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Back Issues Index

August 6, 1999

• What's wrong with defeat of Patients Bill of Rights
• Let's lighten the burden of prescription drug costs
• New HQ for Jackson National
• Employers pushing for drug and alcohol testing on job sites
• NEWS BRIEFS
• Benefit set for paralyzed mother

August 20, 1999

• With or without Y2K, unions are changing the way we operate
• Decade of partnership, education
• Pro-prevailing wage coalition trounces ABC with facts and hard work
• Iron highways rebuilt, too
• NEWS BRIEFS
• Electricians pull heavy duty cable to power new terminal
• Workers who died building Mighty Mac are honored again

September 3, 1999

• 'Americans owe working families and their unions a great debt'
• On track to build Millenium Park
• Come help labor celebrate its day Monday, Sept. 6
• Time to start making a stink about sanitary conditions
• NEWS BRIEFS
• Construction continues to shape up WSU campus
• More workers connect with IBEW

September 17, 1999

• Union, nonunion finally enjoying economic gains
• New roof for the Glass House
• Labor Day celebrates our 'collective feeling of power'
• Lesson from Las Vegas - Organizing works when there's respect, commitment
• NEWS BRIEFS
• Clean hands, clean gloves the key to good skin care
• Early retirees may get tax break, compliments of Congress

October 1, 1999

• Ice man gives way to 'mechanical air cooling'
• Gaffney pledges to help mobilize members, AFL-CIO
• Help make a difference with your vote and your voice
• Better pollution controls coming to B.C. Cobb Plant
• NEWS BRIEFS
• Trades grapple and pin heavy Rouge Plant span

October 15, 1999

• Prevailing wage costs more? Consider the source
• Mackinac Center signals GOP ready for attack
• Team of trades on the field to build Comerica Park
• 'Save a LifeClub' would like you as a member
• NEWS BRIEFS
• Local 190, PMC take good care of community
• Well, done, Heat's On volunteers…Local 174, contractors come through again in Grand Rapids

October 29, 1999

• First, they came for the teachers...
• It's deer season, and it's open season on workers, too
• 'Paycheck' comp time on agenda at hearing
• Local 169er wins national apprenticeship skills contest
• New digs for local 58's Training Center
• Gore gets (most of) AFL-CIO endorsement
• NEWS BRIEFS

November 12, 1999

• Double whammy for ABC
• 'Big' describes plenty about new metro airport
• Bill of rights? It's a bill of goods
• Local 32, IMI promote union skills, training
• Local 514 celebrates a century
• NEWS BRIEFS

November 26, 1999

• Record year expected again for construction Activity in U.S.
• Lions bring outdoors inside with Ford Field design
• Help wanted: group seeks to match trades jobs with applicants
• Schools again excluded from state inspections
• Wide-flange beams still enjoy wide usage
• Final beam goes up at WSU law school
• BUILD Fund ready to build union with pension dollars
• NEWS BRIEFS

December 10, 1999

• New millennium, same old story...Construction boom continues
• Trades make more room for Genesee County's sewage
• Ergonomics rule 'major step forward' but construction is still on sidelines
• 'The sad part is that hearing loss is irreversible' ('but it's also easily preventable')
• 'Sham'-paign finance reform ignores the real problem
• NEWS BRIEFS

December 24, 1999

• 'Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean that they're not out to get you.'
• Whose union will be next on the block?
• New union hall for Local 636
• Contractor charged in trench cave-in death
• Plenty of fuel for industry expansion
• Motor City Casino ready for action
• NEWS BRIEFS

TOP

January 7, 2000

• OSHA slow to move sanitation Standard
• 'Senate Bill 32 is clearly about union busting'
• Building Condat plant is a smooth operation
• Milder climate for labor in D.C.
• New union hall ready for action
• Help wanted: Construction employment wide open through 2008
• NEWS BRIEFS

January 21, 2000

• Busy industry claims 31 workers in 1999
• Building will bring together MSU's spread-out scientists
• Auto show exhibits work of trades, too
• GE's affection for low wages:'Free trade run amok'
• Contributions help Local 292 member following home fire
• Here's how to lay low from Old Man Winter
• NEWS BRIEFS

February 4, 2000

• A welcome new trend for labor: an increase in members
• BCTD's Georgine to retire; Elevators' Sullivan on deck
• Seaborg Complex to carry on scientific tradition at NMU
• You could drive a truck through this income gap
• Action starts on Ford Field
• 30 Hardhats from U.P.'s Hautamaki Mechanical now signatory
• NEWS BRIEFS

February 18, 2000

• It will take some extra effort to vote for president
• Rail trestle goes down in history
• Flint Engine South Plant's safety record: outstanding
• State surplus: How should we spend it?
• Makeup comes off U-M Stadium
• 'If you work union you have a future'
• NEWS BRIEFS

March 3, 2000

• Lacking votes, GOP is forced to bury 'FAIR' Act
• Trades ready 'hellacious hole' for new Detroit parking deck
• School inspection rules move closer to passage
• Trauma programs should be moved to prime time
• Human resources in the trades build new center for UAW-GM
• Marlinga announces bid for Supreme Court seat
• NEWS BRIEFS

March 17, 2000

• Trades plan for Nov. 7 election 'Are we going to fight for the future of our families?'
• 'Between now and Election Day, each of us has a role to play'
• Conference builds the case against state Republicans
• Quality conscious trades, Walbridge build Flagstar HQ
• Time to arrest the assault on your hearing
• NEWS BRIEFS

March 31, 2000

• Comerica Park construction 'rounding third, headed home
• Safety inspector money here today, gone tomorrow
• Rare, beautiful and durable - Greektown mosaic has it all
• Make sure you are counted in Census 2000
• NOVA Award celebrates industry's ingenuity
• NEWS BRIEFS

April 14, 2000

• Trades greet new president; Clinton urges more prosperity with Gore
• Transportation tax, temps politics top trades agenda
• A tribute to promoted trades reps
• 1099 abuse, MIOSHA inspectors on agenda for House Democrats
• Major Campbell outage will keep plant humming
• Old courthouse getting new space
• NEWS BRIEFS

