Posts Tagged ‘minimumwage’
union for construction workers
September 3rd, 2010 | 
Author: union for construction workers
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Being A Construction Worker - The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
I was a construction worker in the southern California area for almost 20 years. During that time, I worked as a fire sprinkler fitter through a local union based out of Whittier. I designed, installed, and repaired automatic fire sprinkler systems in homes, restaurants, high-rises, and warehouses all over the Los Angeles area.
At the time, the money was fantastic. But the money came with its own price, and I soon realized there were both positive and negative aspects of working as a construction worker. If you or someone you know is considering a career in the construction industry, be sure you know what you're getting into!
The Good: As a construction worker, you are going to get paid extremely well. This is especially true if you join a local union and graduate from their apprenticeship program. Union workers are always the top paid construction workers when directly compared with their non-union counterparts.
Another perq is your are going to get off work relatively early compared to traditional office-based careers. You can expect to be on the freeway heading home anywhere from 1 pm to 2:30 pm every day. For Los Angeles residents, this is perfect because you can avoid the evening traffic and you can get home relatively quickly no matter where you live in southern California.
Another benefit (and this depends on your personal style) is you don't have to wear a suit and tie to work. You are going to get dirty every day, so you will need to wear rugged clothing and construction boots, and there's no need for gel and stylish hairdos; a Dodgers ball cap is completely acceptable every day of the week!
The Bad: It's true, you do leave work exceptionally early every day as a construction worker. On the flip side, it means you are getting up extra early every day, anywhere between 3:30 am and 5:30am.
After the Northridge earthquake destroyed most of the Northridge Mall in 1994, I was assigned the position of superintendent for the fire protection installation. My day would begin at 3:15am and I would get home around 7:00pm each day. I followed that schedule for nine months straight until the mall was finally reopened to the public.
The Ugly: Construction sites are dangerous. I've personally witnessed men stepping through an unseen hole on a roof and falling twenty feet to a concrete slab below. I've watched men get their fingers caught in machinery and almost ripped off. I've sliced open my own skin dozens of times. I've had to drive myself to an emergency room twice.
My worst accident was a torn shoulder that landed me in a hospital room and eventually the surgery room. Blood is common on a construction site, especially the big ones when there are several hundred men working. After my shoulder surgery, I knew I didn't want to work in the construction industry. I figured if I worked in the industry for 30 or 40 years, I might retire with a great pension but I would probably need a wheel chair to get around, and that wasn't for me.
The Great: There are some aspects of construction that are absolutely fantastic. What I enjoyed most was seeing new buildings and meeting new people every day of week.
I've worked in all of the major film studios, and been able to work on some great film sets, such as Dracula and Hook. I've also got to shake hands with some of Hollywood's most notable celebrities: Daryl Hannah, Billy Crystal, Keanu Reeves, and even Tom Cruise. I've brushed shoulders with countless others.
I've also worked extensively in all the major theme parks around Los Angeles: Six Flags, Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, and Universal Studios. It's definitely fun seeing the working side of the entertainment industry!
As you can see, there are a lot of benefits to being a construction worker, and just as many negative aspects. For me, the bad didn't out-weigh the good, and I quit the industry after almost 20 years of dedicated work. It wasn't all bad though; I certainly acquired a lot of great memories!
About the Author
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union for building workers
union for building workers
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Senate Bill Includes Health Insurance Plan Mandate for Construction Workers
A centerpiece of the Senate's healthcare reform legislation is the creation of health insurance mandates. These provisions require employers with over a certain number of employees to either provide a health insurance plan to their staff or pay a fine. Under the current system, a majority of americans receive health insurance through the firm they work for; reform in both the House of Representatives and the Senate includes federal subsidies to allow others to buy a health insurance plan themselves. Democratic legislators had to balance their goal of insuring as much of the country as possible with minimizing costs. In order to do so, they had to ensure that companies wouldn't take advantage of the subsidized health insurance exchange markets and drop their existing coverage.
However, those crafting the bills have acknowledged that many small businesses are unable to afford a group health insurance plan for their workforce. Many of these businesses do not currently provide insurance. Therefore, businesses with under 50 employees are exempt from the $750 excise tax. This tax would otherwise be levied on a per-employee basis, if any full-time worker who used a federal subsidy to buy a health insurance plan. Right before the Senate version passed, a new exception was added into the mix.
Oregon Democrat Jeff Merkley proposed an addition to protect construction workers. In the construction industry, the majority of firms are smaller than the general threshold: 90 percent of them employ fewer than 20 people. Merkley's provision limits the exemption for the industry to businesses with under five employees. Contractors who use union labor, regardless of their size, must often spend anywhere from 12.5% to 20% of payroll on a health insurance plan for their workers. Meanwhile, non-union contractors have the option of forgoing health insurance--this allows them to low-ball bids, which supporters of the exception claim will result in an unfair competitive advantage. Employees with the latter firms would have gone uninsured in the past, whereas now the federal government would pick up the tab for subsidizing their health care.
Tradespeople employed by contractors risk their health at a higher rate than typical office workers in other industries. Workplace injuries are more common for plumbers, electricians, construction workers, roofers, carpenters, and those in similar professions. While workman's compensation insurance is a legal requirement for these firms, it often does not cover the complete expense associated with overuse injuries and other health problems not directly associated with an on-the-job injury. A quality health insurance plan may make them more effective employees in the long run.
Of course, some associations representing the building trades, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Home Builders, are unhappy with the last minute insertion. They believe that the mandate will result in tens of thousands of jobs lost, at a time when the unemployment rate is over 10 percent. Although small businesses will be able to take advantage of two years' tax Credits for buying a health insurance plan, trade associations believe that the credits will be insufficient. Republican Senators are also opposed to what they feel is a high amount of "pork", or sweetheart deals for certain districts in exchange for votes. The Merkeley provision was, in fact, one of those 11th-hour deals struck by Majority Leader Harry Reid.
The House rejected a similar proposal during its own negotiations last fall. With a smaller majority, the Senate needed to shore up union lobbyist support. That constituency is increasingly concerned with the impact health care reform will have on their existing plans: by extending the length of time insurers must allow adult children to remain on a health insurance plan, as well as eliminating lifetime and annual limits on coverage, their costs will increase significantly. Labor unions also oppose the tax that the Senate plans to impose on the generous "Cadillac" insurance plans more prevalent among union workers. Democrats claim that such a tax is necessary in order to pay for part of the cost of healthcare reform. It remains to be seen if construction workers remain a special case when both chambers of Congress are finished combining their respective bills.
(Image: billjacobus1 under CC 2.0)
About the Author
Yamileth Medina is an up and coming expert on Health Insurance and Healthcare Reform. She aims to help people realize that they can find a quality health insurance plan right now. Yamileth lives in Miami, FL.
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Tags: construction, minimumwage, newengland, news, union, union for building workers | 
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