Why Union?
Jerry Smith was going in for heart surgery and asked his
doctor who he would recommend as a surgeon. His doctor felt
Dr. Krane was the best in the field but because he was a
specialist he was more expensive. Jerry also heard of Dr.
Dean who was
a pretty good surgeon but hadn't had as much experience as
Dr. Krane. Who did Jerry's surgery? It doesn't matter, what
matters is "who would have done your surgery?"
Know what you're getting
Choosing a surgeon who is a specialist is like choosing
a union trained craftsman because they are specialists in
the construction field. You are guaranteed of a craftsman
who has had years of training which helps to get the job done
right the first time. No one wants to reconstruct any portion
of a building project, and with union craftsman working for
you that can be virtually eliminated.
I asked general contractor Al Lysne of A.J. Lysne Construction
why he preferred using union craftsman. He said, "Wherever
we have a project going up I know that by hiring union help
I'll have a crew that knows the job and will finish the project
as quickly as my regular crew.
Can you afford not to use union labor?
High quality skilled union labor is sometimes perceived
as expensive. This is when you really need to look at the
facts
because this is far from the truth. An independent study
done by the University of Minnesota shows that the union
craftsman
is 45% more efficient on the job compared to unskilled labor.
That means it only takes 2 union craftsman to do the work
of 3.5 unskilled workers, and with union workers you still
maintain the higher quality.
Are you paying for the training of unskilled labor?
When you hire union craftsman you're guaranteed of their
training. If you've used unskilled labor before you may ask
yourself, "Have I ever had the guarantee of any employees
training?" Probably not, and that's because there is
no formal training. Their training probably consisted of what
they learn on your time and at your expense. Hopefully they
learn from that first mistake!
 Proper
training means showing correct procedures in classes before
they get to the work site and that training is done
in the apprenticeship programs. Union apprentices have to
take job and safety training classes along with their supervised
training.
Hidden Expenses
One important factor that can't be overlooked is the safety
record of the contract laborers. Union craftsman have the
highest safety standard and that's because of the constant
training. No union craftsman is ever done taking safety training
because there is continuous training throughout every union
members career.
When someone is hurt on the work site how does it affect
you? As an owner you are legally responsible for injuries
on the work site. Less injuries mean less responsibility for
you! That's why union labor is constantly being trained on
safety in the workplace. Safety is also an important issue
for the contractors because a safe work site lowers contractors
insurance rates--which can mean savings to you. |