April 28, 2000

• Temps threaten trades' pay and safety standards
• Motown to become Geektown with new Compuware building
• Doors open on new union hall
• Workplace inspectors, gun safety on House Dems' agenda
• Contractor appreciates trades' work at Marathon
• Aaron Mechanical's ex-employee list grows
• NEWS BRIEFS

May 12, 2000

May 26, 2000

• Whether you know it or not, GOP feels you need 'empowerment'
• GENERAL MOTORS letters retired gracefully, thanks to work of MBM, trades
• Trench safety is expensive; the cost of life is incalculable
• Don't vouch for vouchers: plan would hurt all students
• Wayne State's construction boom a boon to the building trades
• Monument planned to honor Michigan vets killed in Vietnam
• Young people can use help to work safe this summer

June 9, 2000

• The Big Normal Majority needs your participation
• UA Local 174's pride evident as new building is unveiled
• Expo gives prospective Hardhats insight on construction industry
• A dime at a time, trades help Make-A-Wish
• THE GANGBOX: Building trades odds and ends
• Ready to sign your life away?
• NEWS BRIEFS

June 23, 2000

• Prevailing wage clout depends on dwindling resource: enforcement
• Road workers still need a brake
• Trades power construction of new gas-fired power plant
• In the swamp or on an ice floe, zoo animals will feel right at home
• Working safely…Don't take your work home with you
• Kowynia puts his mind to it, wins sheet metal competition
• NEWS BRIEFS

July 7, 2000

• School inspection bill finally makes the grade among state lawmakers
• Prevailing wage language not open to interpretation appeals court says
• What you can expect if wage law is repealed
• Unions contribute to building boom, too
• To reduce prices, we must make gasoline market more competitive
• ABC better at marketing than building
• NEWS BRIEFS

July 21, 2000

• Primary election is easy to ignore - please don't
• Trades straighten U.S. 131 S-Curve
• Let's restore balance to Michigan Supreme Court
• Class act Atkins retires from Cement Masons
• Bricklayer King has Unlimited potential
• NEWS BRIEFS

August 4, 2000

• Irritated Western ABC offers tips to halt union incursion
• New lease on life for landmark library
• 'The greater the political power, the greater the bargaining power'
• 'Fight for the future of Michigan' kicks off with primary
• Stabenow for Senate: 'Working families deserve someone who will fight on their side'
• Newspaper struggle continues after appeals court wallop
• Boilermakers are tops on Rouge-Edison project
• NEWS BRIEFS

August 18, 2000

• Low voter turnout makes your vote a high priority
• Sullivan stays on at building trades; vows aggressive organizing, political push
• Top to bottom trades have right stuff at Metro's Midfield Terminal
• Under a runway, tile setters provide a nice finishing touch
• With George W., 'compassion' is in the eye of the beholder
• State's jobless can expect new recordkeeping; not new benefits
• NEWS BRIEFS

September 1, 2000

• Labor Day 2000 'When Working Families Vote, We All Win'
• State Supreme Court makeup has far-reaching implications
• We mourn death of building trades giant Jack Wood
• Topping out of Rouge powerhouse another step toward more power
• Michigan, unions key to presidency as campaign heats up
• Pipe trades instructors back for more instruction
• NEWS BRIEFS

September 15, 2000

• Positions, everyone - Issues more in focus as election season advances
• Candidates come calling to court very important voters: Michigan's
• 58er Jones on target at archery championships
• Centennial celebration for Local 190
• Construction deaths lead all industries
• Voucher system doesn't play by the rules of the game
• NEWS BRIEFS

September 29, 2000

• On the record…Who's bad? See where Gore, Bush stand on issues
• Looking down…And looking up
• C'mon, send 'em in! Return voter forms to clerk by Oct. 10
• Raising nonunion standards - for all the wrong reasons
• NEWS BRIEFS

October 13, 2000

• State Supreme Court supremely important this year - and this decade
• We're fighting for your fair wages and safe jobs - won't you join us at the polls on Nov. 7?
• Stabenow's plan: Bring an end to bloated prescription drug prices
• VOUCHERS WILL HURT MICHIGAN'S PUBLIC AND PRIVATE EDUCATION SYSTEMS
• Job well-done is evident after Consumers retrofit
• On Target in the Upper Peninsula
• Reorganized, re-energized Painters meet in Michigan
• NEWS BRIEFS

October 27, 2000

November 10, 2000

• Today's lesson for ABC: How to get away with paying workers substandard wages
• Maintenance work by trades helps 'Mighty Mac' stay mighty
• New building a good fit for Pipe Fitters Local 636
• Honoring a new building and an old friend
• Labor news from around the nation
• Indoors or out, welders should try to clear the air
• NEWS BRIEFS

November 24, 2000

• Voters speak with forked tongue
• Few glad tidings after viewing vote results
• The real winner: special interests
• Air ride equipped: New overhead tram arrives at Metro
• Union-built shopping center ready to go
• Trades salute 3 retirees
• New focus on 'appalling' hazard: silica dust
• NEWS BRIEFS

December 8, 2000

• Privatization plan is latest threat to prevailing wage
• Political course likely to stay in the middle
• Trades establish rushing game to build Ford Field by next year
• IBEW training center opens doors to the future
• Laborers expand training facility
• NEWS BRIEFS

December 22, 2000

• Wage standards upheld -- at least for this year
• Trades, Walbridge help improve togetherness among GM engineers
• Good times continue in construction, but warning signs loom
• 'A' for effort on early S-Curve completion
• Sanitation standard moves slowly, but now, not-so-surely
• Union movers picket
• NEWS BRIEFS

TOP

January 5, 2001

• Tradesman survives, thrives when others haven't in labor press
• Huge Cobo Center remains a vital, but undersized asset
• Double deckers twice as nice for trades at auto show
• Most of Michigan expect good times to continue in 2001
• Record work for now, but 'a bump in the road'could await Motor City'
• Unions end newspaper boycott
• Election show labor's 'unmatched power'

January 19, 2001

• Construction deaths drop; is more training the key
• Michigan is failing at on the job safety
• Bush extends fist to workers with Labor Dept. pick
• Big chill project revives Ottawa Street Station
• Dollar-an-hour won't cut it; union wages continue to rise in Michigan
• St. John building to consolidate cancer treatment
• NEWS BRIEFS

