I feel qualified to comment on the subject of Union having been on both sides of the fence so-to-speak. Forgive me for going into a short history of the Union but I think it's pertinent.
From the time you enter the field as an apprentice you are given the history of the Union and how it came to be. Without a doubt, at the time Unions were in desperate need of being formed. People were made vicitms to large businesses in search of cheap labor at times of low employment. Of course corporations were able to do this because in most every case they could find suitable replacements with no problem at all. This bred horrible working conditions where saftey and job security were secondary to productivity. People were considered just another overhead expense firmly planted in obstruction of larger profits. The union was formed when workers discovered that as a collective they could put pressure on the company to raise the standards of pay and working conditions via strikes
But strikes were of little consequence if you cannot squelch the flow of labor through the gates. (Homework: watch the Grapes of Wrath) The Labor Movement truly became a physical and mental battle where qualified workers did whatever they could risking arrest and sometimes even death to maintain job security and raise the quality of working conditions.
Eventually the companies gave in one by one realizing that by making concessions they were able to "invest" in the workforce creating skilled and highly productive individuals that were happy in their job. The men outside the gate willing to take their place became less desirable to companies that felt battling the Union a lot of trouble.
They have truly paved the road for many of us today.
However, the One-of-Us mentallity of the Union remains today that says to all "Either you are with us, or you're against us" A Union worker takes personal offense when faced with losing work to a person willing to work for less in lesser conditions. Frankly, I don't blame them.
I'm sure many of you know people that have hired foreign workers with questionable status because they are cheap. Personally I have seen the guys that will work all day for ten dollars an hour wearing tennis shoes and riding a bike to work. And yes, they'll work their asses off too. If the Unions didn't fight hard and raise the bar like they do, there would be a lot more people like this.
When it comes to challenging the Union you have to ask yourself this- Am I raising the bar, lowering it, or at least maintaining it.) Raising the bar means hiring qualified individuals (Or educating them) and paying them a fair wage for their efforts; keeping the jobsite safe; working reasonable hours and compensating the workers accordingly if faced with unusual situations. Lowering it means hiring unskilled workers and keeping them stupid so that their chances of a raise a infrequent. It means holding their poor performance over their head and doing little to make them a better technician. It means keeping them just happy enough to keep them from quitting and just miserable enough to keep most of the money in your pockets.
People here tend to be well educated and knowledgeable in their field. They shouldn't be lowballing jobs to the point that other competent contractor installers cannot compete. I know of a guy that has the "brains" to run his business but his success depends on using 1-2 educated guys that bullwhip a crew of greencard Mexicans and Polish laborers that will work in horrific conditions with little or no additional compensation. It's damn near criminal, and can most of us-Union or not compete against this? Hell no!
Well Union electricians tend to think that "Hey we can do that!" In all actuallity, they could if a Union AV shop out their decided to take them on and teach them all there is to know about the industry. But the entire industry has stealthily slipped by them and the whole support network that the Union has built where if you lose one man you can get an "equally qualified" man from the hall just doesn't ring true when it comes to custom theater installations.(Apologies for record breaking run on senteces)
Electricians have a !#@$load of knowledge to absorb in their own field and making the transition I can tell you that their is a whole other !#$@load of knowledge to absorb in the AV field as well. Very few of them can be experts in all areas. Larry Fine is one of the few gurus out there. He's as gifted as they come and rare as hell. Unions do not want to recognize that they can't do it all and therefore fight back in all ways. Even ways that are unethical and unprofessional.
Frankly I avoid work in areas that are heavily Union populated. I don't need the grief. But when I am approached by a Union worker and asked "are you Union" I say I'm pro Union but unaffiliated. I'm licsensed, follow code, and maintain Union high standards and educate each worker through my door. This is about all they can ask for. Some Union guys just want some respect (however undeserving) and will most likely have no clue as to what you are doing. Don't let them tell you that you are a scab. A scab is someone that crosses a picket line.(Which you shouldn't do)-Wait for medation with the owner and builder and argue your case reasonably and prove yourself as a professional) if you can't convince them why you should be there and not them, cut your losses, enforce your contract and move on to greener pastures. The one successful Union AV contractor I know operates a first class business that actually takes guys from the Union and "re-schools" them- Really invests a lot of time and money and produces an unstoppable really smart crew of guys that are very happy with where they are. Each of them become well rounded experts and well paid and why shouldn't they? They are a rare breed.
One note worth mentioning and I don't know if it's even true or not but I heard of a contractor fighting Unions by creating absurdly competent and educated workforce and then exeeding his local Union pay and benefits (by a lot with each guy earning close to six figures) and remaining unaffiliated. Have any of you heard of this or is this just a bunch of crap? The Unions can't cry foul because he raised the bar so high even the Union can't reach it.
