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Survival story: worker responsibility key to future of construction unions, strategist says

Date Posted: May 11 2007

SOUTHFIELD - Mark Breslin called his seminar "Survival of the Fittest," but from the outset, he suggested that there's a better name for the presentation.

"'What's in it for you' - that should be the title," said Breslin. "To be very blunt, no b.s., that's what this talk is all about this afternoon, the only thing that matters: what's in it for you in the union construction industry."

Breslin's spoke to an April 30 mid-day audience of 550, the vast majority of whom were construction worker apprentices. Also in attendance were contractors, contractor association reps and union officials. Breslin's name might be familiar: we've run articles in the past on Breslin's presentations in various locales in Michigan. Breslin is an author and a self-described trainer and strategist whose mission is to increase the value of union construction across North America. He is also the executive director of the Engineering and Utility Contractors Association in California.

His message can be pared down to this: the future of unionized construction in Michigan and the U.S. hinges on the ability and willingness of individual construction workers to provide value for the work they do. "If you think your union or the construction industry is going to take care of you, you're mistaken," Breslin said. "You have to take care of your own business."

What that means, Breslin said, is that workers must make themselves assets to their employers by learning their craft, working hard and doing the best job possible. It also means for the good of the industry, workers, unions and contractors must weed out the workers who don't pull their own weight, because they're the ones holding down the union brand.

Following is a lengthy set of bulleted points that summarizes Breslin's observations about - and suggestions for - the unionized construction industry.

  • "Vast areas of North America are completely nonunion," Breslin said. "Seventy percent of all building trades union members live in 13 states." He said having only "islands of unionism" in major American cities is not a healthy business plan for the future. "The trend line is going down," he said, with 13-15 percent of the nation's construction currently union, and about 85 percent going nonunion. Those numbers were reversed 40 years ago, Breslin said. "If I'm an apprentice that has to concern me," he said. "I'd be concerned that I'll be working at Home Depot in 10 years, because we didn't do the right thing today."
  • Owners in corporate America don't care if construction work is done union or nonunion, Breslin said. They care about how much it costs, the quality, and the schedule. Throw in the fact that unions only hold 13-15 percent of the U.S. market, plus polling shows that unions are viewed negatively by the public and construction decision-makers (over perceived high costs and excessive work rules), and unions have some big built-in problems.
  • It's instructive to learn what other organizations have done when faced with adversity. When American corporate icon Harley-Davidson fell into ownership by AMF, the bowling ball company, the once-proud motorcycle manufacturer "made junk" Breslin said. Harley was threatened by imports from Kawasaki and Honda, which were initially said to have poor quality and poor competition - "that's also what they first said about nonunion construction," Breslin said. Two decades later, with a re-commitment to quality, good design and worker training, Harley-Davidson is back. Breslin said their brand is now so good, they sold $350 million worth of apparel alone last year. "Harley reinvented their business model," Breslin said. "If I'm an apprentice, I want to make damn sure we have a Harley plan in place."
  • Kodak similarly reinvented itself. Throughout the 20th Century, the name Kodak was synonymous with film, cameras and picture-taking. Then along came digital photography. "Kodak was told 'we don't need your film products any more, you're irrelevant,' " Breslin said. "They changed in a very short period of time. They said this isn't working, and last year they shipped five million digital cameras."
  • *On the other hand, another American iconic brand, Oldsmobile, died a few years ago. The brand's death was caused in good part, Breslin said, by continuing to market to old people. "They were continuing to make boxy, old-people cars - but the problem is, Aunt Betty died," Breslin said.
  • *Breslin then turned the focus on union construction. "How can union construction go under? We've been going under for the last 40 years," he said. "We need to deal with reality." He said all the parties who have an interest in the delivery of union construction need to be on board and respect each other- while acknowledging that "we're all in this together." For example, he said construction workers may have the impression that contractors were "born with a wad of cash in their pocket." He said workers should consider the fact that contractors take "100 percent of the risk" on any given job, and probably put their own house up as collateral when their business was started. Breslin said on the job, contractors take the risk and organize the work, unions organize the workforce and provide the labor, and workers are responsible for the largest part of the business model: doing the work properly.
  • Time is a factor for getting the union construction industry turned around - and it's all about demographics. There are 155 million U.S. workers who were born prior to World War II and through the end of the Baby Boom generation in 1964. They are retiring en masse. There are only 46 million Generation Xers (born 1965-81) and 76 million "Millenials" (1982-2000) to support the previous generations' health care and pensions. In the near future a large portion of construction workers must be signed into unions in order to sustain the benefits that set unions apart. "You must secure the marketplace, you must grow and sustain this industry if you want it to be there for you," Breslin said.
  • How can the unionized construction industry turn its market share around? By focusing on its core advantages, Breslin said. Higher productivity. Higher worker skills. Safer job sites. Drug-free workplaces. Workers and their contractors must embrace those factors that add quality and value to jobs, and which set them apart from the nonunion - then take care of business on the job. "It's not always about what's cheapest," Breslin said, pointing out that consumers have no problem paying more for quality brand names - whether they're buying Trojan condoms or Harley motorcycles. "Top brands promise value and people pay more for a top brand because the brands promise something in return," Breslin said. "People don't think that unions offer a good product," and marketing efforts need to be revamped to convince them otherwise. Breslin suggested that the "Union Yes" campaign, or "Proud To Be A Union… (fill in the trade) on ubiquitous bumper stickers, is meaningless as a marketing tool. "Don't give me feel-good stuff, tell me about better value, faster and safer jobs, customer satisfaction, responsive, more productive and professional work," he said.
  • Most construction workers are already giving 100 percent every day. But audience participants, when asked by Breslin, said anywhere from 10 to 30 percent of workers are slackers. Even if it is 10 percent, Breslin said, what kind of condition would Red Wing Shoes be in, if 10 percent of their shoes had loose stitching? Or if 10 percent of Trojan condoms were defective? Or if 10 percent of Ford vehicles had a "check-engine" light on? "How can you ask for a premium price on your labor when you have a 10 percent failure rate?" Breslin asked. Absenteeism, particularly on Mondays and Fridays, is also a headache for contractors. He acknowledged that some unions, citing the IBEW, the pipe trades and heat and frost insulators, have instituted new on-the-job code of conduct standards in an effort to weed out those low-performing workers. "Some people think that having a union card equals entitlement," Breslin said. "Those days are over. How do you feel if you're giving your all and the other guy is goofing off? You guys are seeing this every day in the field, people telling you to slow down. You're going to be paying for their retirement. Who's going to care about yours?"
Mark Breslin addresses an audience of 550 in Southfield.