February 2, 2001

• GM thinks big with new Grand River Assembly Plant
• Union membership slide resumes after 2 even years
• OSHA hopes to save lives with new steel erection rules
• Makeover, maintenance, fortify Detroit's 'defining' skyscraper
• Labor finds Chao a better choice
• Bracelet drawing benefits St. Rita
• NEWS BRIEFS

February 16, 2001

• Needs of Working Families Top Democratic Agenda
• Cross the t's, dot the i's before crossing Michigan's Workers Comp panelists
• Water Works Park II features new technology in an old setting
• Fitter crusades against GHB, which killed her daughter
• Number of union construction workers takes a dip in 2000
• Bush places steel erection standard on the shelf
• NEWS BRIEFS

March 2, 2001

March 16, 2001

• GOP eradicates ergonomics rules
• Prevailing wage repeal betrays Michigan workers
• Early on, Bush starts battles - and he's fighting against labor
• From boondoggle to boon, Zilwaukee span serves state well
• Expo exposes construction as a potential career choice
• New Midfield Terminal gets new power plant, too
• NEWS BRIEFS

March 30, 2001

• U.S. construction pay barely beats inflation during 1990s
• Asbestos claim date looms; do you know your rights?
• Labor Ready hounded by building trades
• Silverdome still a great facility, but that probably won't save it
• Unions welcome Aaron workers
• NEWS BRIEFS

April 13, 2001

• Carpenters break with AFL-CIO and building trades
• Paltry GOP support helps sustain prevailing wage
• School's still out on school inspection legislation
• Once the world's longest bridge, Ambassador now distinguished for its years of stately service
• Want to improve industry's image? Ask the people who wear the hard hats
• Bricklayers provide crash course so courses will be straight in Kosovo
• NEWS BRIEFS

April 27, 2001

• Democrats propose inflation-adjusted hikes in jobless $; response: 'hell no!'
• Another study weighs in to bolster prevailing wage
• Michigan's Hall of Justice takes shape
• GARDE Award honors construction industry diversity
• Benson Ford Research Center to showcase Henry's stuff
• PLAs drive up costs? Bridge project points out myth vs. reality
• NEWS BRIEFS

May 11, 2001

• Building Trades OK informal relations with Carpenters
• State official ties on-the-job deaths to 'fate' and 'luck'
• Worker fatality rate down in U.S.; state's numbers are worse
• Delphi headquarters expansion puts operations in one place
• Guardian Building a monument to 'workmen of unusual merit'
• Utility group seeks to limit underground mishaps
• NEWS BRIEFS

May 25, 2001

• Two 'stand up' groups fight for U.S. steel and iron ore industries
• U.P.'s Tilden, Empire mines carve out niche in state history
• IBEW, NECA dedicate new training center
• Project labor agreement at work as Mott Tech Center gets topped out
• Tile wall displays professional, amateur skills
• Additional safety inspectors proposed
• NEWS BRIEFS

June 8, 2001

• Summer's here, and time is right for 'Give 'em a Brake' campaign
• City grew up around old S-Curve; new version ready for the future
• Trades' issues grow cold on the back burner
• Study offers disquieting news about hearing mentality in trades
• 'Protection of the construction worker is clearly a matter of politics'
• Rebate checks (may be) coming
• NEWS BRIEFS

June 22, 2001

• Any fast track deal should respect needs of people
• Bush takes initial stand to help U.S. steel firms
• Outage work helps to make cleaner-burning Campbell plant
• Trades help offer a better menu at NMU
• Covenant Health Care project displays union-contractor skills
• Trades, contractors are final piece in the puzzle to build expanded shelter
• NEWS BRIEFS

July 6, 2001

• St. Clair Co. turns to union PLA to make 'the best building possible'
• Ciao, now - U.A. Rep. Sposita honored as retirement nears
• UA picks McNamara for International Union post
• Pension reforms especially helpful to building trades
• Softball-booster Sam T. Hart honored with 'fair play' plaque
• 'Opportunity industry' seeks to attract workers
• NEWS BRIEFS

July 20, 2001

• Redistricting time
• Trades get ready for Ford Field blitz
• State set to beef up penalties for drivers who hit Hardhats
• Fitters' warmth sends welcome chill to St. Pat's
• Boilermakers have a go-'round with orbital welding training
• NEWS BRIEFS

August 3, 2001

• Construction fatalities up in 2001
• State, feds get more alert to roadwork zone safety
• Iron Workers 25 celebrates climb to the century mark
• Davison: Nation's first freeway was built right the first time
• Topping-out held for Ren Cen's Winter Garden
• Electrical work on the Madeline is ship-shape, thanks to 498'er
• NEWS BRIEFS

August 17, 2001

• Where did the summer go? Time for Labor Day festivities
• Summer's heat is still here: So let's be careful out there
• Compuware's new HQ starts to rise
• Unlucky boaters found a friend in Joe Herro
• Rappeller's work helps leaky turret repel the elements
• Still waiting for your turn to work? Poor planning vexes construction
• NEWS BRIEFS

August 31, 2001

• Labor Day festivities slated around Michigan
• MBCTC meeting unveils new operating plan, returns officers
• 'Original grandeur' the goal for Griswold Place renovation
• UA to take up permanent residence at Washtenaw Community College
• Another year atop standings for Operators Red
• NEWS BRIEFS

September 14, 2001

• Nonunion contractors agonize over income of their 'poor people'
• Trades celebrate Labor's day
• Teamsters extend olive branch to Bush during an unusual presidential visit
• 116-year life-span for a roof? St. Anne's got its money's worth
• Labor Legacy arch unveiled
• Going up: new sequencing facility
• NEWS BRIEFS

September 28, 2001

• Michigan laborer brings home news of Ground Zero 'The union construction presence was awesome'
• Construction union members weigh in with skills, equipment to aid New York
• Hardhats' work now in session at Michigan's Hall of Justice
• 'Buy union now' website up and running
• Three Towers now a union-signatory contractor
• NEWS BRIEFS

October 12, 2001

• 911 fund established to aid NY construction industry workers
• Message to Michigan voters: Democrats support gun rights, too
• Trades wrap up another outage at Mead paper mill
• New hotel on the radar screen
• Okies OK right to work…
• Dedication scheduled for Michigan Vietnam Monument
• NEWS BRIEFS

