Masonry Magazine May 1978 Page. 17
An Overview of the Masonry Industry
By John T. Joyce
This is the first occasion I have had to address a general session of your conference. I hope you will understand, therefore, if I begin with some comments about the general nature of this event which brings together an official of a labor union and the major employers of that union's members, not to bargain over wages and working conditions-although that would not at all be unusual but rather to discuss matters of broad interest and concern.
It seems to me that this is a somewhat unusual occurrence: not a unique one, but a comparatively rare one. Undoubtedly it happens in other industries, but I daresay it does not happen as often as it does in masonry, or with the same good results.
I consider it no accident, but rather a logical result, that masonry has such good labor relations. True, we do have problems, and some of them are serious problems. But overall it seems to me that probably no other industry enjoys better labor relations than our own.
I think that my appearance here symbolizes the very specific relationship that has been developed over a long period of time between your organization and ours-indeed, between you and the members of our union.
It is not easy to describe that relationship. Some people have said that employers and craftsmen in masonry are a "family." Undoubtedly we do exhibit some familial traits, but all of us can think of many traits that are not of that nature.
Others have said that we're like partners. In one sense that's true-but the comparison has limited value. Certainly you, and we, would agree that we aren't equal partners, each of us probably believing the other may be getting more than his due.
It's also been said that we have a love-hate relationship. I find both those words too strong and emotional. I don't think bricklayers either love or hate mason contractors, and I doubt that you love or hate the bricklayers you employ.
Rather, I would suggest that the two basic elements in our relationship are respect and recognition-a sometimes grudging respect that each of us has for the capabilities of the other, and a sometimes reluctant recognition that neither of us can do without the other. It is a relationship built on the self-interest of each of the parties.
If that sounds like a very limited foundation for a relationship. I can only say that that's the way things are: the only solid, enduring relationships are founded on self-interest. And the proof should be in the pudding-in the results that stem from the relationship.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John T. Joyce is Secretary of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen (BAC), headquartered in Washington, D.C. He has held that position for the past seven years and before that was treasurer of the International Union for five years. A native of Chicago, Mr. Joyce is a bricklayer by trade, an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame, and now lives in Washington.
This article constitutes his address before the 28th MCAA International Masonry Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 13. Because of Mr. Joyce's incisive and significant comments about the interacting roles of labor and management in the masonry industry today, the text of his address is reprinted here in full.
Bi-Lateral Programs
Here in the area of results the evidence is clear that our relationship is good. For example, we your organization and ours-are cooperating smoothly and effectively in a pension program of great value.
The International Pension Fund is a growing success-it is providing our members with substantial additional economic security for their retirement years, and it is adding to the stability and availability of the skilled work force on which your operations depend. Right now, 240 Locals representing more than 53,000 members in the U.S. and Canada are participating in the pension fund, and more than 8,500 contractors are actively contributing to it. These numbers are increasing daily after all, the fund is only five years old.
The Mason Contractors Association and the International Union are also cooperating on a still-new program-the International Masonry Apprenticeship Trust-that will provide assistance and guidance to local joint apprenticeship committees, and thereby improve the scope and effectiveness of our industry's apprentice training programs. IMAT already has made significant progress through the publication of a three-volume textbook and other teaching materials. Your President. Bob Ebeling. has contributed much time and attention to IMAT.