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Building & Construction Trades Department

Value On Display. Every Day.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Press Releases and Speeches

January Jobs Report: Union Construction Trades President Mark Ayers Statement -

For the second month in a row, the overall national unemployment rate has declined, yet in construction joblessness continues on an upward trend - moving from 16% in December, to over 17% in January.  While certain policies have thankfully stopped the hemorrhaging overall, job growth remains less than stellar, particularly in construction.

Union Construction Trades President Ayers Statement on Passage of Right to Work Law in Indiana -

Contrary to what right-to-work proponents would have the public believe, this WAS NOT about creating an inviting economic atmosphere that would attract businesses to Indiana.  Rather, this effort - just like recent efforts to limit collective bargaining rights in Wisconsin and Ohio - was first and foremost about political power.

Union Construction Trades Say President Obama Lays Out Common Sense Approach for U.S. Economic Growth in State of the Union Address -

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Statement of America's Building Trades Unions on House Tax and UI Extenders Bill - President Mark Ayers -

Unemployment among American construction professionals today remains 13 percent nationally and in many areas, well over 20%.  Without question, this constitutes a prolonged crisis of unemployment and underemployment.

November Jobs Report: Little Relief for Construction Workers -

While National Unemployment Rate Falls to 8.6 percent, Building and Construction Trades Workers Continue to Confront Rate Exceeding 13 Percent Nationwide

Speeches

President Ayers Remarks to International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Convention -

I’m proud to say I gained my values from this Brotherhood, and from the wisest and most dedicated man I have ever known.  Ed Hill.  Ed has been my best friend and has mentored me throughout a good part of my career.  He is always the voice of reason and, as all of you know, he is a principled man never reluctant to take a difficult stand if he feels it will benefit the Brotherhood.  He is a devout Christian who lives his life according to Christian teachings, and we have all benefited from that.

President Ayers Remarks to Laborers International Union of North America International Convention -

Terry, it is a privilege for Secretary-Treasurer Sean McGarvey and I to work with you...the International Officers...Local Union Officers...and with the rank and file of the Laborers Union.  You are a key player in a dedicated team to advance the interests of the union construction industry. And I can't think of a better place I'd rather be than here with men and women who constitute THE ORANGE CRUSH!

President Ayers Remarks to International Brotherhood Boilermakers Convention -

Thank you for that gracious introduction, President Jones. It is my privilege to work with you...the International Officers...Local Union Officers...and with the rank and file of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers.

President Mark Ayers Keynote Address to 68th Annual Convention -

Thank you. Brothers and Sisters…Ladies and Gentlemen. It is my great privilege to welcome you to the 68th convention of the Building and Construction Trades Department. We are proud to hold this convention in the great state of Minnesota.  You have a rich labor heritage that gave us the Knights of Labor and the Democrat Farm Labor Party, as well as three stalwart politicians who held the organized labor movement close to their hearts: Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale and Paul Wellstone.

President Ayers Remarks to Non-Traditional Employment for Women Awards Dinner -

They are the true heroes.  They are the ones who are committed to changing the culture of the union construction industry.  They are the ones who are knocking down the barriers that have historically thwarted the advancement of women into the skilled trades.