Will organized labor re-emerge as factor in local marketplace?
(Third in a series of conversations on organized labor in south Alabama)
By Chip Drago
Mobile Bay Times
Looming hurricanes put a damper on Labor Day celebrations along the Gulf Coast this fall. Recent times have certainly rained on organized labor's parade down South. However, despite a shaky economy nationally, the local field would appear to be fertile and an area of interest for union organizers.
Is a union resurgence likely to accompany the economic boom that is projected for the Mobile/Baldwin region in the wake of developments such as:
- the $4.2 billion, 29,000 construction job, 2,700 permanent job, 50,000-related job ThyssenKrupp steel plant near Calvert;
- the possibility if not likelihood of aircraft manufacturing at the Brookley Industrial Complex, and;
- full throttle ahead activities at the Austal shipyard on the downtown waterfront.
The Mobile Bay Times recently spoke with an array of attorneys, labor organizers, executives, administrators and analysts for their views on organized labor and its future locally.
"I think the future of organized labor in Mobile will be bright. I think organized labor offers a lot in regard to the economic development we all see on our horizon.
At the first level, organized labor can and will provide value in the area of workforce development. With the huge increase in demand of trained workers, organized labor is perfectly suited to help Mobile live up to the promises we made to those investing in us. That is, organized labor is perfectly suited to provide the skilled manpower necessary to the industries and companies choosing Mobile as their new home.
Organized labor has well established four-year apprenticeship programs which have been established and well funded for decades. Each craft has its own specific and individualized apprenticeship program. These program turn out well trained workers that take pride in their work. I can't think of any other programs already in place and capable of contributing to workforce development in
such a way.
At another level, I think organized labor will help ensure
that the economic development we experience will be good for the whole community and not just the few big businesses that come here. Organized labor will no doubt be concerned that the thousands of workers needed for projects such as TK have fair wages, pensions, insurance or health and welfare programs. Such programs make for a community of folks who are capable of spending at a level that benefits the general local economy, capable of retiring self-sufficient and with pride, and remain healthy and contribute to a safe workforce."
-- Vance McCrary,
attorney/president, Mobile Area Democratic Association
"I think the pendulum may swing a bit back toward labor locally for several reasons.
First, with new Democratic strength at the federal level, organizing will be made easier.
Second, thanks to globalization and a consistent pattern de-emphasizing the manufacturing sector by Washington (by both Democratic and Republican Administrations), unions have suffered. The pendulum is swinging a bit against trade agreements. Realistically, the pendulum won't swing much in that direction, but it will swing some. And when it does, unions will benefit.
Finally, and maybe most importantly, the major new plants and facilities that are coming to Mobile may well create major new strongholds for unions.
There has always been an economic populist streak in Mobile. This makes good soil for union development. The local environment is very socially conservative, but on economic issues the environment is more favorable to unions."
-- CMA,
lobbyist
"Organized labor in our area has seen a mixed bag of success and deterioration lately. On one hand the construction trades have seen an increase for many of the more skilled crafts because the shortage of truly 'skilled workers.' Employers are turning to union tradesmen to perform the work that some of the non-union contractors cannot do on time or on budget.
On the manufacturing side, those unions have not fared as well because of the downsizing, outsourcing and elimination of American jobs in favor cheap foreign labor. The recent location of two steel mills in the area are positive signs for unions because those types of industries have stable workforces that could unionize.
The amazing thing to me is we, as a community, continue to let the union haters dominate the business decisions and workers are paying the price for their folly. Take a long hard look at what just happened to the EADS aircraft facility: Boeing and the Machinist union stopped the project, for now anyway, to try to keep the contract at an American company with union employees. Local business should learn from this mistake and work with unions as Boeing did to attract good paying jobs for our citizens. We would all be much better off.
-- Michael Tindal,
labor business manager
"There is room for both open shop and union workers in our area. Considering craft labor, there is sufficient competition and thus most contracts are awarded on cost and performance. This gives a well-managed union contractor
an equal opportunity to compete against open shop contractors.
In some cases, a union contractor can actually have an advantage because of the union apprentice program. A contractor can negotiate to staff a job with a
mix of journeymen and apprentices, effectively lowering the average rate on the job. Additionally, the union apprentice program is developing a future workforce.
The advantage of the open shop contractor is more flexibility in work assignment. Without the burden of prescriptive work rules, the contractor can assign people to work, when necessary, on tasks that would not ordinarily be within their job classification.
Relative to workers not in the craft/contractor workforce, i.e. plant workers, there is little, if any advantage to working in a union shop. Wages and benefits are driven by supply and demand, thus there is little difference in union and non-union operations. There is usually more flexibility in non-union facilities, but that generally leads to more
interesting assignments in non-union facilities since workers have more freedom to use more of their abilities, leading to a more fulfilling work experience."
-- PDQ,
industrial consultant
