A former non-union elevator mechanic talks differences of union work

[Omaha Steve]

https://www.laborpress.org/a-former-non-union-elevator-mechanic-talks-differences-of-union-work/

February 23, 2024
Max Parrott
LaborPress

It took Anthony Charbonier years of building construction elevators on unsafe jobs before he got a shot at joining a union. Now with a stable job as a school maintenance worker with the International Union of Elevator Constructors Local One, Charbonier has perspective on how much his working conditions improved as a union member.

Charbonier experienced many of the most notorious problems in the non-union construction trades. He worked on a range of construction projects both public and private. Safety standards were often not applied, wages sometimes withheld and speed was always the priority, he said.

“With the union, safety is a priority. Non-union is not like that. Everything is rushed to get it up faster. And safety and caution are pushed to the wind because the bottom line is about a dollar,” he said.

This is why the IUEC makes it a focus of its organizing muscle to bring non-union workers into its ranks.

FULL story at link above.

[mike_c]

1. back when I was on our central labor council...

...the building trade unions were always well represented. They were much better labor partners than the public safety unions, like police, firefighters, and EMTs, who never attended a single meeting in the ten years or so I was on the CLC.