"Labor is prior to and independent of capital.
Capital is only the fruit of labor and could not have existed
had not labor first existed.
Labor is the superior of capital and deserves much the higher consideration."

-Abraham Lincoln

"With all their faults, trade-unions have done more for humanity
than any other organization of men that ever existed.
They have done more for decency, for honesty, for education,
for the betterment of the race, for the developing of character in man,
than any other association of men."

-Clarence Darrow
The Railroad Trainman (Nov. 1909)

Introduction

The local union is the basic unit of the Building Trades. Some locals have only dozens of members and some have thousands. Regardless of size, the principal of operation is the same. A local union is the people in it, and the people are the union.

Manufacturers, merchants, business people, doctors - just about every known profession has their own organization. A union is exactly the same thing for workers.

Unions play an important function by giving workers a voice in discussing issues that affect their lives, such as pay, benefits and working conditions. Local Unions receive technical and legal assistance, guidance, and advice from their International Offices.

Union members elect their own officers, and those officers answer to the members. Each member has equal voice and vote at regular democratically conducted meetings.

WE ARE ALL DOING THE SAME WORK.

THE PRICE OF MATERIAL IS THE SAME FOR EVERYONE.

THE CONTRACTORS' BIDS ARE THE SAME,
WE GET SOME THEY GET SOME.

THE DIFFERENCE IS THE UNION CONTRACTORS PAY THEIR WORKERS A LIVING WAGE, HEALTH CARE AND A PENSION.

WHERE DO THE PROFITS OF THE NON-UNION CONTRACTORS GO?

 GET YOUR FAIR SHARE!

THE
A  B  C

Did you know that while non-union Building Contractors, fight tooth and nail to keep their employees from banding together to improve the conditions of their labor, they have formed their own association called The Associated Building Contractors (ABC).

They band together to advance their political agenda and to attack the rights of workers.

They PAY DUES to pay lobbyists, lawyers and others. They hold seminars teaching members how to keep employees from organizing in the same way for their collective protection.

• Threatening to fire for union activity
• Threatening to demote, reprimand, or punish in any way because of union activity.
• Conducting widespread anti-union interrogation.
• Threatening to relocate to escape the union.
• Promising benefit to employees in return for anti-union activities.
• Interfering with communication among employees or with attempts to organize by such means as unduly restrictive no solicitation rules.
• Spying on union meetings.
• Granting benefits or wage increases timed to defeat union activity.

Sec. 7  Employees shall have the right to self organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection.

Sec 8(a)   It shall be an unfair labor practice for an employer

1. (1) to interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed in Sec. 7.
2. (3) by discrimination in regard to hire or tenure of employment or any term or condition of employment to encourage or discourage membership in any labor organization.
3.  (4) to discharge or otherwise discriminate against an employee because he has filed charges or given testimony under the act.

The laws were enacted in 1931 and 1933 to discourage the awarding of public works contracts to employers who frequently under bid local employers by paying their workers substantially less than normally received by workers in an area. Government agencies are precluded from awarding exclusively to local employers because various bid laws require that contracts be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder. As wages are the most controllable factor in the bidding process, workers are put in the precarious position of having their wages manipulated by their employer. This problem creates instability in the local construction industry. The prevailing wage rate laws were enacted to provide a solution to this problem.

The laws mandate that all workers employed on public works projects must receive wages that are representative of the wages normally paid to workers on similar private projects in the area. Employers are required to base their bids on prudent planning, good management and supervision, skill and efficiency of their workers, and not solely on the wages paid to their workers.

Most projects must exceed a specified dollar thresh hold to be covered by the laws. For a single trade anything over $33,000 and $164,000 for multiple trades.

Yes it includes the hourly rate of pay, plus the hourly contributions for health and welfare, pension and other economic benefits. If your employer does not have a health or pension plan, the amounts listed must be added to your hourly rate.

Yes, all employers must post a clearly legible copy of the wage determination in at least one conspicuous and easily accessible place on the project site. The determination must remain posted as long as any worker is employed on the project.

No, all workers must be paid the full wages they are due. Any worker who knowingly gives up, waves, or returns any wages earned, is guilty of a class C misdemeanor which is punishable by a fine of up to $500, imprisonment, or both.

The answers provided are applicable in most, but not all, situations. This is a brief and partial overview of the law because a variety of facts must frequently be considered in order to make a proper interpretation of these laws.

If you find yourself being mistreated by a dirty no good penny pinching, slave driving boss, it is important to have good records to prove your complaint. Don't wait for the incident to start. You should begin keeping records long before this (while your employer still has you fooled into thinking they are a nice person). The more information the better. Here are some suggestions.

• Hours - Time worked each day
• Job number or name
• Location - city, street etc.
• Foreman - Supervisor
• Reports of injuries
• Safety violations
• Save all check stubs

• Complain to a union, employer, OSHA,  or any government agency about safety and health hazards.
• File safety or health grievances.
• Participate in OSHA conferences, hearings, or other OSHA related activities.
• Review copies of appropriate OSHA standards, rules, regulations, and requirements that the employer should have available at the work place.
• Request information from your employer on safety and health hazards in the area.
• Receive adequate training and information on work place safety and health hazards.
• Request the OSHA area director to investigate if you believe hazardous conditions or violations of standards exist.
• Be advised of OSHA actions regarding your complaint.
• Respond to questions from the OSHA compliance officer.
• Submit a written request to NIOSH for information on whether any substance in your work place has potentially toxic affects.
• If your employer has more than 10 employees, the employer must maintain records of all work related injuries and illness, and you are entitled to review those records.
• If an employee is exercising these or other OSHA rights, the employer is not allowed to punish the worker in any way, such as through firing, demotion, taking away of seniority or other earned benefits.

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