MARK H. AYERS, President
SEAN McGARVEY, Secretary-Treasurer
MICHAEL J. SULLIVAN, 1st Vice President
DANA A. BRIGHAM, 2nd Vice President
EDWIN D. HILL, 3rd Vice President
JOSEPH J. HUNT, 4th Vice President
JAMES A. GROGAN, 5th Vice President
JAMES A. WILLIAMS, 6th Vice President
NEWTON B. JONES, 7th Vice President
WILLIAM P. HITE, 8th Vice President
KINSEY M. ROBINSON, 9th Vice President
PATRICK D. FINLEY, 10th Vice President
JAMES P. HOFFA, 11th Vice President
TERENCE M. O’SULLIVAN, 12th Vice President
JAMES BOLAND, 13th Vice President
Building and Construction Trades Department
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR—CONGRESS OF INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATIONS
815 SIXTEENTH ST., N.W., SUITE 600 • WASHINGTON, D.C. 20006-4104
(202) 347-1461 www.BCTD.org FAX (202) 628-0724
REMARKS
Mark H. Ayers
President
Building and Construction Trades Department
TAUC Leadership Conference
Phoenix, AZ
May 13, 2010
Thank you, Steve.
And thank you all for that warm welcome. I am certainly pleased to be here today because I always relish the opportunity to be with our friends, our partners, and our customers. In my view, the growth of TAUC through labor-management cooperation and a joint strategic vision will enable the growth of our building trades unions because we are interconnected and dependent upon each other.
And that is what I want to focus upon today…our interdependence.
Without question…and you know this more than I do…these are incredibly tough times. But, there is a lot I want to update you on as it relates to America’s Building Trades Unions as we exist today. Because, even in the midst of this unprecedented recession for the construction industry there are some exciting things that are happening within our unions…and none more important than the widespread embrace of a culture change that is premised upon a new brand identity for the union construction sector.
And that change is epitomized by the simple, yet transformative, brand proposition of providing “Value on Display…Every Day.” That is the mantra by which our unions are operating today. Essentially, what we are attempting to achieve the structural, operational and behavioral changes…that will lead to a more profound professional image for our industry, our unions and our members.
In that sense, we are asking ourselves the same question that millions of people ask of themselves every day in order to change their lives for the better.
Questions like: How do I go on an effective diet? How can I stop smoking? What can I do to stop drinking?
In the short term, it’s not that difficult. You do it and it’s done. However, the difficult part occurs when you have to work like hell for the rest of your life to stay on a weight maintenance program…or to stay on the non-smoking, alcohol-free wagon.
That’s parallel to what America’s Building Trades Unions are doing today. We are working diligently to make the necessary and stark changes that will perpetuate and maintain a new culture for the union construction sector.
Not just for today…but over the course of the long haul.
And those changes that we are implementing today will go a long ways towards improving your bottom line tomorrow.
Years ago, after he founded IBM, Thomas Watson was asked what it took to achieve excellence.
His reply was simple, yet very profound; and it serves as a foundation for what our unions are attempting to do to change our internal culture and, by extension, the external perceptions that people have of who we are.
Thomas Watson’s reply was this…and I quote:
“Quit doing less than excellent work.”
End quote. That’s it. It’s simple, yet incredibly insightful
Our unions want to achieve excellence and to do that we are instituting a new mindset that encourages our leadership, our staffs and our members to…QUIT DOING LESS THAN EXCELLENT WORK.
The 13 General Presidents with whom I am privileged to work with possess a firm understanding that the first step to getting us to where we want to be is the determination to do excellent work and not to compromise; no matter what sort of roadblocks are erected.
And all of us understand full well that every step we take must be composed of working like never before to keep our focus and keep our spirits up through the tough times like the ones we are experiencing right now.
We are also striving to learn something new every day. Something about ourselves, our crafts and how we can become a more value-added partner to you, our contractors and owners. And when we make those discoveries, they will be internalized until they become part of our nature.
There is also an external force at work today that is providing us a unique opportunity to transform the culture of our unions and our industry. And that is the Obama administration.
We…and when I say we, I mean the entire union construction industry…are very fortunate to have a President who not only understands, but actively embraces, the fundamental values of pride, performance and professionalism that are synonymous with our unions.
And he has put his beliefs into action.
He has insisted on Davis-Bacon coverage for federal government stimulus spending. He has officially sanctioned Project Labor Agreements as the preferred method for investing federal construction dollars. And while I’m on the subject of PLAs, let me just say that we are encouraged by the fact that the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council has, at long last, issued the final rule governing the implementation of President Obama’s Executive Order on PLAs.
