The End of the New York Plan, and a New Time of Uncertainty for New York-Area Subs
America the beautiful, land of opportunity. We all cherish that thought, but how do you right-size (especially a union or a government) when economies change and there is a paradigm shift?
It’s not easy, and it only happens as the competitive marketplace ultimately dictates. That’s our system and that will always be our system.
In the Big Apple, there has been a big blow to what had been the long-standing mission of the Building Trades Employers Association (BTEA). What was known for years as the New York Plan is no longer in place and starting January 1st, general contractors that still belong to the BTEA are allowed to take open-shop pricing as well union pricing.
Essentially, general contractors will be eating at two subcontractor buffet lines.
All New York City-area construction not built under a project labor agreement (PLA) may be built under lower rates. Large New York buildings will start to be built open shop; we’re going from a blue to a red state here.
An open-shop contractor from Idaho could come in and start working here while we are still bound by the old contracts.
Will there be fights in the streets over who performs the work as the skyscrapers rise?
Will the opportunist-protestors at Zuccotti Park join the fray?
As union contractors, with the business proposition changing, what will our world look like?
Our big city wage-benefit systems are out of whack and need to be right-sized. I recently spoke to the training group at the Philadelphia carpenters' union and I was so impressed with the facility and their leadership.
With New York carpenters getting around $100/hr., will they become like Detroit autoworkers?
And how is it that a Philadelphia carpenter is $40 cheaper than the New York City carpenter?
He/she is certainly as capable at certain tasks within a closer range of value! I say protect the wage and make sure the benefit can keep the pension intact with health care, but nothing else. Anything more and the system can’t afford it anymore (remember the paradigm shift?).
We still have the best workforce, but it’s just too darn expensive. To an Owner, for whom we really all work, we and our workers are just another piece of data on a spreadsheet.
Doug McCarron, Louis Coletti ex Federal Judge Kenneth Conboy are trade raiding and selling out the rank & file Union Carpenter, all under the guise of an ongoing 22-year Criminal RICO c...
December 9, 2011
Doug McCarron, Louis Coletti ex Federal Judge Kenneth Conboy are trade raiding and selling out the rank & file Union Carpenter, all under the guise of an ongoing 22-year Criminal RICO consent decree under the nose of the U.S. Attorney & FBI's office.
BTEA & the Building & Construction Trades Council are funded by the Union Carpenters and all other Tradesman they seek put back 100-years by openly & brazenly running alter-ego & double-breasted operations in clear defiance on known Labor Laws and precedent cases, while - of course simultaneously raping members Treasuries and lining their own Pockets.
It's sickening and it is criminal. McCarron has been bribing Consgressman & Senators for years and now has his sights on the NLRB & DOL which he also pays off. He belongs in jail with Mike Forde, a man he put into Office as the District Councils EST. Forde is now serving 11-years & 3-months in Club Fed & Doug needs to be in the cell next door.
Never mind the crap about Global this & Global that. It is time for ENR to start supporting union workers. This is not Dubaii or the Far East and NYC Construction workers should not be competing with illegal aliens championed by McCarron, BTEA or BCTC, nor should they be competing with imported Foreign Nationals which is their ultimate end game, because these peopel will live on company Camps on the construction site & shop at the company store.
ENR needs to stop pushing the Kool Aid! Had Siverstein awarded the WTC to the No-Union Open Shop General Contractors & Subcontracors you love so much (they don't have the credit, bonding or insurance or skills required) they would not even be out of the ground as of December 9, 2011 given the same NTP date for each respective contract, and ENR darn well knows it....so stop the baloney!
BTEA & the Building & Construction Trades Council are funded by the Union Carpenters and all other Tradesman they seek put back 100-years by openly & brazenly running alter-ego & double-breasted operations in clear defiance on known Labor Laws and precedent cases, while - of course simultaneously raping members Treasuries and lining their own Pockets.
It's sickening and it is criminal. McCarron has been bribing Consgressman & Senators for years and now has his sights on the NLRB & DOL which he also pays off. He belongs in jail with Mike Forde, a man he put into Office as the District Councils EST. Forde is now serving 11-years & 3-months in Club Fed & Doug needs to be in the cell next door.
Never mind the crap about Global this & Global that. It is time for ENR to start supporting union workers. This is not Dubaii or the Far East and NYC Construction workers should not be competing with illegal aliens championed by McCarron, BTEA or BCTC, nor should they be competing with imported Foreign Nationals which is their ultimate end game, because these peopel will live on company Camps on the construction site & shop at the company store.
ENR needs to stop pushing the Kool Aid! Had Siverstein awarded the WTC to the No-Union Open Shop General Contractors & Subcontracors you love so much (they don't have the credit, bonding or insurance or skills required) they would not even be out of the ground as of December 9, 2011 given the same NTP date for each respective contract, and ENR darn well knows it....so stop the baloney!
Thx for your comment. The corruption in labor markets seems to never end. At the same the UBC has done good things so it is both a local and national issue. I'm not sure where the BTEA ...
January 2, 2012
Thx for your comment. The corruption in labor markets seems to never end. At the same the UBC has done good things so it is both a local and national issue. I'm not sure where the BTEA fits in other than administrating the New York Plan which they don't do anymore. Interestingly while my earlier post declared it "over", the New York Plan is still in force in the BTCT there is no one appointed to administer the Plan thus leaving it of no value at this time. Judge Ken Conboy seems like a good guy but yes, it would be nice to have more transparency in the process.
Thx and I agree. What do u mean by NTP date?
March 12, 2012
Thx and I agree. What do u mean by NTP date?
