Mark H. Ayers, President of the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO Remarks to IBEW District 3 Council
September 23, 2009
Thank you, Vice-President Siegel.
Thank you, brothers and sisters, for allowing me the opportunity to be with you today and to engage with you in an important discussion about the vast changes that are occurring in our nation.
I’m going to discuss with you where and how our unions, not just building trades unions…but all unions – not only fit into that picture and narrative, but how we can utilize this era of change to prosper as never before.
However, before I get carried away I’d be remiss if I failed to mention how much I miss my Brothers and Sisters of the IBEW. I owe everything I have today to the Brotherhood. It made me what I am…good or bad…and I am very proud to have my roots so deeply imbedded in the fertile soil that is the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. From President Ed Hill…to Don Siegel and all the officers…to each and every man and woman who proudly holds a membership card in this great institution…you have set the standard for how a union should operate in today’s world.
And that is an example from which many unions can and should learn a great deal.
For all of us in the labor movement it would serve us well if, from time to time…we took a step back and looked at the big picture of what is happening in our nation.
All too often, we are so obsessed about what is going on within and around our own local areas…that we fail to see the larger trends that are occurring.
Trends which offer numerous possibilities for our growth.
America is probably the most adaptive nation on Earth. And by that, I mean that we are constantly evolving and changing in order to meet or respond to the challenges of our times. Often, those changes and evolutions occur through government action. Other times they are spurred by social movements. And still others are launched through product inventions or innovations.
Today, we are again entering a period of immense social change.
Americans and American businesses are re-examining the idea of what it means to be a responsible citizen…and what it means to provide value. Not just through volunteerism and philanthropy, but through commerce. In other words, people and corporations are starting to put their money where their ideals are. Whether it’s an individual who vows to reduce his or her personal carbon footprint…or a major corporation that develops sourcing guidelines for its suppliers…there is no doubt that we are witnessing the birth of what experts are calling “a responsibility revolution.”
Years ago, the idea that any corporation should have any responsibility beyond increasing shareholder profits would have been ridiculed.
But today, it’s a whole different world.
Since 1995, the number of socially responsible investment mutual funds has grown from 55 to 260. These funds now manage approximately 11% of all the money invested in the US financial markets…which equates to roughly $2.7 TRILLION dollars!
Here’s what this all means:
Part of corporate America has discovered that being socially responsible attracts investment capital. And that is fertile soil upon which America’s unions can sow the seeds of growth and prosperity. But, before we start planting those seeds…we need to first step back and conduct an honest assessment of where we in organized labor stand today in the minds of the American public.
From my perspective, that assessment would entail the following:
There currently exist serious doubts in the minds of some Americans over the relevancy of unions in today’s society and economy. Americans of all stripes have recognized that the times have changed. They are striving to be better citizens, and to foster responsibility among corporations…yet, some people don’t perceive that unions have a role to play in any of that.
And I am not talking about right-wing conservatives or anti-union owners, either. I am talking about your average middle class, middle of the road, Soccer Mom or Lacrosse Dad in Any Neighborhood, U.S.A. They certainly understand the historical basis and reasons for the emergence of unions in America…when our society was riddled with economic abuses like child labor and sweatshops.
But right now, all across this nation, there are millions of people who simply do not see how unions fit into the way the world works today. In other words, Americans are increasingly skeptical that unions are capable of providing value to our economy and our society.
Now, you know as well as I do…that there has never been any institution that has done more good for this country than the American labor movement.
At one time we were the foundation of the middle class. We created the American Dream through collective bargaining and we brought the rest of the nation with us, union or not.
Am I right?
Today, the middle class is disappearing…along with an American dream that many of us grew up with. There used to be a reasonable expectation that your children would do better than you…if they worked hard and applied themselves.
That was then; this is now.
And it is no accident that the decline of the middle class…and the erosion of the American Dream…just happens to coincide with the erosion of union membership in the United States. But, if people don’t perceive the value of unions, then it doesn’t matter what history tells us…or what we, as trade unionists, believe.
Because perception is reality. And we have to wake up to a few new realities.
First, we have to recognize that, for better or worse, our society has been cultivated and conditioned by marketers and advertisers to be very “brand-oriented.” Today consumers define themselves, in some small or large part, through the brands by which they associate themselves.