October 26, 2001

• Putting the screws to Michigan's workers…
• Freeze on jobless benefits still hurts workers
• Displays of patriotism in these uncertain times
• These colors won't run on Monroe Co. farmhouse
• Another helpful effort by Heat's On volunteers
• NEWS BRIEFS

November 9, 2001

• For some in GOP, union members' political leanings are the greater security risk
• What's on tap: a modernized version of Water Works Park
• Unions, contractors get prepared for biological hazards
• Trades, contractors begin the end of long effort to build shelter
• 15-year study confirms deadly grip of falls
• Effective safety planning effectively saves lives
• NEWS BRIEFS

November 23, 2001

• New roof truss bridges Ford Field
• Bush's ban on project labor agreements tossed out by judge
• Insurance costs expected to rise after Sept. 11
• Pipeline had a lot of character - but it leaked like a sieve
• Nuke plants an important source of energy, employment
• Michigan labor continues push for enhanced jobless benefits
• NEWS BRIEFS

December 7, 2001

• New hygiene standard for construction: still plugged up, but not forgotten
• New chief brings new plan of business to OSHA
• Fountain Walk development spouts variety of new shops
• Will low wages in Louisiana lead to union resurgence?
• Feds release down payment for new Soo Lock
• World Trade Center site: 'very dangerous'
• NEWS BRIEFS

December 21, 2001

• Consumers Energy new HQ: two buildings for the price of one
• Bush's appeal of PLA decision bolsters friendship with ABC
• Unemployed still unassisted - state and feds are slow to help
• Straight-party voting killed by state GOP
• Decision on Carpenters' link with AFL-CIO due in mid-January
• A safer site for workers the goal of U-M program
• Lions score with new practice facility
• NEWS BRIEFS

TOP

January 4, 2002

• Nifty Fifty - Tradesman paper survives industry's ups and downs to reach half-century
• Tradesman to 'promote the general welfare of the construction industry worker'
• Safe2Work wins major endorsements
• Michigan has its own Vietnam Memorial
• Higher health care costs prescribed for 2002
• Trades prep Detroit Statler Hotel for an uncertain future
• NEWS BRIEFS

January 18, 2002

• Jobless workers, rights of voters are maligned in Michigan
• Trades appeal for help to ease nonunion grip on Borgess Medical Center
• Muddy Rochester village takes shape
• Union skills expand Wal-Mart
• State's construction fatality rate up, but injury rate is trending lower
• NEWS BRIEFS

February 4, 2002

• 'Waiting week' kills enthusiasm for hike in jobless benefits
• $2.9 billion in jobless money is beginning to stink like hell
• Final destination nears for Midfield Terminal
• Union membership numbers flat in 2001
• Union density unrelated to higher wages, researchers say
• Jewelry drawing raises $7,000
• NEWS BRIEFS

February 15, 2002

• Painters' 'Southern Initiative' offers lessons for us all
• Michigan unions risk loss of market by keeping 'comfortable,'says GP Monroe
• Final truss installation latest milestone for Ford Field
• As Kmart's blue light dim, readers are asked to help
• Meanwhile, at the nation's largest retailer…
• Compuware's HQ movin' on up
• NEWS BRIEFS

March 1, 2002

• Carpenters demand drastic changes before re-affiliation with Building Trades Dept.
• Borgess remains committed to 'open market bidding process'
• Smooth landing for Midfield Terminal
• OSHA flushes sanitation standard for construction
• Pay hikes for Michigan trades continue to outpace nation
• Wayne State builds new center to meet and greet
• Boilermakers help rescue ice anglers
• NEWS BRIEFS

March 15, 2002

• Building trades' goal: to restore balance in state government
• Republicans backpeddle on jobless benefit max
• Building trades move quickly to iron out Compuware HQ
• Granholm cautions against sale of Blue Cross
• Bush OKs weaker tariff package for relief of U.S. steel, ore industries
• Trades ready Spartan gridiron for grass
• NEWS BRIEFS

March 29, 2002

• Three months later, GOP hasn't cleaned up jobless benefits train wreck
• Totally wired Wayne State building nears completion
• Engler seeks expensive legacy with early-out plan for judges
• Congress OKs U.S. campaign finance reform, but ultimate effects unknown
• Rokuski laid groundwork for Local 169 training center, now his name's on the wall
• NEWS BRIEFS

April 12, 2002

• 2002 a vital year for voting in Michigan - are you registered?
• Labor, Dems reach out to white male gun owners
• New Holt High School makes a big footprint
• Owners of restored GTO, souped-up Chevelle, win their divisions at Autorama
• ABC won't win merit badge from workers
• NEWS BRIEFS

April 26, 2002

• Finally - modest increase Ok'd for unemployment insurance
• Federal court agrees to hear Dems on Michigan redistricting plan
• It's a tight squeeze, but trades fit in nicely with Palmer Drive project
• Painters' Monroe blasts BT's Sullivan; no action on UBC re-affiliation
• Maddaloni urges solidarity: 'building trades are 'the lifeline of all of our members'
• Borgess continues to snub local trades
• 'Mother Church' undergoes extensive makeover
• NEWS BRIEFS

May 10, 2002

• Most jobless workers to see a bounce in benefits
• Peaker plants boost employment; add to nation's power capacity, too
• Laborers expand training center
• Mark 1 Restoration signs with Bricklayers Local #1
• Middle schoolers introduced to piping industry
• 9-11 iron worker volunteer gets token of appreciation
• NEWS BRIEFS

May 24, 2002

• More protection for road workers; more penalties for drivers
• Modern makeover for GM Tech Center
• Petitions drive revives straight-party ballots
• Senate vote slows Fast Track
• Together, Local 80, SMACNA get a brand name
• Iron workers' CPR efforts saves bolt supplier
• First-of-its-kind training programlinks operators, iron workers
• NEWS BRIEFS

June 7, 2002

• Could Michigan OK a better sanitation standard in 2002? 'Forget about it'
• Need a lift? Headache ball's role as an elevator will continue
• A great fender bender Trades press to build G.M. stamping plant
• Senate adopts Fast Track, but pro-worker add-ons may prove a deal-killer
• Innovative buildings win top honors for steel construction
• Ground breaks on Labor Legacy monument 'Transcend'
• NEWS BRIEFS

