Oct 2009 Vol. 12 No. 10

Executive Officer's Forum

Fighting through tough times

Bob Alvarado, Executive Officer

en Espanol >


"Just like I saw on the Bay Bridge project over Labor Day weekend, success takes dedication and teamwork. I urge you to get involved."

These are tough times. For most of us, it’s the harshest economy we’ve seen in our working lives. But carpenters are tough people, and we’ll continue to fight our way through, by working together to meet the challenges. I’ll talk more about that, but first a word about how I spent the Labor Day weekend.

In my role as Chair of the California Transportation Commission, I was on the Bay Bridge, watching as the crews moved the old section out and the new section in. Seeing our members and other skilled trades working together on such a challenging project was truly inspiring. Time after time, we are called upon, and we deliver.

I also want to thank the organizers and all the riders who participated in the first annual NCCRC Motorcycle Run. In this economic climate, the additional scholarships provided by these funds may be the difference between attending college and not being able to afford to go. Even in tough times, we step up and help each other, including the sons and daughters of our fellow members.

We are continuing to seek opportunities to put members back to work. In last month’s column, I mentioned a proposal to build a new private university in the Sacramento area.

At the end of September, I had the opportunity to travel back to Philadelphia, and meet with members of the Board of Trustees of Drexel University. These are serious folks, dedicated to building a new top-quality campus in Northern California. We are committed to assisting them in making this a successful endeavor, and creating lots of good construction jobs along the way.

We are continuing similar efforts in the political arena, at every level. As Danny Curtin writes in his column, High-Speed Rail moved a big step closer this past month, and funding for the Transbay Terminal in San Francisco will put lots of members back to work. We have a PLA in place with BART for the $500 million Oakland Airport Connector, and we are seeing the approval process through to the very end.

All over Northern California, we are seeking out and supporting bond campaigns to help fund projects from schools to fire stations, to ensure that carpenters can go to work building the facilities that their communities need.

We will continue our aggressive organizing efforts as well. We are working with our employers in every market, to be sure we remain competitive. At the same time, we will not let unscrupulous employers use the excuse of a bad economy to abuse their workers, and drive down standards in our industry that took years to establish. Every day, we’ll be out there, calling these bad actors to account.

I’m going to close by repeating a point I made last month: Your organizers and Local Field Representatives can’t do this alone. If we are to be successful, we must stand together. Just like I saw on the Bay Bridge project over Labor Day Weekend, success takes dedication and teamwork. I urge you to get involved- join the Carpenters in Action at your local, volunteer to make a few phone calls for a bond measure of a friendly politician, or take to the streets to fight the non-union employers. Together, we will create a brighter day.

Back to Current Issue | Top of Page