Fiscal Year October 2006 - September 2007 A Message from the Co-Chairs At a time when the tide is turning against unions nationally, Massachusetts building trades unions and their employers offer a stark contrast to national trends, with a record of achievement that is the envy of the industry. In fact, in this highly competitive economy, the union construction sector is uniquely poised to help drive future development in the Commonwealth. Some of the most respected institutions and businesses in Massachusetts, such as Harvard University, Bristol Meyers Squibb, Fidelity, Holy Cross, and Northeastern University, have committed to using union labor on their recent building projects. In fact, during 2005 and 2006, union signatory construction managers and general contractors were responsible for an overwhelming majority of commercial construction projects being built in Massachusetts, at a value of over $10.3 billion. The success of union construction in Massachusetts has clearly benefited all those involved: workers are properly trained and earn a respectable wage and benefits; employers have immediate access to a skilled workforce, and owners can take comfort in knowing that their projects will be completed by highly trained personnel and experienced management, safely, on time, and within budget. The Construction Institute will help to build on the achievements of union construction and meet industry challenges ahead. With labor and management working hand in hand, the Institute will serve as a vital communications, research, and education resource, aiding to secure the future of union construction in Massachusetts. This collaboration could not have occurred at a more important time for the industry and the customers we serve. Thomas J. Gunning Executive Director Francis X. Callahan, Jr. President Building Trades Employers Association Massachusetts Building Trades Council Our Mission at a Glance We take the opportunity at the close of each fiscal year to look back at our past accomplishments and forward to the opportunities ahead. In 2005, we embarked upon a significant expansion of the mission of The Construction Institute (TCI) with the goal of securing a more promising future for the unionized sector of the construction industry. Through the support of scholarly research, proactive communications, education for continuous improvement and enhanced industry relations, TCI's mission is to make a clear business case that the only way to assure that a construction project is of the highest quality, is to insist on the skill, experience, and safety that only union construction can provide. The 2006 - 2007 fiscal year was dedicated to reorganizing our governing board and developing new programs and activities to better effectuate our new mission. Highlights of Our Accomplishments Governance The expansion of TCI's mission from one that was dedicated to promoting workplace safety and health to a more broad-based purpose of promoting union construction, also contemplated a reconstitution of the Board of Directors from one that was comprised primarily of individuals with training and safety responsibilities, to one that consists of labor and management representatives who hold leadership positions in their respective organizations. The new Board provides for 34 seats equally divided between labor and management. Each International Union is allowed one local representative on the Board to represent labor. Additionally, the Massachusetts Building Trades Council and the Metropolitan Boston Building Trades Council both have standing seats on the Board. Their management counterparts are filled by representatives from signatory contractor employer associations. The process of reorganizing the Board began in September 2007 and will continue in the next fiscal year until all 34 seats have been filled. Research An earlier study commissioned by TCI showed an overall lack of high quality quantitative research both on the impact of unionization in construction, and on factors which could positively affect the future of union construction in Massachusetts. In most areas of the debate about the significance of unionization, we are faced with commissioned advocacy studies produced by partisan public policy institutes or very elementary and simplistic research studies. Given the stakes for our industry and its workers, as well as the larger public policy surrounding the construction industry, TCI has made research a priority under its expanded mission. This year, TCI embarked upon one small scale research project designed to fill a gap in our knowledge about apprenticeship training outcomes in Massachusetts. This project will be concluded next year. TCI also continued to serve in an advisory capacity on a study underway at Harvard School of Public Health looking at falls from ladders, and on various occupational safety and health research projects being conducted by the Center to Protect Workers Rights. Communications TCI began to implement a communications program this year with a splash. Through articles, letters to the editor and op-ed pieces, TCI was in the press across the Commonwealth making the business case to owners and users, and the general public, as to why union contractors and labor should be the unanimous choice for construction projects. As a result of TCI's exposure, TCI is now well on its way to becoming a recognized source of information on construction industry issues in Massachusetts. In this vein, TCI also instituted the Pride in Construction Project of the Year Award - the only award of its kind recognizing a project built in Massachusetts using union contractors and workers. The first award recipient, Lee Kennedy Company, was honored for its exemplary work on the Simmons College Beatley Library project. Education This year our education and outreach programs continued to focus on making improvements in workplace safety and health, although TCI also ventured into providing programming in areas relating to its expanded mission of enhancing union construction. Workplace Safety and Health Courses TCI is recognized for providing high quality, cost-effective, workplace safety and health courses for employers and workers alike. Over the years, TCI's educational programs have resulted in increased awareness of safety and health hazards and controls for thousands of workers, employers, and other construction industry stakeholders. During this fiscal year, our courses reached 174 workers and employers, bringing our total to over 5,700 since our creation in 1998. Since 1998, TCI has endeavored to ensure that all union construction workers represented by affiliates of the Massachusetts Building Trades Council complete the OSHA 10-Hour Construction Industry Outreach Program in the recognition, avoidance, and prevention of unsafe and unhealthy working conditions. Our job was made easier with the recent passage of legislation in Massachusetts which requires contractors bidding on publicly-funded projects to certify that all workers on the project have completed the OSHA 10 course. During the year, TCI conducted OSHA 10 hour courses for workers, many of whom needed this course in order to work on an active publicly-funded job. Additionally, TCI conducted an