June 21, 2002

• Opposites attract? Not the building trades and the ABC
• All trades urged to use caution around high (or low) wires
• Covert operation: Bog power plant a big employer for trades
• Nation's steel difficulties remain
• Roofers navigate a sea of PVC atop Ford Field
• NEWS BRIEFS

July 5, 2002

• Federal jobless money will be used to plug leaks in state budget
• Two firms join 'race to the bottom'
• Work remains before trades hand off Ford Field
• Scout's honor: Mix-Fix volunteers improve ranch
• Local 58 powerboater paying his 'Dooz'
• NEWS BRIEFS

July 19, 2002

• Big drop in fatalities for Michigan's Hardhats
• OSHA law improves safety, but toll on workers continues
• Trades playing the right notes during Orchestra Hall renovation
• Construction levels up from 2001
• Quiet, please: Industry needs to look at stopping construction noise at its source
• NEWS BRIEFS

August 2, 2002

• Appeals court allows Bush to bar PLAs on federal jobs
• Election Time: Michigan Primary scheduled for Aug. 6
• Not over the hill, Hill Auditorium undergoes massive renovation
• Happy birthday, air conditioning
• It's time to put some weight behind ergonomic issues
• Voter outrage pushes congress to approve anti-corporate crime bill
• NEWS BRIEFS

August 16, 2002

• Election Year 2002: November ballot features Granholm vs. Postuhumus, other important races
• Labor Day 2002 celebrations scheduled
• Congress gives final OK to Fast Track
• Greatest challenge to installing new pollution controls at Monroe Power Plant is the plant itself
• Save-a-Life Club invites you to join
• Another busy season for road work(ers)
• NEWS BRIEFS

August 30, 2002

• 'Working North America has held up its end of the bargain'
• Michigan trades endorse Granholm
• Granholm puts out welcome mat for the building trades
• MBTC delegates challenged: 'It's time to take back the state'
• 1,777 UA instructors go back to school at Washtenaw Community College
• Operators Blue take 2002 softball title
• NEWS BRIEFS

September 13, 2002

• Who are those guys?
• Labor celebrates Labor Day
• Mi-Dems vow: 'It's time for a change in Michigan'
• New Soo Lock money tied up in Congress
• Take a swat at the West Nile Virus
• NEWS BRIEFS

September 27, 2002

• Who are those guys? Part 2
• Labor rallies, but will members vote?
• There's still time: Register to vote by Monday, Oct. 7
• Thanks for your generosity after Sept. 11
• Steam-powered scoop: historic crane's days may be numbered
• Heimlich, CPR training can save a life
• Health care costs likely to start incursion into your paycheck
• NEWS BRIEFS

October 11, 2002

• There are good reasons to endorse Granholm and most Democrats
• Who are those guys? Part 3
• Big footprint for new Saline High School
• Union Statistics
• NEWS BRIEFS

October 25, 2002

• No. 1 priority: Good voter turnout on Nov. 5
• Time to bring building trades 'back to the table' in Michigan politics
• Granholm's goal: taking this state back for the working families of Michigan
• As AG, Peters pledges to take building trades' case
• Hollowell wants to streamline election process, improve voter education
• NEWS BRIEFS

November 8, 2002

• Privatize Blue Cross? The idea has supporters - and bears watching
• Compuware HQ readies to load tenants
• Lame duck session threatens workers
• File jobless apps through the mail
• Iron workers, operators strengthen ties with completion of training frame
• Christmas comes early for Heat's On recipients
• Are you drinking enough water?
• NEWS BRIEFS

November 22, 2002

• Granholm wins; but GOP is even stronger
• Lame-duck session may or may not hold nasty surprises
• Beasts of the field will get a diagnostic research center to call their own
• Plumbers 98's new union hall: 'You should be proud of this building'
• Construction's crystal ball: Activity to decline slightly in 2003
• NEWS BRIEFS

December 6, 2002

• Lame duck legislators have been benign so far- but there's time
• Steel's up on Beaumont's bigger, better South building
• Boensch, Devlin, Radjewski Help with Granholm's transition
• Carpenters make amends with BT Department; status in AFL-CIO, Michigan unresolved
• Building operation allows growth for Pioneer
• NEWS BRIEFS

December 20, 2002

• Election 2002 - Union members went with Dems, even with Dems' weak message
• Foreman given jail time after worker is electrocuted
• Pollution control project brings droves of trades to Consumers plant
• The Gangbox Assorted News and Notes
• Trades care about Care House
• NEWS BRIEFS

TOP

January 10, 2003

• Construction in Michigan rocks or reels, depending on your whereabouts
• 'Democracy is not a spectator sport,' new Gov. Granholm declares at inauguration
• Four more years at GDBTC for Devlin, Hamilton
• A home addition that breaks the mold
• GOP controls a not-so-worker-friendly legislative agenda
• NEWS BRIEFS

January 24, 2003

• Construction fatalities decline in 2002
• New HQ for Consumers Energy brings together old and the new
• Jobless insurance extended, but a million are left behind
• Feds ready to embark on important prevailing wage survey in Michigan
• Shedding some light on the auto show
• The Gang Box
• NEWS BRIEFS

February 7, 2003

• Prevailing wage paper chase could stabilize pay rates for trades
• New leader: no quick fix for state's unemployment compensation mess
• A few points to ponder regarding jobless comp
• Roofers provide cover for landmark water tower
• Asbestos litigation overwhelms courts
• Old library spiffs up for new neighbors
• NEWS BRIEFS

February 21, 2003

• State opens three more unemployment offices
• Miscounted, misunderstood: Welcome to the world of construction statistics
• UA becoming part of the landscape at Washtenaw Community College
• GOP leader charges unions are exploiting nation's security needs
• Lansing trades offer kids HOPE through personal contributions
• NEWS BRIEFS

March 7, 2003

• Michigan House moves to outlaw prevailing wage and living wage, But Granholm pledges a veto
• Trades supply new backbone for aging Greenfield Village
• Union membership declines in 2002
• Survey says: nation has a better opinion of unions
• Secretary of Labor…or Secretary of Commerce?
• CAM: Uncertain year awaits Michigan construction
• NEWS BRIEFS

