Newsletter - Dec 2008
From Dave Jackson's Desk:

BAC 3 CA Welcomes Capitol City Tile and Marble

After a long Organizing effort, BAC 3 CA has signed Capitol City to the Local 3 Tile Collective Bargaining Agreement. We look forward to working with Capitol City and their employees, as this agreement will open up their market and provide them with our skilled labor pool.

I would like to thank all the BAC 3 Representatives and Members who worked hard for a long time on this Organizing effort. This agreement will help provide more work opportunities for our members and level the playing field for all BAC 3 signatories in the Sacramento area. Watch for the next BAC 3 newsletter for more details.

Work Safe and Honor All Pickets.


From Steve Kantoniemi's Desk:
Field Representative, San Francisco and San Mateo Counties:


First off, I hope you all had a wonderful and joyful Thanksgiving, and may the rest of your holidays be happy and giving. If you have worked in the trades as I have, (28 years) you know that the winter months are typically the slow months. And if you are following what is going on in the world, you have to know we are in a recession!

Keep your heads up, things will get better. There is billions of dollars of PLA work still to come in Northern California. Here is a short summary of current and up coming work in San Francisco and San Mateo Counties.

San Francisco County Report: There are many up coming Project Labor Agreement jobs. Present PLA jobs still look positive, with (43) school PLA’s totaling $450 million, producing many hours in tile work and masonry trades. Mission Bay & Avalon Bay are still going strong with four (4) major projects starting up, bringing more work to our BAC 3 members. There is also many Public Library projects going on, some small some major, such as J Paul Leonard SF State University Library. SF City College $400 million in PLA jobs are just breaking ground. SFPUC Water Improvement Program has billions in PLA’s producing 264,657 estimated hours in Masonry work through 5 Counties. Laguna Honda Hospital is going strong; KZ Tile, California Tile, and Mazza Masonry are on-site. General Hospital Bond passed $900 million in PLA work. This job will have major restoration work, brick, stone, and tile on it. There are also three (3) big restoration jobs going on in the City. We talked about The High Speed Train Bill that passed; this will bring thousands and thousands of construction jobs through out California. Mission Bay and Avalon Bay currently has three major jobs going employing brick, tile and marble trades. Please contact me at 510-219-0562 if you would like to get more information regarding these projects.

San Mateo County Report: SFO International Airport, Terminal 2 Renovation and Terminal 1 Redevelopment Plan; Over $250 million in subcontractor work alone. There will be Major BAC Local #3 work on these projects. There is a great deal of school work going on, from Elementary to High School in all cities in San Mateo County. Community College’s with PLA’s or PSA’s are San Mateo College, Skyline College, Canada College. All these Colleges have current work going. California Tile has much of the work. Some of the Hospitals with BAC work going on now or in the near future are Veterans Hospital, Sequoia Hospital, Redwood City Hospital, and Mills Peninsula Hospital. Mills will be a huge tile project. There are also many Condominium Projects and future Condominium Projects with PLA’s.

Upon ending this letter I would like to stress the importance of supporting all union picket lines with this important information.


GOOD UNION MEMBERS RESPECT PICKET LINES

A good union member is extremely careful when confronted with a picket line situation. WHEN A PICKET LINE is established on a job where be is working:

He leaves does not talk – just leaves.
He reads the picket sign as he leaves.
He does not hang around near the job.
He knows that once a picket line is established, his Business Agent and other union officials are legally gagged and handcuffed from giving advice pertaining to that job.
He does not allow himself to be drawn into conversations with anyone at the job site.
A GOOD UNION MEMBER KNOWS HIS RIGHTS

He has the right not to work behind any picket line.
He has the right to decide for himself whether to walk off a job being picketed.
He understands that his trade may be under attack next.
He knows that a two gate system means a picket line and he has the right not to work, no matter how many gates the employer sets up.