A new decade is upon us, and it is one that begins on a very somber and serious note.  Millions of unionized skilled craft professionals throughout North America find themselves struggling to provide for their families.  Just two short years ago, the situation was altogether different.  Our unions in both Canada and the United States were filled with optimism and hope.  In Canada, various markets were exploding with opportunity for our members, while in the United States our unions were gaining members and market share at a rate not seen in many, many years.

Through no fault of our own, it all came to a screeching and terrifying halt.  It was a stark reminder of just how fragile the strength of our industry is, and how closely tied it is to the credit and financial markets across the globe.  In other words, when Wall Street sneezes, we catch a cold!

Unfortunately, in this case, it’s become damn near a full blown case of pneumonia.

But, there is an old saying that suggests, “out of chaos…opportunity abounds.”  I sincerely believe that.  Further, I believe that, in terms of the capital markets, we have finally turned the corner and are starting to see movement again in our industry.  It may take awhile for activity to get back to the levels that we saw prior to the economic meltdown of 2008-2009, but all indications are that the worst may be behind us.

In fact, some industries are already showing signs of steady growth and investment.  This is especially true in energy – where investments in traditional and renewable domestic sources of energy are on the rise.  To that end, the Building and Construction Trades Department is seeking to develop formal partnerships with these industries to establish critical relationships that may translate into significant opportunities for our contractors and our members.  We have already established, or are seeking to establish labor-management committees with the oil and natural gas and petro-chemical industries; and we will seek to do likewise with the emerging renewable energy industries, such as wind and solar.

But, even if the worst is behind us…and various markets are starting to show positive signs of recovery…we have to recognize and adapt to the fact that the world has changed.  A sobering reality has set in among corporations and industry.  Some are even calling it the “reset economy” – which is a recognition that the problem with the economy was that it grew for 25 years on unrealistically cheap debt, and that that era is now over. 

The bubble has burst.  Our economies can no longer rely on consumption by refinancing our homes, or inexpensive money to fuel economic growth.  Now, the economy will return to the proper fundamentals for growth: investment, innovation and productivity.

In other words, cheap debt and low-cost financing will no longer be available to the owner community to finance its construction needs.  Therefore, owners will be looking for value, innovation, productivity and efficiency when it comes to selecting partners with whom they will entrust the construction of their projects.

There can be no mistaking the fact that this economic shift will have a tremendous impact on us.

Fortunately for us, when the times were good we had already embarked upon a strategy designed to change the internal culture of the union construction industry away from one that was predicated upon confrontation and mistrust, to one that is more value-oriented and customer-centric.  At the same time, we began to tell our new story to our industry, to our policymakers, to the media, and to the general public.

Secondly, there is another evolution that is occurring as a result of our economic decline.  A new “corporate social responsibility” movement is taking root in many industries across the continent.  In short, it is a form of self-regulation that is being integrated into a business model in order to protect a company’s brand by embracing responsibility for the impact of their activities on the environment, consumers, employees, communities and other stakeholders.

Each of these factors suggests the need for our unions to continually adapt to the changes happening in and around our markets, and to solidify our quest to become superior, customer-focused organizations.

At the same time, these factors also play an important role in our achieving another objective; which is to strip the veneer off of the open-shop construction industry.  For far too long, the open-shop industry has enjoyed a free ride through its effective public relations activities that have convinced many that they, in fact, are the ones providing value.  While we know that to be patently false, we have not been very effective at refuting those claims.

In fact, we have spent the bulk of our time and effort defending ourselves against the unsubstantiated charges leveled against our unions and the governmental policies that we support and seek to advance.  In sum, we have spent the better part of the last 30 or 40 years fighting to free ourselves from a myriad of stereotypes and falsehoods that have prevented us from reaching our true potential.

No more.

From this day forward, our intention will be to turn the tables and put the open-shop on the defensive and to make them defend the business model that they ascribe to: which is predicated upon a low-wage, low-skill, oftentimes indigent, workforce that has done so much to damage the socio-economic structures of communities all across North America.

So, as the dark cloud of economic disaster begins to recede, our movement will be, and must be, hell-bent on two distinct, yet inter-related missions:

First, to create the relationships and the environments that will produce long-term job prospects for our members, as well as the governmental policies that will ensure long-term, sustained prosperity for a long-forgotten Middle Class in both the Canada and the United States.

Secondly, we will pull back the charade that is the destructive economic and social characteristics of our competitors’ business model.

All we need is courage…the courage to withstand and endure our current struggles with an eye to the promise of the future.  Because from that courage will emerge a greatness that is far greater than anything we have ever dreamed.

We must take it upon ourselves…beginning right here and right now…to believe with all of our hearts that North America’s Building Trades Unions can epitomize the hope for a new and better continent.