March 21, 2003

• Granholm to labor: 'You've got a backstop'
• Michigan's unemployment system getting back on track
• Jobless workers who need help now have a few more options
• Sparrow expansion provides more room for patients and their cars
• New Cass Tech building rises in old building's shadow
• NEWS BRIEFS

April 4, 2003

• U.S. Senate Republicans deny extension of unemployment benefits
• General contractors get amnesty from court
• As new HQ goes up, Carhartt doesn't wear thin with building trades
• Slight dip in the road for state highway spending
• IUPAT roll out welcome on new union hall/apprenticeship school
• NEWS BRIEFS

April 18, 2003

• Delegates seek to overcome prevailing wage protests, start construction spending
• Building trades support the troops
• Building trades have an 'in' at MeadWestvaco outage
• American Axle's headquarters campus rolls toward completion
• Work stoppages a thing of the past
• Can't help falling…You can, with a good safety plan, well-fitting harness
• NEWS BRIEFS

May 2, 2003

• State's get-tough law on work-zone speeders gets first court review
• A tuck-point here, a new panel there provide facelift for Maccabees Building
• Steam crane still alive and scooping
• Your health and safety matters…Since you're not stronger than dirt, make trench safety a priority
• Trades take center stage at performing arts center
• NEWS BRIEFS

May 16, 2003

• Trades' work at Fermi 2 generates acclaim from DTE
• With big deficit due, Bush's tax cut plan leaves Dems dubious
• No action yet on extension of jobless benefits
• Time to revive an old 'innovation' - responsibility
• Boilermakers, high schoolers get early introduction
• NEWS BRIEFS

May 30, 2003

• Republicans approve 'absolutely the minimum' in jobless extension
• Federal tax cut of $350 billion'does very little for those who need it most'
• Trades, Christman get rolling on Journal's new printing press
• On GARDE: several honored for race and gender diversity
• Building trades' skills bring union labor landmark to life
• Border crossings, helmets to hard hats, 'smart' cards on trades' agenda
• NEWS BRIEFS

June 13, 2003

• Labor's bark bites Republicans, who shelve comp time bill
• Bravo - trades perform at Detroit school
• Federal jobless benefits extension kicks in for Michigan
• Trades transform grade school for university's use
• Solution to asbestos litigation falls apart
• Trades lock up PLA then help break ground on new jail
• NEWS BRIEFS

June 27, 2003

• Michigan seeks a greater share of federal road funding
• National Maintenance Agreement gives the customer what he wants
• Trades help restore power at flooded Presque Isle plant
• Carhartt's blue jean promotion fits trades to a 'T'
• LECET to the rescue in strapped Hamtramck
• Hilton Garden Inn construction is a rarity for Detroit
• NEWS BRIEFS

July 11, 2003

• Repeal prevailing wage? Any savings 'likely to be small,' researcher says
• Two firms slammed for 'willful disregard of worker safety' after Ford Field fatality
• Inspiring work by masons working at Islamic Center
• Health care dilemma highlights ABC's various shortcomings
• 'This bill is horrible' Trades won't breathe easier under asbestos plan
• New use for old NMU fieldhouse
• NEWS BRIEFS

July 25, 2003

• Bush pushes plan to deny overtime for more workers
• OSHA kills requirement to count ergo injuries
• Trades restore lofty part of Fisher Building's opulence
• Wage increases take a slight dip
• State re-funds road projects
• Book-Cadillac set to write new chapter
• NEWS BRIEFS

August 8, 2003

August 22, 2003

• Pipe trades unveil new Great Lakes training facility
• 'Union by choice' - Labor celebrates its day on Sept. 1
• 'Our mission has been the protection of the worker'
• New rail tunnel on the right track with union commitment
• AFL-CIO further delays action vs. Carpenters
• Michigan due for whopper construction worker shortage, demographer claims
• NEWS BRIEFS

September 5, 2003

September 19, 2003

• Appeals Court upholds prevailing wage, but Supreme Court looms
• Trades convene at Convention Center
• Senate cancels rules to deny OT for workers
• We built this village… Visteon HQ is topped out
• Hardhats help form new safety measures following disasters
• State offers more phone access for jobless benefits
• NEWS BRIEFS

October 3, 2003

• Granholm puts 'Labor' back in re-organized Michigan government
• Campus Martius' historic monuments mark city's place in the past
• Detroit's Point of Origin marker? It was right here.
• Construction pay, benefit rates up, but they've been higher
• UP employers expect better times
• Trades conduct new masterpiece: the renovated Orchestra Hall
• NEWS BRIEFS

October 17, 2003

• Latest vote on OT hands labor a win
• Bush seeks to bury unions under a costly pile of new accounting paperwork
• Technically, trades erect new facility for Lansing CC
• Michigan, 14 other states tire of being 'donors' of U.S. highway money
• Unique 3-auger system creates columns of 'soilcrete' to hold back sodden earth
• NEWS BRIEFS

October 31, 2003

• Congress goes to work on more unemployment money
• Poor jobless numbers are tip of the iceberg for President Bush
• First chapter opens in Book-Cadillac renovation
• Too much overtime can be too much of a good thing
• Heat's On/Water's Off: Another helpful effort by pipe trades volunteers
• NEWS BRIEFS

November 14, 2003

• Trades, nire advocat to promote responsible approach to gain work
• Going deep - foundations anchor new Capitol City office high-rise
• ABC training needs to go back to school, new study finds
• Union trades re-gain voice on construction safety panel
• Maybe time is right to stop toilet sanitation from going medieval
• 22 pipe trades students from Michigan are first in line at UA building
• NEWS BRIEFS

November 28, 2003

• Plenty of second opinions over Medicare overhaul
• Down on the farm? Not this silo
• Most of labor keeps powder dry during presidential primary
• Construction forecast calls for a slightly better 2004
• The Gangbox
• New look for Northern's east campus
• NEWS BRIEFS

December 12, 2003

• Labor, allies fear the wrong diagnosis for Medicare plan
• Bush puts nation over a (pork) barrel
• Bush gets his way as workers lose overtime benefits
• Trades, Walsh say no to overflows with new sewage holding facility
• The Gangbox
• NEWS BRIEFS

