Building a Union Career
What makes the construction industry different from other industries?
Jobs can't be exported. It's hard to imagine a day where the building needed in Kansas will be built in China and shipped overseas. According to the Buireau for Labor Statistics, the construction industry has been identified as the only goods-producing sector in which employment is expected to grow between 2002 and 2012.
Careers
If you find yourself fascinated with the construction of bridges, skyscrapers, schools and roads, construction might be a career choice for you.
There are many career opportunities in the construction industry. These jobs include carpenters, masons, plumbers and electricians. Employees in these jobs are highly skilled in their trades and gain their education through registered apprenticeships, technical school/college programs or AAS degrees at local community colleges.
"Apprenticeship:Building Your Career" video is available on YouTube or by DVD
Submitted by JohnSee on Wed, 04/03/2013 - 12:11pm"Apprenticeship:Building Your Career" is a fast-paced twelve-minute video overview of what it means to be an apprentice in today's Building Trades. Shooting began last spring and was centered around the $243 million renovation of Union Depot in St.Paul. Over a dozen apprentices agreed to appear in the video in interviews as well as being filmed working at their job sites. As it happened, shooting finished just as the Union Depot opened its doors to the public after years of reconstruction and rehabilitation. Read more »
A New Woman: Program Prepares New York Women in the Building Trades
Submitted by JohnSee on Wed, 04/03/2013 - 11:59amThe Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) program in New York City prepares women for careers in construction and related industries through an innovative training and placement program that guides low-income women toward a meaningful career and solid financial footing. Read more »
Twin Cities janitors, security officers ratify new contracts
Submitted by JohnSee on Wed, 03/06/2013 - 12:32pmAfter two months without a contract, hundreds of hours of negotiations and a one-day strike, janitors and security officers represented by Service Employees International Union Local 26 voted Saturday to approve new contracts. Read more »
Women, often working through unions, are transforming the world
Submitted by JohnSee on Wed, 03/06/2013 - 12:29pmby Tula Connell - Women make up more than 40.5% of the workforce worldwide, according to the most recent data by the International Labor Organization. But their labor has not resulted in a similar level in financial well-being.
Far from it.
Although women contribute 66% of the world's work and produce 50% of the food, they earn 10% of global income and own 1% of property, a 2011 United National Development Program report finds. Read more »
IBEW Face-to-Face Organizing
Submitted by JohnSee on Tue, 02/05/2013 - 2:00pmIn an age of smartphones, email and the Internet, members of IBEW local unions in the Pacific Northwest are going back to the basics to spread the union's message. They're using good, old-fashioned, in-person communication to reach out to their fellow union members and future union members.
"Apprenticeship:Building Your Career" video premiers at Apprentice Fundraiser
Submitted by JohnSee on Fri, 01/18/2013 - 5:39pmA highlight of the Mancini's Night / Annual Injured Apprentice Fundraiser on January 16 was the first public showing of "Apprenticeship:Building Your Career," a fast-paced twelve -minute video overview of what it means to be an apprentice in the Building Trades. Read more »
Congressional panel approves Stillwater bridge plan
Submitted by JohnSee on Thu, 10/06/2011 - 12:30pm(from Minnesota Public Radio)
A congressional committee gave the green light Wednesday to a $700 million plan to replace the aging lift bridge in Stillwater. The bill to allow construction of a replacement bridge easily passed the House Natural Resources Committee. The National Parks service has ruled the bridge would violate the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and Rep. Rush Holt, D-New Jersey, cited that in making a veiled criticism of the bridge bill's sponsor, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn. Read more »
Keystone Hearing in Nebraska Sandhills Draws Mostly Critics, and Passions Flare
Submitted by JohnSee on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 12:24pm(by Lisa Song, Inside Climate News) Read more »
Secretary of Labor Solis in Minneapolis at the 10th Ave Bridge
Submitted by JohnSee on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 2:35pmSecretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis visited with construction workers, politicians, and business leaders at the 10th Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis on Thursday, Sept. 29 She was in Minneapolis to discuss the American Jobs Act’s impact for Minnesota’s economy and the state’s workers. She also addressed a national young workers conference hosted by the AFL-CIO to discuss what the president’s plan means for youth, college students and young professionals. Read more »
AFL-CIO Building Investment Trust Honors over 150 Workers at Flux Apartments
Submitted by JohnSee on Wed, 09/21/2011 - 12:35pmThe AFL-CIO Building Investment Trust (BIT) and Greco Development LLC recently held an appreciation luncheon to honor union workers at the Flux Apartments' construction site in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis. Over 150 workers, all members of unions affiliated with the Minneapolis Building and Construction Trades Council, were in attendance. Guests were also joined by national and local labor leaders who recognized the BIT for its commitment to job creation in the area and praised the workers for their skill and professionalism. Read more »