Thank you, Bob.
And thank you, brothers and sisters, for that warm welcome.
Before I begin…I would like to acknowledge not just Bob Blakely for the excellent job that he does as the Executive Director of the Canadian Building Trades office…but also the entire staff.
I hope you have noticed the positive changes that have occurred with our Canadian office…which has now evolved into an ever more valuable resource for our unions here in Canada. Use them, call them, and ask for their advice for any issues or problems you may have. They need you as well. They need the cooperation of all of our provincial councils, local unions and district councils. Because without this mutual cooperation, we are essentially a weakened entity with no true direction.
So, I make that appeal to you today.
I am extremely honored to be here with you in your nation’s capital for your policy conference. I truly wish it were under better circumstances, economically speaking. But, I believe better times are just around the corner.
Because I am a true believer in what Winston Churchill once said, and I quote:
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity;
an optimist sees an opportunity in every difficulty.”
Or, to put it another way: Through chaos…there is opportunity.
That is where we find ourselves today…looking to strategically position our unions in order to take advantage of the chaos and difficulty all around us today, so that we can enjoy a brighter and more prosperous future.
Ladies and gentlemen…Brothers and Sisters…I cannot think of any other time in recent memory when the fate of the building trades movements on both sides of our border have been more inextricably linked. We are asking ourselves the same question in America as you are asking here in Canada:
Do we want to be the pessimist and succumb to the economic distress that has been laid on our doorstep, or will we choose to be a proactive optimist that sees this current recession as the opportunity to strategically re-structure the union construction industry brand so that there is an increased focus on our business performance and allow us to gain market share?
For us, that re-structuring centers upon four critically important areas:
One, continuing our efforts to change the culture of the union construction industry to one that is centered upon our mantra of delivering “Value on Display…Every Day.”
(And I’d like to thank those local unions in Canada that have adopted and promoted this building trades brand and culture)
Two, working with our elected leaders to initiate policies and programs that will jump start the North American economy.
Three, engaging in the necessary labor market planning to ensure a steady supply of our most precious commodity…which happens to be the world’s safest, most highly skilled and productive workforce in the world.
And four, educating and mobilizing our members for the vitally important elections that will occur this fall on both sides of our border.
The global financial meltdown that occurred almost two years ago rippled quickly from the investment community into executive suites and on down the line to each and every one of our unions and our members. For the better part of those two years, we have been faced with one brutally important question:
How should we react?
But, the more accurate question we should be asking of ourselves is this: What actions can we – the collective entities that comprise North America’s Building Trades Unions – take TODAY that will make the union construction industry a more attractive partner for owners and contractors in this economy?
And the first step in answering that question…and which will enable us to fabricate a winning strategy for the union construction industry…is to realize that the rules of the game have changed!
Possibly forever.
Folks, if there is anything that we should have learned from this recession…it’s the fact that we’re not in control anymore! Yet that does not mean that we cannot be successful in this new era. First off, we need to be better tuned in to our markets. We need to take a much more strategic approach to our problems. And that approach needs to identify the most optimal strategies to execute in order to correctly align our business model and our brand with our key markets over the course of the next few years.
We need to be focused upon improving our performance and our product today so that we are well-positioned to seize the advantages of tomorrow.
Just take a look at recent history when we have seen several great companies and products emerge from a down economy. Google, Amazon, and eBay…to name just three…all emerged as market leaders during the last economic downturn a decade ago.
Brothers and sisters…the pragmatic leaders of today are busy aligning their companies and organizations to replicate those kinds of successes. Their action plans are simple and enlightening and they center on changing and channeling the internal culture of their organizations so as to be better prepared to address and confront several critical questions, such as:
How well are we aligned to the current market?
Can we pinpoint the bright lights?
In other words, what’s working for us, and why?
Are we pursuing relevance and making good decisions about where to invest our resources to further that relevance?
Are we doing all that we can to build a competitive edge?
What have we done, and what are we doing now to make it easier and more desirable for owners and contractors to do business with us?
And, finally, how can we build a strong network of supporters…both within our industry and among lawmakers, the media and the general public?
Our unions must do all of the above, if we are to succeed.
Brothers and Sisters, what I am saying to you is this: We need to go immediately back to square one and get tuned in to our markets. We need to get realistic, and find out what’s meaningful to our contactors and our owner partners, and get answers to questions like:
Does the market still care about what we do?
What are the projections for construction investment next year in our key market segments?
Do we understand how owners and construction buyers are making decisions today…as opposed to two years ago?
Are we sufficiently aligned with those concerns?
Is what we offer today relevant to the realities of the North American construction market?
Are we properly aligned with where the market is going?
Is the union construction industry business model…as it exists today…flexible enough to adapt to change?
And finally, there is one universal question that we should all be asking of ourselves.
And that is: What would happen to labor standards and the middle class if we shut our doors and went away?
Certainly, these are not easy questions to ask of ourselves…and the answers may be even harder to hear. But, it is through those answers that we will challenge ourselves to break out of the mode of simply assuming things and start listening…really listening…to what our contractors and owners are saying. The reality of our world is that owners and contractors are in charge of their respective businesses, not us. Discovering reality is a critical first step to building a strategy upon which we will win. Discovering reality also instills confidence because it identifies our future business opportunities.
They may be the same…or they may be different than we envisioned them before the downturn. That’s neither a good nor a bad thing —just a reality. And we must always remember that “value” is our compass through this downturn.
What our customers will always value is the same thing we value… pride, performance and professionalism. Most of us inherently believe that we are an effective organization with a stellar product that our customers love.
But, honestly, do we really know?
