In what I believe was in the best interests of our members, I voted in favor of a collaborative agreement to move forward with Related. The agreement, approved unanimously by the Executive Board of the Building Trades, put to bed the damaged relationship that existed between the parties. Yes, the lawsuits on both sides go away and no, there was no agreement for a PLA on either 50 Hudson Yards or the future work opportunity on the western part of the yards; but the ability to bid the work was agreed to. The rank and file Count Me In movement demonstrated the will of the building trades members to fight any developer that threatened our high standards and our fight to maintain our middle class standing in America. We should all be proud of that. The war against open shop in New York is far from over but the mutual respect spelled out in the agreement has put us back in the game and that is in the best interest of the members of Local 3.
I represent the best of the best, the most highly skilled, trained and best paid electricians in the world. However, the realities of the day prevail and both the carpenters and the iron workers were compelled by their Internationals to go to work. Substandard electrical contractors undermining our standards have been awarded work that should have been done by our members and we must solve that problem and we will. The membership must commit to organize those that are destroying our standards. Over 150 rank and file members volunteered for the organizing committee the day following our union meeting. I thank you for that but this effort will require more and the resources to match. Our organization is revered in the Building Trades and the entire Labor Movement, our resolve is unwavering, and we will prevail.
