By Jason Fincke, Executive Director
Builders Guild of Western Pennsylvania, Inc.

Nothing comes easy when it comes to development. After months of heated discussion and controversy, no sooner is the ink finally dry on one community benefits agreement, when talk of another is in the news.

A recent published article by Pittsburgh Post Gazette Senior Editor Clarke Thomas offered a refreshing perspective and insightful comments about the positive value and role that organized labor has played and continues to play in the Pittsburgh area. Among other points, Mr. Thomas highlighted the value of union apprenticeship programs, the positive impact of project labor agreements, and the many other positive societal benefits that can be attributed to organized labor. Unfortunately, all too often, the invaluable contributions that labor has made to improving working conditions for all men and women, regardless of their union or non-union affiliation, is forgotten or overlooked.

Forty hour work weeks, child labor laws, living wages and benefits, the creation of the middle class, and safe working conditions are just a few of the tangible benefits brought about largely as the result of organized labor. And while it would be nice to think that such conditions would be sustained without the presence of unions, it also would be terribly naïve. The ever growing disparity between corporate executive salaries and the wages of their workers along with the growing use and exploitation of illegal immigrants are all the proof needed to demonstrate the type of greed that would dictate the working conditions of the American worker if unions did not exist.

Mr. Clarke’s recognition of the valuable training programs offered by union building trades and their affiliated contractors was also right on target. The apprenticeship schools, such as that provided by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union #5 on the South Side, Steamfitters Local #449 in Duquesne Heights, or International Union of Operating Engineers Local Union #66 in New Alexandria, among many others, are tremendous assets for this region and include state of the art equipment and teaching facilities that are constantly being improved and expanded.

For example, in 2007 Plumbers Local Union #27 opened its new $4 million training center in North Fayette Township. Among other learning tools, the training center includes a section that replicates hospital patient and nursing station rooms that are used to teach apprentices how to install piping in critical care medical facilities. The facility also includes a two-story wooden framed house where apprentices are taught how to install piping throughout a residential home.

The Greater Pennsylvania Regional Council of Carpenters is also breaking ground on a new training center in Collier Township that will replace a three-story school building on Neville Island that no longer provides adequate space to train apprentices and further educate journeymen in the multiple disciplined carpentry industry.

Like other institutions of higher learning, the union apprenticeship schools offer exceptional education opportunities but with a much greater success rate for their graduates and without the need for public funding or tuition. In addition to providing outstanding career opportunities for local residents, these programs also enable the Pittsburgh area to maintain a skilled workforce, which is paramount to businesses when considering where to locate.

A panel of 10 site selectors at a recent developers expo co-sponsored by the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance and the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties were all in agreement that chief among businesses when determining where to locate is the quality of the available workforce, not government incentives or quality of life amenities such as parks and bike trails. While such amenities are important to a region’s overall quality of life, they have much less influence than the availability of locally skilled workforce. And when it came to education, the panel sited the need for more vo-tech training, not colleges and universities offering four-year degrees and more. That’s one reason why it is critical that union building trades and their affiliated contractors continue to support their well established apprenticeship training programs and facilities.

The commercial boom in construction that is underway is only being made possible as a result of the talented and deep pool of workers available through local building trade unions. Even with skyrocketing material costs and tightening credit markets, new projects continue to be announced by developers and owners. If a skilled workforce was not available, many of those projects would never be built or would be built in other cities and states.

Organized labor has much to be proud of in Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania. From improving working conditions and wages to developing highly skilled workers, organized labor has led the way. As the City of Pittsburgh celebrates its 250 birthday, the many unions that comprise the local labor movement ought to be recognized and thanked for the contributions that they have made and will continue to make on behalf of us all.

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A R C H I V E S

Hurdles Growing Higher For Area Developers

International Study Confirms Value of Union Apprenticeship and Job Training Programs

Help wanted in the building trades

Skilled, professional workforce lures developers