Again, that is the impetus for the growth of the socially responsible investment funds. People will buy a four dollar cup of coffee at Starbucks because of its commitment to using only Fair Trade coffee beans. Others are loyal to Apple because of their cool technology…as well as their commitment to the multi-brand RED campaign that assists AIDS relief efforts in Africa.
Today, throughout America, people are incorporating the ideal of “value” not only into their purchasing decisions…but also into their lifestyle and political philosophies and general outlook on the world.
Put simply, Americans look at things today through the prism of “value.”
Unfortunately, most American labor unions have yet to figure out that we need to engage in a dialogue with the American people about the “value” that unions provide to American society…and how we are an integral part of creating and furthering a “responsibility revolution”
Recession or no recession…for any organization wishing to be successful in this era of monumental and transformational change, the challenge to add more and more value grows. And the importance of innovation and “out of the box” thinking grows exponentially.
America’s unions are no different.
Our task these days is straight-forward, but not easy. We need to demonstrate to the American public that we are “agents of change and innovation” who are already working to provide increased value to the economy and our society. We need to be what every company wants – not what they don’t want.
Brothers and sisters, this is where our success will be realized…in our collective ability to demonstrate that we can be value-added partners to our employers and to society at large.
With this in mind, I stand before you today extremely confident that the AFL-CIO’s new leadership team of Rich Trumka, Arlene Holt-Baker, and our own Liz Shuler will join with the 13 Presidents of the Building and Construction Trades in putting the American labor movement on a path to do just that.
Just the other week, I heard Rich Trumka deliver his vision for the future of the American labor movement. Brothers and sisters, it is a vision designed to rejuvenate the “idea” of unions in the minds of an entirely new generation of Americans. And in the process, he intends to demonstrate that it is through strong unions that we will rejuvenate the American Dream that has been out of reach for too long for too many Americans.
President Trumka laid out his vision to provide a message of hope…hope that all Americans can enter the winner’s circle…and provide a foundation for American working families to succeed. In a broad sense, President Trumka has laid down the gauntlet. He said, “The American labor movement built the middle class in the United States and if you give us a chance, we will build it again!”
And for those of us in America’s Building Trades Unions we are, in many ways, at the epicenter of that effort to re-build the great American middle class. Because we fully understand that we need a new kind of movement…and a new public image…that is shaped and constructed to meet the needs of a new America and a new American economy. Our unions must tell a new story to a new generation of Americans…about how a career as a skilled unionized crafts person is a viable and lucrative option for all who seek such a challenge.
There is a need for unions to embrace change and new ideas. And we must also reject the notion that a love of nostalgia…that inertia that comes from a mind-set of “that’s how we have always done it”…is in no way an effective strategy for winning the future. In fact, the continued embrace of the practices and strategies of the past is a recipe for failure.
Today, the ever-increasing advances in technology and communications have given Americans…the ability to access incredible amounts of knowledge, news and information about any person, product or organization. And, because of this technology, the ability of everyday people to exert influence upon the fortunes of companies, organizations, and yes unions, has never been greater.
People are more informed and more importantly…they now have the wherewithal to trumpet what they like…and what they dislike about anything and everything. From automobiles to restaurants…to computers…to music…to unions…individual consumers now exert unparalleled influence in the fortunes of these products, companies and organizations. And they are conditioned to judge people and products by the value that they bring to their lives…and the value that they bring to our society at large.
This is the battlefield on which the American labor movement must engage its detractors and those who insist upon our irrelevancy. And, ironically, our country’s current economic misfortunes present an opportunity to do just that.
Our “bubble-based” economy…which for the last 30 years was premised upon consumer excess and dubious financial shenanigans…has crashed and burned.
We are now reaping the consequences of the catastrophic economic policies of the Bush era…mounting debt, a collapsed housing market, diminishing supplies of oil, increasing evidence of global climate change, and the end of American domination of world markets. We are entering an era of historic change…that presents once-in-a-generation opportunities for American labor to cast aside old, outdated misperceptions…and re-emerge with a new identity.
An identity that demonstrates the value that we offer to the overall success…and endurance of the American economy and of American society.
