Ten-Year Campaign Brings Hudson
Valley Contractor into Union Fold
Persistence and determination: Those were key elements
of a challenging, decade long organizing campaign conducted by a
diligent IBEW local union in New York state.
On March 3, 2003, Hudson Valley Electric Construction and Maintenance,
Inc. became a union signatory contractor when at long last it signed
a letter of assent with Local 363 of New City, New Yorkmarking
a significant organizing success by the union for the benefit of
working people throughout the region.
Picketing, handbilling and ongoing rallies complete with an inescapable
bullhorntogether with jobsite monitoring, prevailing wage complaints
filed with the New York State Department of Labor and unfair labor
practice chargesall were part of the locals relentless drive.
"Jobsite monitoring led to organizing activities such as salting,
stripping, mailings, demonstrations and NLRB [National Labor Relations
Board] activity," said Local 363 Business Manager Joseph Maraia.
"Union activism also led to the enforcement of prevailing
wage laws and a leveling of the playing field on public works jobs,"
Maraia said. Hudson Valley EC&M had grown steadily during the
early and mid-1990s and captured a sizable share of school and public
work construction. Local 363 identified the company as a target
for organizing in the early 1990s, and as the contractor grew it
became a greater priority.
Local 363 organizers simply never let up in their ten-year campaign.
This sustained activity made clear to the company that the organizing
drive would never end without negotiating with the union.
Simultaneously, Local 363 was able to convince the company that
the unions interests run parallel with the economic success of
its signatory contractorsand that it could provide the skilled
manpower needed to allow Hudson Valley EC&M to grow to the levels
its owners had long desired.
The Early Years
In the early 1990s, Local 363 had two of its members hired by Hudson
Valley. As openly union applicants, Donna Way and Fred Bragg were
instructed to win the respect of Hudson Valleys owners and co-workers
by performing their jobs as well trained mechanics.
Local 363 continued to monitor HVs hiring and also sent covert
applicants to the contractors shop. Meanwhile, surprisingly, HV
co-owner Mike Serini contacted the local for information on becoming
a union contractor. He liked the productivity of Way and Bragg and
wanted more electricians like them, but said he could not pay everyone
the union scale. Communication continued with Serini and in 1995
the contractor claimed he was ready to sign a letter of assent if
the union would meet three conditions, one of which would allow
HV to perform its small work as a non-union contractor. Local 363
could not agree to that condition.
By the end of 1995, talks had broken down and the local embarked
on a new approach to the organizing effort.
Campaign Stepped Up:
Jobsites Monitored
By 1998, Hudson Valleys workforce had grown to 30 electricians,
including three Local 363 salts. Certified payroll reports for all
HVs public work projects were routinely monitored, and organizers
began to show up regularly on all jobsites, sometimes hand billing,
other times picketing and often using a bullhorn to heighten the
effect. Almost daily, an organizer showed up at one of the jobsites
and spoke with the workers, the general contractor or the customer.
Sustaining this focus during the next three years allowed Local
363 to gain a thorough knowledge and understanding of the contractors
business.
Bottom-up Organizing
Throughout the heightened period of organizing activity, Local
363 activated a steady flow of mailings to HV employees, including
IBEW flyers and union information.
Union organizers collected signed authorization cards from HV workers
and in 1998 petitioned the NLRB for a representation election. The
union lost the election, however, and was later unsuccessful in
the objections it filed with the NLRB.
Salts Aid the Union
Drive
Local 363 salts were a crucial part of the campaign. Overt and
covert job applicants helped monitor Hudson Valleys hiring practices.
The union instructed all salts to perform their jobs well as always
to gain the respect of co-workers and supervisors and provide a
positive impression of union craftspeople. In addition Local 363
salts spoke to co-workers about the union and answered their questions.
"Clearly none of the other activities, such as NLRB complaints,
recruiting and stripping, job monitoring and prevailing wage compliance
would have occurred to the extent they did without the contributions
of members who volunteered as salts," Maraia said.
Accord Reached
In February 2002, Hudson Valley EC&M owner Mike Serini called
Local 363 Assistant Business Manager Sam Fratto and said he wanted
to talk again about the possibility of becoming a union contractor.
Organizers backed off their activities temporarily to give the talks
a chance. Discussions were cordial, but progress was still uncertain.
By May 2002 dialogue had effectively stopped. Local 363 suspected
the negotiations were just a stalling tactic to get organizers off
the companys back. All organizing activities resumed, and an angry
Serini called the union office as soon as an organizer showed up
to handbill one of his jobs.
After a cooling down period, talks resumed. An unexpected working
relationship developed between Business Manager Maraia and Hudson
Valley attorney Rob Adams. "This avenue of communication opened
up as a result of successful negotiations and an agreement reached
the previous year between the IBEW and another area electrical contractor,
LaCorte EC&M," Maraia said.
By early March 2003 the parties reached an accord. Local 363 would
provide union representation for all HV employees. "Employees
would be tested for proper classification, as journeymen or apprentices,"
Maraia said. "Apprentices would be placed in Local 363s excellent
apprenticeship program immediately." The contractor agreed
that all work performed would be under the terms of the collective
bargaining agreement.
At the end, thanks to years of unwavering struggle, Local 363 carried
the day for the all-important principles of trade unionismprinciples
that ultimately benefit all working families and entire communities.
"Local 363s organizing success at Hudson Valley Electric
just goes to show that even in heavily organized regions within
the Third District, our union has to be constantly on guard to protect
the right of working people to union representation," said
IBEW Third District International Vice President Donald C. Siegel.
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