This month in February we are focusing on the Union Building Trades which only make up 15 percent of the United States. The first trade we are focusing on is the Carpenters Union on the East Coast of the United States which is now recognized as Keystone Mountain Lakes Regional Council of Carpenters. Transformation occurred in 2016 but it began much earlier as many members watched individual rights stripped away from the members but was this decision made for the best interest of the members by the members or was it made for a power seize of control to make money for other interested parties? The start of this transformation started on the West Coast with a new idea to unify the local union halls in various counties in each state to create a more organized system along with using modern technology and computers to help replace Business agents, have individual members be responsible for their own job placements, and review their own benefits. Their is some good to this as the Individual member can now overlook all activity involving their benefits, annuity, required courses for certifications, and pension hours. But before we go forward we must always look back.
As I stated this idea started as a way to organize the Building trades and the Carpenters Union was slightly behind the times. The electricians workers union in 2016, run by Johnny Dougherty of local 98 had assisted this transformation for he believed it would be a better unification for the building trades overall which he became leader of. Members in the Union Building Trades and the AFL-CIO worked together with Douglas J. McCarron who started his career in 1968 and worked his way through the Union until he became President of the Los Angeles County District Council of Carpenters in Southern California in 1983. He began organizing in Las Vegas where he created one of the best training facilities representing the Carpenters Union and he never aligned to any political party allowing him to work with both. After corruption swept through the Carpenters Union in New York and Chicago throughout the late 80’s and 90’s his idea and others in the Union Building Trades decided to lay down a more organized structure of Union Halls which controlled regions and allowed the individual worker to whom the power was to be given to to help elect fair representation had been lost by business agents some good some not, to regain their strength. Business agents elected through a political process through individual halls was no longer suitable for the future of new Union Carpenters who could not get work because they were not in favor with those elected in the various positions in individual halls. Slowly, the power was taken away from the elected positions in the various areas with the attempt to create a equal place for all workers. Despite this many members still were given jobs because of whom they knew and because of what they knew and due to that individual members rose to positions whom were not as well trained as other carpenters and became foreman and bosses of areas. Racketeering charges were brought against Ed Coryell Sr. and the Philadelphia Convention Center and the State of Pennsylvania had cited charges against various members of the Philadelphia Carpenters Union. Some claims brought against them involved theft, extortion, racketeering, and different degrees of intimidation. The State of Pennsylvania would remove the majority of Union Carpenters from the Convention center who was ran by Ed Coryell Jr. whom had earned a public image of working with men who were in the Convention only to intimidate state contractors and non -union contractors from attempting to have a place within the Convention center. Ed Coryell Jr. would step down in officially the start of 2016 and when that occurred the elected general President Douglas J. McCarron who was elected to five year positions in 2000, 2005, 2010, and recently 2010 took control of the Unified Brotherhood of Carpenters. Ed Coryell Jr. would have a place as a council representative in Edison, New Jersey which was one of the supporting forces in removing and replacing Ed Coryell Sr. and is considered unofficially the District Center for now of the East Coast.
The elimination of local union halls was essential for the future of the Carpenters Union. As in other states that have begun following the new plan of the Carpenters Union throughout the country such as Chicago, union halls are divided in a way to organize the Carpenters Union not just on the East Coast but through the entire country. The end goal would be create centralized union halls in each state and apprenticeship schools divided into the areas of the state in which members could reach the most easiest. This move is still heavily scrutinized and not understood and it was hoped that when the older members would retire that resistance for these concepts would be met by very little scrutiny. Many of the Local union halls have existed for a very long time and members came to these with the purpose of learning where work was, the conditional state of the Carpenters Union, and discussions between brothers and sisters. But with the internet and a new generation who are familiar with how to use it jobs can be found online and through a phone system. Classes can be scheduled and one’s skill set can be placed for the company to review along with their work history. The idea behind this is as I mentioned earlier as a way to create a fairness for new members who do not have to worry about whom they know and their popularity with members in their hall for work. And to ease this transition they are holding meetings at the old halls for now which hold no real significance for the information given at these meetings are provided by Council Representatives for whom it is not their job to find members work, in fact their job is to work on the Collective Bargaining agreements of new Unionized companies and organize the various areas of work availability and negotiate future jobs. In the near future members will most likely see one main Union Gathering online by the Elected highest members who will give information of the status of the Union in each State and areas of that State. Classes online will be another item to perhaps look forward to like many online colleges do today. Many younger members are told by older members that all these changes are not good and are done out of corruption or for one to gain money or power. Others worry about the future of the foundations of the Carpenters Union such as Retirement plans and fair pay. From what all I have seen in the 23 years I been a members and from what I learned from both my father and grandfather is that everything changes and in era where technology and computers can replace many workers this trade we are in is not one of them. What may occur in regards to our benefits, work, and fair pay and labor practices is uncertain but by unifying the Carpenters Union is does allow for more strength against non-union contractors which was one of our biggest problems in the earliest days of the Union. Laws that can jeopardize Union work are harder to pass with a unified trade. Finally, for the younger generation who will run work and continue the tradition of the Carpenters Union, you hold the power and always remember that, our nation cannot grow without infrastructure to support it and in that lies the greatest power you hold. No matter how the Union is being run, remember you are the Union. United you control all the actions of the Carpenters Union and sometimes members may have to take personal risk to assure that.
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” -George Bernard Shaw
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