Recent Victories

RESEARCH AS A RESOURCE FOR ORGANIZATION

"Behind every great union organizer is a great researcher," says LIUNA Vice President and Eastern Regional Manager Raymond M. Pocino. The successful behind-the-scenes work of LIUNA's Research Department, headed by researchers Jennifer Doe and Patti Gaffney, epitomizes the significance of technology in expanding LIUNA's marketshare and membership base of union contractors.

While many people think of organizing as a process of pounding the pavement to recruit new members, LIUNA researchers who pound the keyboards are playing an increasingly important role as organizing becomes more sophisticated and technology-driven.

"We're organizing more efficiently and effectively because of information technology. This is not your grandfather's union anymore," Vice President Pocino observes.

The activities of the Research Department's staff of two run the gamut from market analysis of specific construction fields to membership development databases, but the primary focus is organizing.

Jennifer, whose background in union organizing is symbolized by a pirate flag above her desk, and Patti, a former kindergarten teacher whose computer is covered with an organized arrangement of post-it notes, bring a singular dedication to their jobs and the union's cause.

"Typically a director or lead organizer will say to us, We just saw a non-union contractor on a job site. Who are they?' Then, with the intent of organizing that contractor, we dig up as much information on the company as possible," Jennifer explains.

Once the researchers have uncovered the owner's name and address, they run the information through as many as 50 databases, searching for Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) violations, National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) reports and law suits. They also scan Dodge Reports, which list upcoming bids and potential bidders, to alert bidding authorities about non-union contractors with poor track records.

Leveraging technology to support organizing "Basically we're looking to see if the non-union contractor is leveragable," says Patti. "By leveragable, I mean what information can we take from this research to apply pressure to help him sign a union contract."

The information that is gathered is used to create bid-protest packages, to reach out to non-union contractor owners, awarding authorities and regulatory agencies. "Organizers use the information in the field to educate the public, to alert communities about disreputable non-union contractors and to emphasize the benefits of union labor," Jennifer says.

This technological sleuthing can be an important spur for non-union contractors, who typically don't want the information made public. It often motivates a contractor to sign an agreement with the Laborers' Union that they will hire union workers, that the workers they have will become union members, and that the company will uphold the safety regulations which the union requires.

"We take the protest package to all bids," Patti explains. "We show it to potential awarding authorities to let them know that a specific non-union contractor is not going to be the most responsible bidder."

"This is an important point," says Vice President Pocino. "Bidding is done on the criteria of the lowest responsible bidder. Instead of just having cost as the only factor, the bidder must also meet the standards of responsibility that are set. What we're trying to do in terms of applying pressure is to say Look, this non-union contractor may be the lowest bidder, because their labor costs might be lower, but they're not the most responsible. Contractors have a choice. They can sign with us before any of this gets out, but we have the information and we're ready to act upon it."

"We're putting the research information into the arena of public discourse," Jennifer says. "We're going to school boards, town meetings, bidding authorities and we're giving officials, politicians and civic leaders facts they need to consider. We're giving public information to the public."

Making things happen "We also go to regulatory agencies and say You have a non-union contractor who has done x, y and z and he's bidding on public projects.' We ask them to be accountable," Patti notes. "The departments of Labor, Community Affairs, Treasury, Health and OSHA are understaffed and can't keep up with all the jobs and projects. We've proven that we're an asset to these agencies."

"This is not just a union/non-union issue," says Vice President Pocino. "It's also a very important taxpayer issue. When you're talking about something like New Jersey's court-mandated school construction program that represents $12 billion worth of work, you want to ensure that it's done safely, efficiently, effectively and with high quality. We are able to research who fits that bill and who doesn't." Jennifer emphasizes that "a non-union contractor who has a terrible safety record, a history of prevailing wage violations, of not paying subs, is someone who is going to generate job delays, who is going to put workers' safety in jeopardy and damage the environment. This can affect the community in negative ways for years to come. By presenting this information to anyone and everyone who will listen, it makes us more effective in getting decent, quality contractors on projects."

The result of LIUNA research and technology has been success. "When we started our research in the asbestos removal industry, we established a baseline of 15% of the marketshare made up of union contractors hiring union workers," observes Vice President Pocino. "After a year of activity, 65% of the market has signed contracts with the union. How many businesses increase their marketshare fourfold in a year? And research has been a big part of that achievement."

The work of a LIUNA researcher demands a special kind of person. The hours are longlate at night, early in the morning, weekends. "There's not enough time in the day or caffeine in the coffee," Jennifer says with a smile. "But we're really dedicated to the cause of the union, and to making a difference."

"It's a commitment that we've made to the workers," Patti states. "The idea is to provide workers and their families with a better life. That's what LIUNA does. And that's what we're here for."

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