With this rule now in place, we are confident that a significant number of federal construction projects will now proceed under a PLA. We still have work to do in educating federal agency procurement staff on how PLAs work and the process through which they are negotiated, but, all in all, we are encouraged about where we are right now.
As an offshoot to his support of PLAs, President Obama sees our unions and signatory contractors and our skills training infrastructure as being the linchpin in the successful revitalization of the American nuclear power industry.
Now, of course, we are appreciative of all of these actions…as well as many more things that the president has done. But the greatest impact this president has had on our unions and contractors comes directly from the fact that these legislative and policy initiatives have had the effect of directing a bright hot spotlight on the union construction industry, our identity and our performance.
From my perspective…having spent the better part of two years working alongside our General Presidents to promote a new culture for and within the union construction sector…this has been a Godsend.
Because as anyone involved in organizational change can attest, It takes time and patience to “turn the battleship” around. It does not come about easily.
Unless…unless there are external factors at work that serve as an accelerating and motivational force. President Obama has become that factor for America’s Building Trades Unions!
Were it not for the faith and trust he has placed in us – labor AND management…which has not come without its own set of political risks for him…our job in instituting change would have been that much harder.
But with the white hot glare of public scrutiny and attention firmly placed upon our unions, our members, our training infrastructure, and our jobsite performance, I can readily sense that EVERYONE within our unions…from the General Presidents on down to the Local Union Business Managers…are now on board.
We fully understand what it is we are trying to accomplish…both in the short-term and the long-term.
And everyone is also fully aware of what is at stake.
Now, while I am on the subject of the Obama Administration…I would like to speak frankly about something that is becoming increasingly disturbing to me.
And it centers upon people that engage in the same type of distasteful, unfounded and unproductive criticisms of our President that are found on the lunatic fringe of our political spectrum. Now, I am all for freedom of speech…and I respect everyone’s right to hold their own personal political views. But, it saddens me when I see tasteless, unfounded, and borderline unhinged criticisms of our President, his Administration, and our friends on Capitol Hill.
Not only do I find it incredibly offensive on many levels…it also leaves me incredulous because some of the people who find it necessary to spread these types of unhelpful diatribes are from the union construction industry.
They seemingly do not understand that the very people they choose to slander and criticize…are the very same people who are taking substantial political risks in helping the union construction industry. I am sure my members and the members of TAUC weren’t making fun of President Obama’s decision to save General Motors. Nor did they find anything to criticize in the stimulus bill that created work for union contractors and union craft professionals.
And I certainly don’t think anyone was vilifying the President as a “socialist” when he announced the awarding of federal loan guarantees for the Plant Vogtle nuclear project…which, by the way, will be constructed under our new Nuclear Power Construction Labor Agreement…and will provide numerous opportunities for our contractor partners and our members.
Political jokes, comedy and farce have always been a part of American discourse. But racism, accusations of being a socialist, or comparisons of our President to Adolph Hitler go beyond the pale. I would hope that our industry can rise above that level.
For our part, we understand that the risks that the Administration and our friends on Capitol Hill are taking require us to commit immediately to providing world-class quality on all of our jobs. And we also understand full well that it will require passionate and tireless pursuit to deliver it and maintain it. I say this to you today with all the confidence in the world: We have successfully lit the fire within our unions and within our industry. And we will not look back or do anything that is inconsistent with our desire to demonstrate the organizational persona that is worth repeating: “Value on Display…Every Day.”
Make no mistake…if there is one thing you remember about my appearance here today it’s this: America’s Building Trades Unions will use every resource at our disposal to get our industry back on its feet in the short term while also setting our sights on achieving new heights in quality and service over the long haul. And through those actions, we hope that construction owners, lawmakers, the media and the entire world will begin to take notice of the value that our unions and contractors provide on the jobsite and communities in which we work.
And when that occurs, I am hopeful that we will finally….once and for all…retire the outdated stereotypes and misperceptions that continue to plague us, and which have prevented us from achieving our true potential as value-added partners within our industry.
I will be the first to admit that our unions have made more than our fair share of mistakes and errors over the last thirty or forty years. But, you know what? That’s the beauty of this great nation. If you make the commitment to change…if you truly demonstrate a firm desire to change your ways…you can, and often do, get that all-important second chance.
That’s where our unions are today. We have learned from our past…and it guides our thinking today.
There is plenty of value in learning from the errors of our ways. A few years ago, a writer by the name of Kevin Kelly offered the following observations on the subject of change and evolution.
He said, and I quote:
“Honor your errors.
A trick will only work for a while…
until everybody else is doing it.
To advance, requires a new game.
Evolution can, and should, be thought of as systematic error management.”
End quote.