December 26, 2003

• Republican inaction brings long, cold winter for nation's jobless
• 'Do no harm?' New Medicare law may be a cure worse than the disease
• Defined road work zones strengthen law in Michigan
• Trades fix fabulous Fox's fascia
• Hand sanitizers and more toilets = a more sanitary jobsite
• Industry leaders put construction safety on agenda
• NEWS BRIEFS

TOP

January 9, 2004

• 'If the economy picks up…'A familiar refrain to construction industry hoping for a better 2004
• Auto show 2004 Trades light up Cobo Center
• Overtime ban gets stay of execution, but prospects are poor
• Scaffold safety: Don't let what goes up, come down
• NEWS BRIEFS

January 23, 2004

• 'I don't think they care…' Levin assails GOP for not extending jobless benefits
• Trades restore Hill Auditorium's lost luster
• Granholm signs road worker safety laws
• State decides it is better to receive than to give away federal highway money
• Big job, big crane at Ford Rouge
• NEWS BRIEFS

February 6, 2004

• Construction fatalities level in 2003, but more safety inspectors added
• Pressure from Bush ends overtime for 8 million Americans
• To pour salt into workers' wounds, Bush issues ideas for keeping pay low
• Trades return to Karn-Weadock for 'major, major modifications'
• Responsible contracting seen as a 'building block' for unions, contractors
• How you can help stop potholes and employ Hardhats
• NEWS BRIEFS

February 20, 2004

• Kerry endorsed by building trades for U.S. president
• In 2003, another drop for union membership
• Trades transform Merchants Row
• The Gangbox - Assorted news and notes
• Bricklayers rediscover lost art of lighthouse construction
• NEWS BRIEFS

March 5, 2004

• Hard work, education under way to make prevailing wage prevail
• Visteon Village offers new version of corporate headquarters
• Legislation affecting asbestosis cases may do more harm than good
• Bush's economic chief: Outsourcing U.S. jobs is 'probably a plus'
• An economic theory only Mayor McCheese could love
• With more Wolverine fans over the years, U-M Stadium has grown with the times

March 19, 2004

• Granholm to building trades: Why are we subsidizing this kind of job loss?
• "Jobs, jobs, jobs" Unemployment dilemma looms over 2004 election cycle
• A better way to burn coal introduced to Erickson Station
• Construction industry, say hello to your new trend: Outsourcing
• Trades support CLEAR choice to fix electrical deregulation
• News Briefs

April 2, 2004

• Irked by terminated jobless benefits? Inform Republicans
• How to contact your member of Congress
• New entry plaza will be the end of Renaissance Center renovation
• Price jumps for steel, other materials bite construction
• Trades flock to Michigan Tech for new work and renovations
• Soo Locks - ever dependable through the ups and downs of great Lakes shipping
• Mackinac Bridge construction commemorated
• News Briefs

April 16, 2004

• Building trades focus on politics, pensions and transportation bill
• Republicans, Bush provide pension relief - except to construction industry
• Michigan may continue to be a reluctant donor of road money
• New signs for start, end of road work zones close legal loophole
• Construction union membership remains steady
• Big, beautiful Saline High School nears completion
• News Briefs

April 30, 2004

• First take finds new overtime rules are probably more bark than bite for most workers
• Plan to help nation's pensions doesn't spell relief for trades
• Multi-employer pensions are healthy, but warnings are raised for long-term
• PLA helps construct latest generation of jail in St. Clair County
• Building trades advance fight to strengthen apprenticeship
• There's more to Wal Mart than meets the eye
• Trades build partner span to no-name historic bridge
• News Briefs

May 14, 2004

• Bush's overtime pay plan bludgeoned again, but they haven't quite killed the beast
• The Gangbox Assorted News and Notes
• From B-24s to GM transmissions, versatile Willow Run plant thrives
• 'Will-It Run?' Absolutely
• Getting a whiff of welding fumes…Jury verdict opens doors for personal injury cases
• Fume hazards are real - but gaps in research need closure
• News Briefs

May 28, 2004

• Asbestos talks collapse in Congress
• Pharmacists issue wrong prescription for mail-order drugs
• 'Sumptuous' Wayne County building menu of trades, Chezcore
• The Gangbox Assorted News and Notes
• Dig this: keep safe in the trenches
• News Briefs

June 11, 2004

• Labor asked to tip the scales for John Kerry
• Time to register to vote
• Local 174's Bennett wants 'to do some good;' runs for state representative
• Operation nears completion on Beaumont's beautiful new addition
• GOP measures threaten OSHA safety standards
• At Costco, good paying jobs are good business
• News Briefs

June 25, 2004

• Bush's NLRB may set another hurdle for union organizing
• Trade unions open a can of tax worms for ABC
• Spartan fans can go up another level
• Coming clean on hand sanitizers: They're good, but soap and water are better
• Trades' talents on display during DIA renovation
• Gang Box
• News Briefs

July 9, 2004

• Labor's top priority:Targeting, convincing swing voters in Michigan
• On the record: Bush's anti-worker bias isn't hard to find
• Steady pace marks construction operations at Crittenton Hospital
• The Gangbox - Assorted News and Notes
• Granholm urges full funding, road spending equity for Michigan
• Ad campaign points out union advantage
• News Briefs

July 23, 2004

• Educated voters key to making every vote count in 2004
• Of primary importance: vote on Tuesday, Aug. 3
• Clean slate: new roof for an old school
• Bush vs. the American worker…President picks fight on various fronts
• Rained out May 20-24? Disaster $ may be available
• Trades at the top of the Fox
• The Gangbox - Assorted News and Notes
• News Briefs

August 6, 2004

• Pro-worker themes Mark Kerry speech before Democrats
• Bush's new OT rules ready to reclassify workers, reduce pay
• Poof! You're an executive! Now take a cut in pay
• Get ready for Labor Day, 2004
• Undergrad Science Building goes up on dense, immense Palmer Drive
• Clearly, you can help improve Michigan's electrical deregulation law
• News Briefs

August 20, 2004

• President Bush: Hardly a bystander in war on workers
• Labor walks, talks in Michigan on Sept. 2
• New expansion at Metro Airport as Northwest capitalizes B and C terminals
• The Gangbox - Assorted News and Notes
• Approval nears for Gun Lake Tribe casino; you can help
• Silicosis dust risk nothing to sneeze at
• News Briefs

