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What the article doesn't mention here, but what is the real heart of the issue is the fact that many government funded construction projects require that the contracts employ apprentices from a government-recognized apprentice program. Unlike almost any other major industry, construction is not dominated by a few major companies. This makes it impossible for the contractors, themselves, to unite to create such programs. It's the building trades unions that bring them together around this. In a way, it's similar to the issue of the Davis Bacon Act, which requires that on federally funded construction projects the contractors must pay the "prevailing wage" of the area. That wage is defined as whatever pay a certain percentage of the contractors (I think it's around 30%) pay. Again, the non-union are all over the place in what they pay, so the only "prevailing wage" is the union scale. In both cases, the union leadership relies on the protection of the government. Of course, it is absolutely disgusting that they would be so willing to abandon all principle of working class solidarity. Well, that's not exactly correct; they cannot abandon that which they never had in the first place. John Reimann -- *“In politics, abstract terms conceal treachery.” *from "The Black Jacobins" by C. L. R. James Check out:https:http://oaklandsocialist.com also on Facebook _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: https://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
