with the Executive Council. Dr. Weil is an assistant professor of economics at Boston University’s School of Management, a faculty member of the Harvard Trade Union Program, and currently a visiting fellow at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Professor Weil asked Council members what they foresee as the greatest challenges facing BAC in the next five to ten years. He also outlined steps that will be taken to follow-up on questions and comments raised, and to solicit input from our Regional Councils and members on this issue before the next Council meeting. Member involvement is critical. President Flynn announced, that at this round of Regional Council meetings, Local officers will have the opportunity to weigh-in on this Project and be asked to make suggestions on groups and people we should reach out to as part of this process. The IU will also conduct a confidential telephone survey in the next few months and release an issue-in-brief on the Millennium Morning Project to solicit direct feedback from our members. “This Project will shape our Union’s future, and consequently, it will have to reflect our members needs, and have their complete support,” said Flynn.

Election 2000—What’s Next

Member involvement in the Union is particularly critical given the outcome of the 2000 election in the U.S. The Building and Construction Trades Department’s chief grass-roots political organizer, Kevin O’Sullivan, told Council members that even though the election didn’t turn out as we hoped, we need to focus on what labor accomplished in this election. “BAC’s involvement was incredible,” said O’Sullivan, “and contributed to several victories across the country including stopping efforts to pass a state right-to-work law in Colorado.”

“It’s important for us to take the time to revisit and learn from the lessons of the campaign, particularly in light of the Executive Orders recently issued,” said President Flynn. In February, President Bush issued four anti-worker Executive Orders. Two of the Orders have the immediate potential to negatively impact our rights as Union members and our ability to earn a decent wage in a safe environment. The first will make it more difficult for unions to educate members on key issues such as Social Security, prevailing wages, and their rights as union members. The other reverses the Clinton-Gore Administration’s policy that allowed union-only Project Labor Agreements (PLAs). Banning PLAs could result in awards to contractors who under-cut the bidding process at the expense of their employees’ wages, working conditions, and general welfare.

Clearly, the labor movement has its work cut out for it. “We’re going to be under attack and will need your help,” said O’Sullivan.