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Executive Council and Labor-Management Craft Committees Join Forces
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| Retiring Wisconsin District Council Director Tim Ihlenfeld and retiring Local 7 Canada Business Manager Dan Plunkett were honored at the February meeting for their Executive Council service. From left, BAC Executive Vice Presidents Gerald O’Malley, Gerard Scarano and Ken Lambert, Plunkett, BAC President John J. Flynn, Ihlenfeld, and BAC Secretary-Treasurer James Boland. |
The outlook is bright for our crafts. That was the message from presenters at the joint meeting in February of the BAC Executive Council and the Labor-Management Craft Committees. BAC President John J. Flynn opened the meeting by laying some basic ground rules for the discussions that followed. “This is a forum to address the unique concerns facing each of our crafts in a constructive environment, and to create a win-win situation for us all,” said Flynn. “We are not in negotiations. We are asking you to step away from the bargaining table – and focus on those external issues that impact our ability to expand work opportunities.”
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| One source for the next generation of members and skilled craftworkers is the military. Tom Aiello, Vice President of Military Advantage at Monster Worldwide, joined the meeting to introduce the next generation of the Helmets to Hardhats Program. This program, which is designed to help military personnel transition back into civilian life and good careers, became high-tech earlier this year when it expanded use of the Internet to link veterans, unions and contractors. |
Fred Kinateder, President of Kinateder Masonry and President of the International Council of Employers (ICE), welcomed Rusty Sherwood, McGraw-Hill’s Vice President for Construction’s Emerging Markets, Finance and Insurance, to the meeting. Sherwood set the stage for this joint meeting with a report on the outlook for construction in both the U.S. and Canada. He told attendees that while current projections are calling for a slowdown in the rate of economic growth and construction activity in 2007, the outlook for nonresidential and non-building construction remains positive. According to the McGraw-Hill forecast, the value of nonresidential construction starts will grow by a robust 6% in 2007, and nonbuilding construction will grow by 2%. Only the value of residential construction starts is expected to decline this year, but even with this setback, residential construction will still account for roughly half of construction spending, and housing starts will still be among the highest recorded in the last 40 years. Following the U.S. trend, residential activity in Canada is expected to slow during the year, but several types of nonresidential construction will post positive results.
The positive outlook for construction, combined with greater demand for “green” building and sustainability “bode well
for BAC,” said Sherwood. “Green building is not just a fad, it’s an industry trend.” This market, which accounted for 2% of building starts or $10 billion in 2005,
is projected to account for up to 10%
of starts or $60 billion by 2010. BAC materials, such as brick, stone and tile have a bright future in this market segment.
“Making sure that there is a qualified workforce to meet the industry’s demand will be a challenge in both countries,” said Kinateder, but BAC has the upper-hand thanks to the commitment that members and contractors have made to training. One example of this commitment is the BAC/IMI National Training Center, scheduled to open in April. The Center will ensure that the certifications, curricula, and specialized training programs are available to every member and Local Union.
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Owens-Corning Sets the Stage to Partner with BAC
The desire to have their new Fold-Form and Lite-Deck ICF (insulated concrete forms) products installed by the “best hands in the business” brought Owens-Corning to IMI and BAC. Contractors, BAC officers and craft representatives took part in a hands-on demonstration of the product, which offers members and contractors a new system when competing for new types of work, BAC President John J. Flynn noted.
Tom Koletis, the Northeast Technical Sales Representative for Owens-Corning and a former BAC member, acknowledged Executive Vice President Gerard Scarano for helping to make the connection between this product and BAC, and for paving the way for Owens-Corning and IMI to develop training and certifications programs for the product.
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Local 1 Maryland/Virginia/DC member and retired officer, Tom McQuaid joined Local 1 QC Director Mario Basilico (not pictured) in introducing new tools to contractors and officers. McQuaid, left, discusses a new brand of tile tools with Local 18 California President Chad Boggio.
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| BAC Secretary-Treasurer James Boland challenged both BAC and ICE representatives to help refine and use BAC’s Code of Conduct to “truly make a difference for our industry, and to further distinguish us from the non-union and competing materials.” He was joined by Robert Pleasure of the AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department who detailed how codes of conduct, such as BAC’s, are being positively recognized by builders and project owners.
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Brick & Block Committee
BAC Secretary-Treasurer James Boland, right, ICE President Fred Kinateder and members of the Labor-Management Brick
& Block Committee provided representatives from the Center to Protect Workers’ Rights with practical advice on ways to make the construction and use of mast scaffolding safer for BAC members. |
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ICE Executive Director Matt Aquiline, left, and BAC Government Relations Director Kevin Flynn take a moment to discuss pending legislation of mutual concern to BAC contractors and the Union. |
Tile/Marble/Terrazzo Committee
Vincent DeLazzaro, President of Port Morris Tile, left, and John Mason, BAC Craft Director for TMT Mechanics, led a discussion on the new Tile Curriculum developed by IMI.
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Cement Committee
From left, Terry Mariacher, Executive Vice President of Local 9 Pennsylvania, Steven Lewis, President of Lewis Construction, Inc. and Peter Altadonna, Jr., President of Local 2 Delaware/New Jersey Administrative District Council listened to a presentation by Rick Yelton, Editor in Chief of Masonry Construction magazine, who reported that cement prices have been staying steady, giving it
a competitive edge over alternate materials. |
PCC Committee
Mike Hart, President of American Masonry Restoration Corporation, far left, responds to questions from Dr. Mark Goldberg, Associate Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at Hunter College on the challenges PCC contractors encounter in controlling silica dust on their projects. Dr. Goldberg is working with BAC and the Center to Protect Workers’ Rights (CPWR) to identify practical and effective tools and work practices to protect BAC members from dangerous levels of silica dust. Also pictured, Pam Susi from CPWR and PCC Craft Director John Wurtenberg.
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Plaster Committee
Plaster Committee Co-Chair Michael Pilolla, President of J.P. Phillips, Inc. welcomed Bill Tott, the Technical Director with ArcusStone Products to the Plaster Committee meeting. |
Stone Committee
Executive Vice President Gerald O’Malley, above right, with the Committee’s Co-Chair Bob Zavagno, Jr., Chairman of Cleveland Marble Co., discuss the presentation by guest speaker Eric Peterson of the engineering firm of Whitlock, Dalrymple, Poston & Associates. Peterson summarized the firm’s work to determine the origin of severe staining and cladding problems, including efflorescence, leakage, and premature masonry deterioration, in stone veneer on Virginia Tech University’s new building inventory.  As a result of their investigation, Peterson’s team identified the primary “culprits” to be the high absorption rate and permeability of the dry-pack setting mortars that have been used in construction for the past 15 years, as well as veneer wall joint deficiencies. The study recommended using more fluid mortar materials, specifying tighter joint sizes, and utilizing cavity wall properties to improve drainage.
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