Holding the Union Together When the Economy Is Coming Apart

I have been the executive secretary-treasurer of the New England Council since 2005, when I ran for the top spot. My predecessor had slowed the pace of change that had accompanied the restructuring. The backsliding distressed me and others who had championed the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform our union. In a delegate election, one-on-one persuasion is the most effective tool. Once again, I talked to every delegate, making the case that we couldn’t afford to lose our momentum and that challenging an incumbent was worth the risk. For the second time in my political career, I beat the odds. Now, in my second term, I must be a manager of decline. When the economy fell off a cliff in the fall of 2008, it landed hardest on construction workers. The total hours worked by our members—our primary index of economic activity and generator of revenues—has dropped by 37 percent in two years. We scaled back staff and programs. Contract negotiations are painful for both sides. Our employers are desperate for work, while our pension and health funds need infusions of cash.