OSHA 500 Train-the-Trainer course for apprentice instructors and safety and health professionals. TCI has offered this course nearly annually to build the capacity of participants to deliver the OSHA 10- and 30 programs at their own training facilities and jobsites. The OSHA 500 course was combined with a trainer course on Disaster Response which prepares trainers to present OSHA's Disaster Site Worker course. With funding from the Department of Industrial Accidents, TCI was also able to offer courses in Hazard Identification and Controls and in Worker Participation for Improved Safety Performance. These courses were designed to improve safety performance on construction job sites by educating employees who have safety responsibilities in the identification and control of job hazards and in achieving a level of worker involvement in safety that will promote an injury free culture in the workplace. Curriculum Development While TCI historically has focused on delivering education and outreach programs, last year we produced a DVD-based, bi-lingual education program on Excavation and Trenching Safety for Workers. We built on our experience this year, with the production of a DVD-based educational tool on the four high hazards in construction - falls, struck-by, electrocution, and caught-in-between. Hundreds of safety and health professionals from across the country have received complimentary DVDs. Both projects were funded through grants under the OSHA Susan Harwood Training Grant Program. BuildSafe Boston TCI continued to play a lead role in an initiative known as BuildSafe to make Boston the safest place to work in construction. BuildSafe strives to change the focus of safety from a requirement to comply, to care and concern for the individual worker. It is a high performance safety system that integrates first class safety practices and procedures with a mindset that is intolerant of any level, frequency, or severity of incident or injury. This year resulted in the finalization of a Memorandum of Understanding between participating contractors and unions that sets criteria and performance indicators for achieving BuildSafe safety excellence. Public Policy TCI continued to work with several outside committees during the year to explore public policy and other solutions to improving workplace safety and health on such topics as falls, safer alternatives, and OSHA coverage for public sector employees. Construction Conference & Expo This year TCI held its first conference & expo since it initiated its expanded mission in 2005. The conference, held on April 29 - May 2, 2007, introduced a series of plenary and workshop sessions focusing on market development for union construction, along with its traditional sessions on hot topics in workspace safety and health. Keynote speakers included Mark Breslin, a noted labor strategist who spoke about leadership development in the labor management community; and Jay Greenspan, an expert in developing high performance safety systems, including the injury and incident free program that is the foundation of the BuildSafe initiative. The annual conference was also an opportunity for TCI to continue a 38-year tradition of honoring significant achievements by men and women in advancing safety and health in the workplace. The Volpe-Eagan Safety Awards are conferred in honor of Patrick Volpe and Edward F. Eagan, both pioneers in promoting health and safety in the construction industry. Our 2007 Safety Award recipients were Chris Ziegler, Safety Director for the Massachusetts Chapter of the AGC and Benn Tilton, Coordinator of the Boston Carpenters Training Center. Industry Relations The importance of creating a unified voice representing both labor and management across all trades is essential to the success of TCI's expansion. This year TCI began the work of facilitating the exchange of information and discussion among labor and management to include analysis of their mutual needs and critical trends affecting their future beyond workplace safety and health, and the development of strategies for improvement from a marketing, operations, and training standpoint. A Look to the Future We have a new and exciting future ahead of us, as we begin to more fully implement our new programs to facilitate our expanded mission. During the next fiscal year, TCI will complete the reorganization of its Board of Directors to fully reflect all 15 building trades and their management counterparts. TCI will also define its research funding protocol and agenda and begin to solicit proposals from the finest institutions of higher education and other research institutions throughout the country. TCI plans to hire an experienced professional to build upon the proactive communications program already underway. TCI will be uniquely positioned to support its communication messages by the results of the scholarly research it commissions. TCI will also host a summit for industry leaders to identify collaborative breakthrough opportunities for developing a healthier environment for union construction. Additionally, since TCI's ultimate audience is owners/users, design professionals and the consuming public, TCI will become more actively engaged in this community to both showcase union construction achievements, and to learn more about their needs and how best to meet them. Sponsors and Contributors Unlike many labor-management organizations in our industry, TCI does not receive collectively bargained contributions based on hours worked. Our programs have been funded largely through state and federal grants, program fees, special events, and the generous contributions from our donors. With the changeover from CSA to TCI, we have instituted a new system to better secure our financial viability. TCI has determined its revenue needs and then equitably calculated the amount of each trade's labor management portion of the budgeted revenue on a per capita basis. The labor and management leaders of each trade determine together how best to raise the requested funds (e.g., from labor-management funds, industry promotion funds, trade associations, unions, etc.). TCI would like to thank our donors for the generous gifts they have contributed during the period from October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2007. Over $178,000 was donated in conference sponsorships, and in per capita and general contributions. If we have made an inappropriate listing, please accept our apologies and please notify us immediately. 2006 Conference Sponsors Bovis Lend Lease Building Trades Employers Association Carpenters Labor Management Program Lee Kennedy Company Massachusetts Construction Advancement Program New England Laborers Labor-Management Cooperative Trust Pembrooke Occupational Health Inc. Skanska USA Building T.J. McCartney Contributions Carpenters Labor Management Program Friends of Joseph Dart Committee Electrical Industry Labor-Management Cooperative Trust Massachusetts Laborers District Council UA Local 51 Labor-Management Cooperative Trust Annual Report Fiscal Year 2005 - 2006 Annual Report Fiscal Year 2004 - 2005 Annual Report Fiscal Year 2003 - 2004 Annual Report Fiscal Year 2002 - 2003
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