In an economic environment like today, our culture must not only be built around marketing the fact that we represent the world’s safest, most highly skilled and productive workforce in the world. It must also be focused upon embracing the “complete customer experience” and consistently seeking to create service-oriented breakthroughs that make it easy for owners and contractors to discover us and use us.
And that is what we are doing within the resurgent nuclear power industry.
Our new Nuclear Power Construction Agreement has been specifically crafted to address the needs and concerns of this industry today. It is a product of numerous discussions with utilities, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Nuclear Energy Institute that relate to the problems previously encountered in the construction of nuclear power plants.
And it is a document that reflects our unbridled commitment to improve construction efficiencies and reduce costs, while also assuring that the health, welfare and safety of the public and the on-site workforce is fully maintained.
Through this agreement, and other actions that our unions are taking we are working to eliminate the things that may have…
at one time in our history…made sense to us, but which no longer make sense to the customer.
For example, brothers and sisters, we have reached a point in time where the buyers of construction services and skilled labor no longer have a tolerance for petty and/or prolonged jurisdictional disputes. In today’s world…where credit is tight and returns on investment are paramount…owners are consolidating and directing their reduced resources and purchasing power to companies and organizations with whom they have a good deal of trust.
Therefore, gaining trust through a keen and intense eye on maximizing our core service impact is critical for three reasons:
One, it maximizes value to our customers.
Two, it reduces their perceived risk when purchasing our services.
And three, it will have the effect of increasing long-term loyalty to the union construction brand.
Now, we know that we cannot win this battle alone. That’s why we need to look at our organization as a network that includes our members, our customers, service providers, community partners, lawmakers and other stakeholders that support us. Our goal is to create an army within and around us that can help us tell the new, 21st century story of the union construction industry and effectively break the outdated stereotypes of the past.
You know, when you get right down to it, a big part of our success in weathering this current economic disaster will stem from our ability to leverage the power of our network of supporters to advocate on behalf of the union construction brand and to demonstrate the impact we have had on families and communities all across North America.
The next step is to take that strategic approach even further by frequently communicating all aspects of our story today through all forums that are available to us…including traditional and new forms of social media.
In other words, we intend to put in place a communications strategy that will be aligned with our strategic vision…so that it’s an ongoing process that supports and promotes all that is best about today’s union construction industry.
If we can stay calm and focused on these strategic foundations, our next few years could be game-changing. And it will move us to a position of strength as we advocate for specific issues such as tax fairness for mobile construction workers.
Or a comprehensive energy policy in both the United States and Canada that has one eye fixed on the job-producing potential of the renewable energy industry…while the other eye is ensuring the continued development of our domestic sources of oil and gas, such as those in the Alberta tar sands.
And let me also say this. No man and certainly no union is, or can be…an island unto themselves. For us to be successful…and we will be successful…we will need all of our unions in Canada and America to commit to moving together in the same direction.
A few weeks ago, I addressed the annual Legislative Conference for our unions in America. At the conclusion of my remarks I asked those delegates to take stock of what makes our unions and our movement so great. In closing my remarks here, I would like to share those words with you as well.
From this day forward we will remain focused on one overarching mission. Which is to influence the policies…and nurture the relationships…that will produce jobs for our members and expand our ranks. Putting our members back to work all across North America is our number one priority.
And to succeed in this mission…all we need is courage. The courage of our convictions…and the courage to withstand and endure our current struggles with an eye to the promise of the future.
Because from that courage will come a greatness that is beyond anything we have ever dreamed.
Remember, as bad as it is today, tough times do not last forever. But tough people do. Each and every day I swell with pride because I am fortunate enough to be among the leaders of a movement that is founded upon toughness and resiliency.
And I hope you feel that pride too.
Because from this day forward, we will and we must take it upon ourselves to believe with all of our hearts that North America’s Building Trades Unions can epitomize the hopes of people all across North America.
And through that belief…we will stand up to, and fight, those charlatans and the purveyors of fear who, for far too long, have preyed upon those who are cold and hungry and scared. Because we have seen all too often that when people are cold and hungry and scared, they sometimes gather together in panicky herds ready to be led by demagogues who promise prosperity and freedom but who deliver neither!
We will no longer tolerate, nor will we abide organizations or individuals – even in our own ranks – who play down to the lowest common denominator instead of up to the highest.
We cannot, and we will not, stand silent in the presence of those forces of fear, who cater to the hatreds of every class and race, and whose singular objective is to appeal to the worst in people…not their best.
As trade unionists, we believe in, and we stand for, something better…something that is uniquely democratic but which has been long forgotten by those who nearly led us into an economic abyss.
It is called brotherhood and sisterhood.
And it is epitomized by the simple, yet powerful concept that an injury to one is an injury to all…and that no nation can ever be considered healthy when prosperity is the reserved domain of a privileged few.
The trade union movement has always been inspired by the glory of a dream. A dream of a better, more secure life. And we rejoice in knowing…especially during frightful times like today…that that dream is not weakened…but rather strengthened through adversity.
And our unions will grow stronger because of the conflict and hardship that we are experiencing today.
Ladies and gentlemen…
Brothers and Sisters…
I say this to you.
North America’s Building Trades Unions will accomplish great things in the years to come. But to do so, we must not only act…
but also dream. Because the poorest man is not the one without a penny…the poorest man is the one without a dream.
And we must not only plan…but also believe. Believe in yourselves…believe in your families…believe in your country…and believe in your unions.
Because the Building Trades will always have a warrior’s courage to face and overcome both the enormous challenges that face our two great nations on a grand scale…as well as the simple private battles of everyday life.
We cannot fail, and we will not fail if we have faith in each other…faith in our unions…and faith in what we stand for and believe in.
Thank you, God Bless you…
And may God Bless North America’s Building Trades Unions.