US Senator Arlen Specter said on Tuesday that he will vote to prevent legislation that would make it easier for unions to organize from coming to a Senate vote.

Senator Specter said his vote against the “card check” legislation could be decisive and for him the deciding factor was “the elimination of the secret ballot, which is the cornerstone of how contests are decided in a democratic society.”

The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) would allow employees to organize when a majority of workers sign cards. Specter said he would vote against cloture, a motion to end debate. That would allow a threatened filibuster to continue against the bill.

The Senator left open the possibility of changing his mind.

According to Reuters, the construction sector’s economy may not reach bottom until sometime next year. With one in five U.S. construction workers out of a job, prospects remain dim amid ongoing cuts in construction spending, a decline in nonresidential projects, and concerns that government stimulus will take months to have any measurable effect.

“The construction industry is in a near depression,” said General President Terry O’Sullivan of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, which notes that the construction unemployment rate, at 21.4 %, is the highest of any sector.
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This article was originally published by the Bureau of National Affairs on 12/31/08.

According to the Bureau of National Affairs (BNA), construction unions in New York City in December 2008 were in discussions with contractors to consider the launch of a broad, one-year pilot project labor agreement to respond to the pressures brought by a weak economy. Faced with at least $5 billion worth of cancelled or stalled projects, New York contractors are seeking a 25 % reduction in labor costs.

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After months of preparation and an unprecedented amount of public input, Mayor Nutter is now officially delivering his $3.84 billion budget and five-year plan to City Council.

The document appears to be a direct challenge to city labor unions.

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The negotiation teams continue to meet and discuss strategy. Future meetings are in the process of being scheduled.

The Carpenter, Cement Mason, Laborer, and Drywall Finisher agreements expire April 30, 2009. The Rodsetter agreement expires June 30, 2009.

According to McGraw-Hill Construction, At a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $376.2 billion, new construction starts in February dropped 8% from the previous month. Nonresidential building continued to slide and public works slipped back once again after rebounding in January.  … Read More

United Steelworkers Union Local 10-901 said that its members overwhelmingly ratified a three-year contract with Sunoco last week.

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The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) released a white paper offering several reasons  why the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) is not unmitigated good news for today’s union signatory contractors. … Read More

SEPTA‘s buses, subways, trolleys and trains are still operating despite  the expiration of the union contract for 4,700 city operators and mechanics. Both sides remain far apart on wages, benefits and subcontracting.

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Construction employment sank by 104,000 jobs in February and 826,000 over 12 months. That was one-fifth of the economy-wide loss over the year, even though the industry accounts for only one out of 20 employees.
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