CA Group formed an alliance for black carpenters, apprentices

As president of the National Association of Black Contractors of America, I recently sent two carpentry apprentices in San Diego construction work. The young men got up at 6 o’clock in the morning, made a lunches and received their equipment. But when they arrived on the job site, the employer sent them home. He said he could only hire workers from the Union Hall, which means Carpence Local 619 in San Diego.

We file a complaint. This is disappointing. I could give up; I am semi-reinforced. But there is so much injustice and inequality-someone has to fight for the insufficiently presented African American worker.

The National Association of Black Contractors of America is uniquely positioned to be on the right of history. For three decades, it has run the first Chern American, Federal and State Open Store Program, which is approved by an Open Store for construction, which means that its apprentices can work on jobs, whether they are members of the Union or No.

On November 19, 2024, the Union of the Association and the Non-Union and the National Heads opened the National Union of United Black Carpenters Local 100. This initiative aims to stand up for the rights of black carpenters who have been marginalized and excluded from their prevailing unions to Spanish carpenters. The New Union will include apprentices.

Historically, the Black Americans have been faced with the exclusion and marginalization of mainly white unions since the 1800s. Blacks were excluded from membership in the Union, jobs and apprenticeships in the construction industry.

The Federal Civil Rights Law of 1964 aims to equalize play conditions by illegally discriminating against racial minorities in jobs and improving access to union membership and the apprenticeship of qualified auctions.

In addition, state prevailing wages and rules for housing and urban development of the United States require all unskilled workers to be approved as apprentices.

And the California Labor Code in California requires all projects for public works to ensure that 20% of the paid working hours go to the approved approved apprentices as part of a compulsory hiring and training program. This requirement addresses the need to maintain a qualified workforce, replace aging workers and relieve labor shortages in our industry.

In 1991, the Association of Black Performers was struggling with the Union opposition to become a state -owned certified carpenter and dry construction program.

Today, although most of the projects for private property of the construction industry are an “open shop” or employers based on merit, most contractors are members of large associations of the construction industry who have banned the hiring of apprentices from non-all-free sources such as the Association of the Association Black performers.

In 2020, following the death of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, he caused uprisings, the leaders of their associates of America initiated negotiations that led to the ban.

However, many taxpayer -funded construction projects continue to keep the apprentice of the Black Contractors Association due to exceptional mandates in their collective agreements or in the project’s work agreements where contractors and unions agree on the employment terms for United and non -unused workers by employment Project.

Ironically, Democrats encourage the idea of ​​project work agreements as a way to create more jobs and higher salaries for the poor. Workers receive prevailing salaries, regardless of Union membership, but also have to pay monthly union fees.

This seems to be a tactic to collect membership fees for financing political campaigns aimed at establishing one -party government in California.

The United Black Carpenters National Union aims to stand up for the rights of black carpenters who are marginalized and excluded from mostly Latin American alliances of carpenters. In these alliances, Spanish -speakers are often used as a barrier to prevent black workers from training by transferring them to basic tasks as cleaning instead of providing them with appropriate opportunities.

There is currently More than 10,800 apprentice of carpenter In California, of which nearly 7,900 are Latin American, more than 1850 are white and only 742 are black.

Latin Americans make up about 40% of California’s population, but nearly 70% of the country -registered construction transactions with apprentices. Whites, which are 34% of the California population, were 19% of the registered apprenticeships, and the blacks, which are 6% of the state population, are 5% of the construction apprentices.

The National Union of United Black Carpence aims to promote better relationships with black carpenters within a predominantly Latin American unions to provide fair treatment. It also encourages black carpenters to join their union, which is focused on dealing with their specific needs and rights. It also advocates English as a major language in the construction industry. And calls for the cancellation or amendment of all project work agreements to include the apprenticeship of open stores.

The National Association of Black Contractors of America is dedicated to the support of free businesses and advocacy for equality in public works projects.

The financial support for this story was provided by the SMIDT Foundation and the James Irvin Foundation.