Spotlight on Region 3

From Pennsylvania to Virginia, BAC’s Region 3 is offering members of four Local Unions work opportunities on projects as diverse as the Region itself. This issue of the Journal
features some of the projects that are keeping BAC members in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Virginia at work.

Local 1 Maryland/Virginia/D.C. Expands Work in Key Markets

From left, Local 1 MD/VA/DC Field Representative Chuck Driscoll, Local 1 bricklayers Gary Dean, Jack Walther Sr., Anthony Edmonds, Don Duffy, Matt Wildt, Anthony Withrow, and Glisson Masonry Foreman Ray Green.

Local 1 Maryland/Virginia/D.C. President Jack Greenstreet reports, “The amount of work in the last ten years or so has been phenomenal. Our members are gaining hours from non-traditional sources including residential work in Baltimore. We’re also working with our contractors in Virginia to get them the bricklayers they need to run large projects in Richmond, and expand into growing markets such as Charlottesville.”

Bricklayers Build Homes on Baltimore’s Waterfront

Wedged between the Inner Harbor and Little Italy, the North Shore residences offer owners the best of Baltimore.

Local 1 members are benefiting from the strong residential construction market through their work on a residential project in Baltimore’s Canton district. The new townhouse and condominium development, North Shore at Canton, is being built by BAC signatory contractor Glisson Masonry, in direct cooperation with real estate developer Cignal Corp. Crews of eight to 20 Local 1 members are building the red brick and pre-cast stone residences of varying sizes. Located on a pier and on Boston Street, the 20 condominiums and 66 townhouses include multiple fireplaces and stunning views of the waterfront. When completed, the development will also offer 44 slips on floating docks for boaters.

Local 1 apprentice bricklayer Anthony Edmonds, an IMI 12-week pre-job graduate, applies his skills at North Shore at Canton. “The design and quality of work here is excellent. After working for years as a laborer, I really enjoy the creativity of bricklaying,” says Edmonds.	IMI pre-job graduate Anthony Withrow is 2 years through his apprenticeship and will be close to achieving journey-level status at the completion of the project this fall.

Local 1 Pennsylvania/Delaware Members Build New Eagles’ Nest

The new $512 million, 66,000-seat Lincoln Financial Field located in South Philadelphia will be instantly identifiable as home to the NFL’s Eagles. One look at the soaring wings and talon-like spikes adorning the end zone grandstands, and television viewers will know they’re in Philly long before any sports announcer mentions the Eagles by name.

Local 1 bricklayers lay block on the interior of Lincoln Financial Field.	Local 1 PA/DE bricklayer Dan Fredericks lays block in the stadium’s lower bowl.

More than 40 members of Local 1 PA/DE, working for a joint venture of Dan Lepore & Sons and Mark Masonry, laid an estimated 600,000 lightweight high strength concrete masonry units, 150,000 ground face concrete masonry units, 125,000 norman size face brick, 3,000 cubic yards of grout, and 1,600 cubic feet of cast stone to build column covers, stair towers, and the stadium’s lower level. Local 1 tile setters and finishers working for Roman Mosaic were also on the job, laying tile in the stadium’s numerous suites, bathrooms, and concession areas.

Designed by NBBJ Sport and built by Turner-Keating-McKissack, the majority of the funding for Lincoln Financial Field was provided by the team’s owners. An additional $187 million in grants and loans came from a combination of public sources.

Local 1 President John Phillips reports that this project, in addition to substantial amounts of school construction and an upcoming stadium for the National League’s Philadelphia Phillies, are keeping work prospects good for BAC members in the Philadelphia area. “We’re also keeping our members trained,” says Phillips. “Right now we’re offering, blueprint reading, welding, and scaffold safety training courses at our training center.”

New Academic Center Showcases Masonry

The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business has an international reputation for leadership in business management. The school’s tradition of excellence is reflected in its decision to build a new $139.9 million academic center using hand-set masonry crafted by Local 1 PA/DE members working for Dan Lepore and Sons.

