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Changing Times in Construction

Every year in the spring, leaders of IBEW local unions representing our construction membership gather in Washington, D.C., for the annual IBEW Construction Conference. The cover story in this issue of the Journal talks about some of the changes that are taking place in this industry which were discussed at the conference, and what the IBEW is doing to secure the work of the future for our members.

The fact, is that we have fought hard to claw our way back to a strong position in the construction industry. We can and must talk about the bread-and-butter issues for our locals, because, finally, we know that the bread is going to be there, and we can even afford the butter. Those in our ranks who came of age in the electrical construction industry in the 1970s probably have never seen the work picture as good as it is now in many — although unfortunately not all— parts of the United States and Canada. This provides us with the opportunity to plot a future course from a position of strength.

The plan for the future has three major elements: strategic organizing, training for new technology and more help for those experiencing hard times.

After years of study, the IBEW developed a model supplemental unemployment plan for those members affected by the inevitable ups and downs of the construction industry. It is a way to retain the best in our industry during the slack times and to maintain our position as the industry leader in meeting the customers’ needs with the highest standards of excellence. This is being implemented on a local-by-local basis.

As I have asserted on numerous occasions, our training remains the greatest weapon in our arsenal. Our training has branched into new areas, with special emphasis on computer technology, teledata, solar/voltaic work and other cutting edge technology. I am proud that we have exceeded our original goal of 50,000 journeymen taking upgrade courses. We must master the skills of the future or we will become the union of the past.

Strategy will be the key word for the construction organizing program of the present and the future. Organizing is now part of the very fabric of our union and must remain so for all time. Now, we need to build on our successes in construction organizing by choosing our targets more carefully and crafting our efforts with one goal in mind: capturing market share to put our members to work.

We are not going to allow complacency to creep into this great union and undermine of our accomplishments. We are not going to let the nonunion sector get entire segments of the market uncontested. And we most certainly are not going to slacken our efforts to win the work of the future for our members.

 To the extent that the United States and Canada have achieved economic success, we know that it came at a great price. The structure of the North American economy is radically different than it was a generation ago. It has been tempered in a world of constant change, rapid technological advances, downsizing of work forces, loss of job security and benefits, and the globalization of markets. In this industry, we know all too well that good times don’t last forever, and that downturns are inevitable. The challenge, as I see it, is to build an IBEW on the most solid foundation possible in an uncertain world.