I am all for a Federation.  Should we refer to THE GUILD as PTG or maybe
PIG.  An old Haitian Proverb goes "Pigs do not look at the sky, there is
nothing there for them."  I had thought that the  IPTW would be a forum for
federation type unity.  As you know THE GUILD, PTN and PIN have many
similar goals, but different ways we serve our membership.  I think we
should put together a meeting for Boston and invite any other similar
membership organizations.  If you and the guy that sees the alphabet in
white monitor screen agree let's start working on an agenda of topics.

Leland

----------
> From: ARWNY <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Jenks, Ideas re: skilled labor
> Date: Wednesday, January 28, 1998 12:15 PM
>
> In a message dated 98-01-27 07:57:48 EST, [log in to unmask]
writes:
>
> > 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.
>
> I very much lean toward the Guild approach, and in an informal manner, it
is
> the general approach of PIN.
>
> PIN started with independent contractors, small specialty firms, and
> craftspeople, meeting with a few manufacturers and suppliers. It was
after
> going public that an influx of architects, engineers, and representatives
of
> property owners who were sympathetic to the trades became involved. There
are
> still networking connections occuring between the members of the core
group.
>
> The network developed, differing from PTN, out of it's own set of needs.
I
> find that the needs of each region, urban and rural, are often similar
but
> differ in the intensity of engagement. I consider that though we are
> geographically distributed in the same world at the same time, that in
some
> areas a Vortex (Bruce Marcus should know where this concept comes from)
of
> activity whereby questions being addressed in one location, would have
already
> been vetted and done with some time past in another area. I perceive that
NYC,
> with the intense concentration of building stock (25,000 estimated
structures
> of historic relevance) is a Vortex. Warsaw, with the intensity of
rebuilding
> to an historic period, is another Vortex.
>
> I relate the intensity of activity directly to the availability of
profitable
> work as distributed over a geographic area. A restoration project that is
1/2
> hour from the office will have more substantive involvement than one 2
hours
> from the office. In one case we have 1 hour of travel, in the other 4
hours.
> What do you do while you are in transit? I do not believe that anyone can
> mentally visualize and worry over one project for 2 hours continuous.
Other
> things happen. In 4 hours of transit you should be able to get 1/2 hour
of
> relevance to the project, and in turn you lose 3 1/2 hours of productive
time,
> or, if the projects are in close proximity you lose 3 1/2 hours to enjoy
life.
> The problem I have is that I tend to find the hotest seat in the game and
> forget to leave until I am down. I commute a minimum of 4 hours per day,
so I
> have had ample opportunity to realize that whatever I am thinking when I
start
> the trip has no relevance to what I am thinking when I end the trip.
>
> I also perceive that it is not to the overall good of the preservation
> movement that an active Vortex should dominate the acitvities of other
> regions. It is with the similarities, and the differences, in mind that I
> continue to argue that we should form a federation, though I am
complacent
> with yakking on BP, which is not, I hope, geographically anchored,
despite our
> uncommonality of tounges.
>
> ][<en Follett