NACBE and TAUC join forces

The National Association of Construction Boilermaker Employers (NACBE) and The Association of Union Constructors (TAUC) in the US have formed a strategic alliance to help both organizations advance mutual interests.

The alliance, signed 16 May, is described as the next logical step in a deepening commitment to work more closely on activities and issues that impact both on a regional and national level.

“This is truly a landmark occasion where the union employer community is strategically attempting to become less fragmented and come together behind shared values that will ultimately make both organizations stronger,” said John Erickson, NACBE executive director.

Key points in the agreement are:

* Work together on issues impacting the industrial maintenance and construction industry

* Conduct joint meetings and share information related to construction labour relations and safety

* Participate in joint development of products and practices that benefit safety, productivity, market expansion, and profitability

* Collaborate on joint marketing and promotional efforts

* Increase membership awareness of industry issues through the exchange of information published in print and electronic media

* Participate in research that emphasises the development of strategic goals

* Enter into a tri-partite approach when it benefits both groups

“This strategic alliance will bring both our organizations closer, working towards mutually beneficial goals, so that union contractors ultimately benefit from and improve upon synergies that already exist,” said Steve Lindauer, TAUC CEO.

The alliance signals a marshalling of forces intended to assist union contractors in regaining market share that has been lost in the past decades.

TAUC is an association of 2,500 union contractors in the US, primarily engaged in steel erection, industrial maintenance and construction. The TAUC mission is to act as an advocate in advancing and enhancing the value of the union construction industry through an educated and action driven membership that fosters the promotion of labour-management co-operation, workplace safety and health, and collaboration with construction users to help union contractors compete more effectively in the marketplace.