The exterior of the Wharton School’s new Jon M. Huntsman Hall features sweeping radius walls and a range of pier designs crafted in brick and stone.	Terrazzo, brick, and stone compliment Wharton’s solid academic reputation at the school’s new downtown Philadelphia academic center.

The 324,000 square foot structure features laid-in-place brick and stone set on radius walls and tapering piers both inside and out. Matching the durability of its elevations, the floors and steps of Jon M. Huntsman Hall are crafted in long-lasting terrazzo, installed by Local 1 terrazzo mechanics working for Roman Mosaic. The project provided employment for more than 50 Local 1 members over 18 months.

The new facility houses auditoriums, lecture halls, group study areas, and classrooms, and serves as the focal point of the school’s Philadelphia campus. Prior to commissioning the Hall, the University of Pennsylvania spent years researching the needs of Wharton’s students, faculty, and administration. This collaborative approach resulted in their decision to use only the best materials and the finest craftworkers to build the structure.

Local 5 Pennsylvania Targets Cement and Plaster Industries

“We’ve got good programs in place and we’re constantly working through our Labor-Management Committee to promote the competitiveness of our members and contractors in all industry sectors,” reports Local 5 Pennsylvania President Deeter Garman.

Two sectors in which Local 5 is making notable strides are the cement and plaster industries, where the Local has aggressively, and successfully, pursued new opportunities by capturing market share and signing new contractors and members. Using a cooperative approach to achieve its goals, the Local is encouraging its signatory contractors to bid on more plaster, cement, and EIFS work. IMI training is playing a key role in this initiative by providing plaster and cement training to members at the National Training Center at Ft. Ritchie, Maryland, and on-site training programs.

At the center of the Local’s cement and plaster organizing efforts is its 2002 agreement with Fabcon, Inc. This pre-cast concrete manufacturer opened its Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, plant in 2000 to service the major construction markets of the East Coast. Today, the plant produces up to 90,000 square feet of 8-inch hollow core and 12-inch insulated pre-cast panels per week, and employs a crew of up to 65 Local 5 members who specialize in the manufacture of pre-cast concrete products.

The Local is also actively organizing medium size cement, plaster, and EIFS contractors. Local 5 Field Representative Laine Gehres, a plasterer by trade, sees the cement and plaster industries as good places for the Local to make organizing gains. “It’s a team effort,” says Gehres. “All of our officers are working to build our membership and employer base. Most of the cement contractors operating within our jurisdiction are medium-sized operations with around 20 employees. Our Local and members have a lot to offer these contractors and their employees. There are several projects using these products along the I-81 corridor that need skilled workers, including large pours at coal gasification plants and warehouses, and EIFS and plaster work at shopping centers and schools.”

IMI’s American Concrete Institute’s (ACI) Certification program is a real draw for cement masons. “We’re out there promoting the benefits of ACI Certification to our members, and making sure our cement masons have every advantage over their non-BAC competitors,” says Gehres. “We see ACI Certification as a national standard for cement mechanics in the future, and we’ll be ready when that happens.”

Plaster Craftsmanship at the Brice House

The James Brice House in Annapolis, Maryland, built in the 1700s, is a historic structure and also home to the International Masonry Institute’s headquarters. Today, this structure is being restored by skilled BAC craftworkers from throughout the Union. A team of six BAC plasterers is working to restore the structure’s west wing, using materials and applications chosen to meet historical specifications.

The process involves the harrowing of the exposed brick with plaster and building up a scratch coat. After the scratch coat dries, a rough brown coat is applied. Next, a finish coat is floated smooth. Finally, the walls receive a whitening lime wash. In keeping with historic specifications, the material being applied, is one-part lime, three-parts sand, and strengthened with ox hair.

Historic 18th century Brice House located in Annapolis, MD is headquarters to IMI.	Local 5 PA Field Representative Laine Gehres harrows plaster to exposed brickwork at the West Wing of the Brice House.