Jeff Immelt, the CEO of General Electric, was recently quoted as saying that America is entering a “reset” economy. He went on to explain, and I am quoting here…
“Change can come, but it requires a new way of thinking. It requires a clear and determined plan of action. It requires a stiff dose of candor about the troubles we face, many of which we brought on ourselves. It requires leaders throughout the economy to take command of events. The world has been reset. Now we must lead an aggressive American renewal to win in the future.”
Think about those words for a moment.
“Change can come, but it requires a new way of thinking. And a stiff dose of candor about the troubles we face.”
I could not agree more. Because that is exactly what America’s Building Trades Unions are doing today.
We are leading by example.
We are showing by doing.
And we are walking the walk…
before we even attempt to talk the talk.
Maybe it’s because our industry operates just a little different from most others. For building trades members, the only guarantee we get is the first eight hours on the job. How one performs during those first eight hours will determine whether or not that worker gets to come back the next day for another eight hours.
And so on and so forth.
And for each of our individual Building Trades Unions, it’s no different. Many of our contracts are tailored to a specific job. How we collectively perform on that first job…and the value that we demonstrate…will determine our success in securing future contracts.
For us, it’s pretty cut and dried.
Given that landscape on which to operate…we are determined like never before to demonstrate to the world…to the owners and contractors in our industry; the politicians; the media; and the general public…the value that is inherent in partnering with the world’s safest, most highly trained and productive workforce known to man.
Further, we are being very aggressive in educating people to the inherent economic and social value in our apprenticeship and training programs. Value that accrues to the economy and society at large by providing a pathway for secure and prosperous careers for Americans of all backgrounds…while at the same time producing the professional skilled workforce of the future that will construct the infrastructure and maintain and operate the facilities needed for our emerging clean energy future.
That is the value proposition that we offer to America.
It’s a value proposition all branches of the IBEW must embrace.
It’s what some people refer to as the “Triple Bottom Line” – one that offers value to achieve profits…a cleaner planet…and healthy, prosperous people.
Now having said all that…having spoken about the new era we are entering…and the challenges and opportunities that we face…and the need for internalizing the ideas of constant improvement…and adaptability in the fast-paced world in which we live…I would like to talk about a couple of things that will never change.
First, we are a movement that is predicated upon loyalty. We support our friends and we punish our enemies.
So, to those politicians who come knocking on our doors every two years seeking money and field troops…I have a simple message for you: We intend to hold you accountable for your actions. There are no free passes anymore!
Either you stand with us on the Employee Free Choice Act, Health Care, Davis-Bacon, and Project Labor Agreements…or you can go knock on someone else’s door.
Because the days of us working for politicians during a campaign…only to have them turn their backs on us - once they are in office - are over!
That dog ain’t huntin’ any more!!!!!!
Secondly, let me say this to our detractors in business and industry…who are devoted to seeing the American labor movement dissolve into a pile of memories.
Don’t hold your breath!
For the construction industry and all other industries, we relish the opportunity to contrast our business model against the open shop business model. Because ours is an approach that provides a pathway to sustainable and secure careers…that strengthens communities by providing skilled training opportunities…and appeals to the users’ and owners’ bottom line by providing the safest, most highly trained and productive workforce known to man.
All of this is contrasted against an open-shop approach that is predicated on assembling the cheapest, most exploitable workforce possible…and to hell with the personal, community and societal problems that are continually fed by this approach.
And just like any industry, the hard-working people that toil in the open-shop sector are not second-class citizens…although they are treated as such. No, they deserve the right to receive quality professional training…and the respect, support and dignity that comes with being a member of a union.
And we intend to fight to see that they get it…just as we intend to demonstrate to all contractors and construction users the overall “value” that is comes with a relationship with our unions.
So, let me close by saying this:
The “reset” button has been pushed.
The responsibility revolution is upon us…
And it is now our job to look to the future and innovate...to embrace our role in unearthing and providing consistent value to the American economy and American society.
Because all of us are now being called…each to his or her own measure and capabilities…to create the next Great American Century for the American Labor Movement.
For we are now the trailblazers of our generation…and future generations of American workers are counting on us.
Thank you…and God Bless Each of You and the I.B.E.W.