Ken,
Well said.  That pretty much sums up the state of the art and I do not
disagree with any of this.  I will not respond at length because I was not
able to read your earlier responses to "training" since they were not in my
native tongue. However, I will say that the main purpose of a guild should
be to empower its members which must include not only getting work, but
getting a bigger piece of the construction pie.  The major difference
between guilds and unions is that one is made up of workers that are
intended to remain employees (a controlled work force) whereas the other is
a group of independant contracters.  The other major difference is that
guilds will tend to have members that can offer specialty skills and trades
in many localities not just the major cities.  It is disappointing that
these two groups will probably go into battle more than work together on
the issue of training of skills and apprenticeships.  It is clear that if
there is to be any dialogue it won't be in the major urban centers.
Could you please resend the e-mails on "training"?
Leland

----------
> From: Ken Follett <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Jenks, Ideas re: skilled labor
> Date: Monday, January 26, 1998 5:20 PM
>
> As I remember the question had something to do with how to establish the
> resource of a skilled workforce.
>
> One option to investigate is the seeking out of someone highly
experienced in
> the direction you want to go, investigate to make sure they are not a BS
> artist, and hire them to assist in developing the business - possibly
offer
> equity (without equity they may cost too much to maintain). This will
result
> in a more rapid return to cash flow than waiting on a national school,
guild,
> or other external source of skilled labor.
>
> Though a formal training program is possible it would require financing,
> administration, and a number of years before there are graduates ready to
> work. The NPS/HPTC is a good model... but they are not producing
graduates
> rapidly enough to have a surplus beyond their needs.
>
> I doubt that larger restoration firms would be encouraged to pool in a
> training consortium as they are not very much interested in the existing
> programs. They have established their workforce requirements, most of
them
> operating on the reputations of their fathers, and leave training to the
> unions, simply demanding of the unions a higher quality of workforce. The
> unions are on the hind leg of the pig on this one. As well, a consortium
reeks
> of restraint of trade and uns foul with the IRS, let alone competitive
> paranoia. The fact that a small outfit has a problem of supply of skilled
> labor is in the interest of the larger firms in limiting intrusion into
their
> markets. There is already enough intrusion from relatively unskilled
labor,
> ie. immigrant entrepreneurs who are as oblivious to the unions as they
are to
> OSHA, IRS, Dept of Labor, and the weather. The working conditions of
_Christ
> in Concrete_ remain the same as in the 20's and 30's, only now the
ethnicity
> is changed.
>
> Another problem with a training program is the selection of the
instructors.
> If the instructors, and administrators, are not seasoned in the
construction
> business and the craft then the likelihood of the graduates being worth
their
> popcorn will be slim. The papers will look good, and they may speak well,
but
> unless there is a winnowing process like a military boot camp to sort the
bull
> from the bananas then the graduates will come out worthless to the
market.
>
> Most contractors devise their own means of winnowing. In our case we put
them
> up on a hanging rig, say 100 ft. up on the side of a building, and see if
they
> ever take their hand off the backrail. If they shake the begeezus out of
the
> rigging then we let them go. We have no need for broomers (the last
resort is
> to hand them a broom and see how they sweep) and smileys (a guy you hire
for
> PR to stand on the street and smile while watching the truck) and
everyone has
> to be able to fly.
>
> What you do need is a business strategic plan that encompasses HOW to
come up
> with the skilled labor resource that you need? I fear that training of a
> resource for a for-profit venture will essentially remain the
responsibility
> of the employer. A friend once remarked to me that the game is who has
the
> money and is able to pay. If you have the money then hire someone who
knows
> how to do what it is you need to have done.
>
> Our skilled resource derives partly from previous union training, self-
> motivated individuals, out-of-country experience, out-of-area
experience,and
> in-house training from those who know to those who do not know. We will
hire
> inexperienced individuals if they show a good attitude and a desire to
learn.
> Good attitude is a very important and often overlooked quality.
>
> A majority of the NYC construction workforce is not born American. In my
> experience immigrant trade workers demonstrate a higher work ethic, tend
to be
> more honest (not stealing tools or materials), more polite, and more
loyal.
> Quite often they are highly skilled. These qualities are not something to
be
> taken advantage of. Many years ago, obviously for purposes of ambition, I
> determined that I should strive to work as hard as the immigrants that
were
> following my directions. There are various ways in which to make
effective
> contact with skilled labor pools in the immigrant population.
>
> You might think of the problem in terms of how to outfit the crew of a
sloop.
> I suggest some Patrick O'Brian novels to get an idea of the persepctive
> Captain Aubrey has regarding the individuals that make up a crew.
Whomever you
> hire you will be at sea with them on dry land for a while, you might as
well
> make sure you can get along without flogging them. Beside the fact that
the
> novels are historic and fun. Ask HLH or Bruce Marcus on BP if you have
any
> doubts of this advice.
>
> The field workers also function to throw out the totally unskilled from
the
> group, as readily they perceive an extra burden on their shoulders. They
may
> not understand a 401K plan, but they do know when the person next to them
is
> lazy. This readiness of a group to winnow out the dry husk also speaks to
how
> to build a workgroup. Try to avoid inbreeding and nepotism, as there will
> always be motivations of blood before business.
>
> The finding and cultivating of a skilled workforce is a continuous
problem and
> does not stop at any time... it requires a strategic plan and management
from
> the plan. On top of that, you need to have the appropriate work to feed
the
> resource. It does nobody good to hire a skilled foreman and then put them
to
> shovel work during slack times.
>
> ][<en Follett