I cannot think of a more accurate portrayal of what the Building Trades has gone through over the last thirty years to get us to this point. Our evolution over that time period has been nothing less than systematic error management. We have learned from our mistakes. And those lessons have, in some instances, been pretty painful…yet at the same time, they have been incredibly illuminating.
But, we know full well that we are not there yet. We still have plenty of work to do…and we are doing it. But, I want you to note that I frequently refer to “the union construction industry.” That is by purpose. I don’t view our industry as being solely comprised of our Building Trades Unions. Our contractors have a stake in this, too. And we are working like never before with you, our contractors…as well as the owners with whom we have the privilege of working…to ensure that the union construction business model is viewed as an attractive, value-added alternative to the “race to the bottom” approach that does so much socio-economic damage in America today.
But for us to truly prosper…and to take our new culture and brand identity to new heights…we need the active participation and partnership of our signatory contractors. We need you to call us out when we are not living up to our standards. And we will call you out if you are an impediment to our progress
We cannot change the culture of our industry if our signatory partners are not keeping us apprised of what is happening on their jobsites. So, with your help we find ourselves today on the verge of writing a new chapter in our long history…one that puts these important lessons to work.
Allow me to take a minute and offer just one recent example of how we are doing just that.
As I already mentioned, President Obama has taken the first steps…through the issuance of federal loan guarantees…to revitalize the American nuclear power industry. There is now a flurry of activity surrounding this resurgence. And nobody has been busier than America’s Building Trades Unions.
To date, we have signed agreements to construct twin reactors at each of three facilities:
Calvert Cliffs in Maryland…
Plant Vogtle in Georgia…
and the South Texas Nuclear Project.
In each instance, these projects will be governed by our new Nuclear Power Construction Labor Agreement.
You could say that this new, groundbreaking agreement is in many ways a testament to the fact that growth and evolution are the product of systematic error management. In crafting this agreement, our unions consulted with many util¬ities, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Nuclear Energy Institute in order to more fully understand the problems that were previously encountered in the construction of nuclear power plants.
We also investigated numerous ways to improve efficiency and productivity and to reduce costs while assuring that the health, welfare and safety of the construction workforce and the public is fully maintained.
Secondly, we are also fully cognizant of where these new reactors will be built. With the exception of Maryland, the first projects with which we will be involved will be in the Southern United States. Now, in all honesty, that is not exactly a hotbed of strength for us. This is a sea change and in the long term we intend to make it the rule not the exception.
But, in the short-term…we are focused on addressing the specific needs of the owner and the contractor on each of these projects through such measures as regional wage rates designed to attract and retain workers to nuclear projects, along with specialized workforce development strategies designed to ensure the availability of a highly productive and highly professional skilled craft workforce.
And this agreement also reflects our commitment to developing additional recruitment and training efforts and to provide life-long careers for local residents to make nuclear plant construction attractive to local communities.
And speaking of providing life-long careers in construction, I’d like to congratulate TAUC as I understand you are about to sign a Cooperative Agreement with the IEED…the Indian Energy and Economic Development arm of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The Building Trades signed a similar agreement last year with IEED…as well as forming a partnership with the Native Construction Career Institute…to provide training and apprenticeship opportunities to our true First Americans…the Native American population in our 50 states.
You will find, as many of us in the building trades have found, that our involvement with these groups was not only a good thing to do…it was the RIGHT thing to do.
And working with people like Lynn Forcia and Dr. Bob Middleton has proven to be rewarding indeed.
I again offer you my congratulations on entering into this agreement.
In closing, let me say this.
Everything I have just said to you will be meaningless if our local building trades councils and our local unions don’t take it to heart. But, let me also tell you this. They are listening…and they are embracing the changes that we are proposing. And it’s not so much as providing them with a hard and fast list of specific changes that need to be implemented…although many of our affiliates are doing just that.
Things like local union accountability measurements…and jobsite codes of excellence…are just two of the many cultural changes being instigated by our unions. And they are all very important.
But what is most important…at least to me…is to establish a dedicated and firm mind-set…that is premised upon delivering “Value on Display…Every Day.”
I view my job as working day and night to help position the ship on the correct course…then convincing the crew that we are on the correct course…and then doing all that is necessary to empower the crew to accomplish their jobs as efficiently and effectively as possible so that we remain on the correct course.
And Ladies and gentlemen…we ARE on the correct course.
And we are removing the impediments that have for far too long prevented our local councils and our local unions to empower themselves and become effective change agents on the local level.
There is an old saying that says, “Change is a door that can only be opened from the inside.”
Believe me; America’s Building Trades Unions are all on the same side of that door…and we are pushing it open together in order to unveil the next great chapter in the history of America’s Building Trades Unions.
Thank you so much for providing this opportunity to speak to you.
Now, let’s go do great things together.
Thank you.