September 3, 2004

• Wake up call at MBTC convention
• As union membership drops toward 10 percent 'We will not have the strength to come back'
• 'Your strength is impaired You have fewer people. Lawmakers don't want to listen to you'
• Bush's new overtime rules amount to a pay takeaway from workers
• Trades give time, talent to improve treatment center
• News Briefs

September 17, 2004

• House snubs Bush, votes to overturn new overtime rules
• Union employers gain 'a powerful bargaining chip' with OT rules
• Labor Day, 2004 - Edwards states case for Kerry presidency
• State of the union? 'No relief in sight' for working families
• New iron looks over Spartans' gridiron
• The Gangbox - Assorted News and Notes
• News Briefs

October 1, 2004

• Lawmakers try to save overtime provisions; Bush threatens veto
• Your vote for U.S. president
• Trades help put educational house at home in Hands-On Museum
• A day in the life of Joe Middle-Class Republican
• DOT director is operator for a day: 'I can see your people work hard'
• News Briefs

October 15, 2004

October 29, 2004

• Hurry up and wait - 1st part of Michigan wage survey complete
• The presidential election: Labor's greatest challenge?
• Trades operate at expanded medical center
• More than a century later, labor's political mission hasn't changed much
• Who pays for personal protective equipment? Maybe workers should, OSHA suggests
• News Briefs

November 12, 2004

• Election aftermath: Go right? Go left? Debate starts for Dems
• Poll trolling: union members divided on Bush, Kerry
• Trades operate in new surgical addition at Oakwood Hospital
• Your health and safety matters…Water thrown on asbestos removal plan
• U.S. has higher health costs, lower outcomes, analyst tells labor
• Local 324 training helps bring GPS technology down to earth
• Construction tops worker fatality list
• News Briefs

November 26, 2004

• Labor looks to future, then looks at itself, following Bush win
• Summit challenges unions: 'We've got to change our way of thinking'
• New emergency/trauma center goes up at Marquette General
• Employers slap lawsuits on retirees to slither out of health care obligations
• Roofers follow pattern of quality with new slate roof
• Good and hard
• News Briefs

December 10, 2004

• 'This is what happens when you vote that way'
• House of labor to be rebuilt? And with straw, wood or brick?
• Stay a while: Wayne State invites students with new residence hall
• Personal Protective Equipment, Who Pays? The MIOSHA View
• Slow release for Soo Locks money
• Ren Cen nearly a wrap
• News Briefs

December 24, 2004

• Supreme Court hears arguments: Can ABC bring lawsuit to overturn prevailing wage?
• Masons to put a handsome new face on old Beaubien House
• Jobs faucet turns off at Water Works Park
• Recipes for revitalizing labor leave out key ingredient: members
• News Briefs

TOP

January 7, 2005

• Michigan Construction Outlook 2005
• Labor needs to look 'long and hard at what we are doing'
• Sweeney acknowledges AFL-CIO changes, Teamsters suggest how
• Innovative M-6 opens, complete with a 'spooey'
• Beware of the costs, consequences of 'fixing' Social Security
• News Briefs

January 21, 2005

• 22 Michigan Hardhats die on the job in 2004
• Trades get workout at Detroit YMCA
• Conservative 'working class movement' wins over voters abandoned by Dems
• Safety strongly stressed before sewer project starts
• Smaller increases for construction wages, benefits
• Lost and found: Interlaken shipwreck found by plumber father and pilot son
• Meet MITA: merged group represents heavy construction
• News Briefs

February 4, 2005

• AFL-CIO must be 'willing to make radical changes in tactics,'Laborers president says
• Cool concept - district chillers take the heat off multiple buildings
• MIOSHA - Making a difference for 30 years
• Hill's renovation top-notch, AIA says
• Gangbox Assorted News and Notes
• Lost and found: Interlaken shipwreck found by plumber father and pilot son
• Meet MITA: merged group represents heavy construction
• News Briefs

February 18, 2005

• U.S. union membership numbers drop, so does optimism for rebound
• Trades bridge a gap to expand U-M's School of Public Health
• Your health and safety matters
• Big contractors tapped for two big projects
• Grand hotel planned in Grand Rapids
• In a 'hissy-fit,' Wal Mart says it will close store about to unionize
• News Briefs

March 4, 2005

• Bush wants more union watchdogs
• Campaign to privatize Social Security: lies, damn lies and statistics
• Speed bump ahead for Michigan's road spending?
• Bricklayers, Roofers say bigger unions aren't better
• Trades click on new computer science building
• News Briefs

March 18, 2005

• Revival plan for state focuses on construction spending
• Race is on to complete MIS expansion
• Study: PLAs are cost-neutral, but ultimately benefit unions
• How budget hacks have put the state budget out of whack
• Trades, Barton Malow help Whitmore Lake high school go green
• Road money increase around the bend - and a fairer system, too?
• News Briefs

April 1, 2005

• Labor summit leader: Union reps, members need new business plan focused on 'profits, productivity, and value'
• Trades work to clear the air at Consumers Campbell plant
• NLRB works overtime - against workers
• No pallets or forklifts in this new 'warehouse': only lofts
• News Briefs

April 15, 2005

• Union pension funds start throwing their weight around
• Unions seek to create financial services powerhouse
• New cardiovascular center implanted at U-M hospital
• Building trades to benefit from Granholm's jobs plan
• Highway overpass makeovers: New philosophy beautifies bridges
• MDOT takes context sensitive approach to transportation projects
• News Briefs

April 29, 2005

• Sweeney to building trades: right to organize, filibuster top 2004 legislative agenda
• 'ABC programs do not work' - Study points out lousy nonunion training record
• Landmark St. Hugo carillon a delight for the eyes and ears
• Public, Dems support hike in minimum wage; GOP won't budge
• 'Jobs Today' bill features many jobs aimed at construction
• When smart people do stupid things
• Blink and you might miss NMU's Magers Hall renovation
• News Briefs

May 13, 2005

• Trades raise the roof on two concert venues
• Big top covers Phoenix Center
• Labor begins new push for Employee Free Choice Act
• Rebuild structure of unionized construction, organizing guru suggests
• Consensus lacking among plans to revamp AFL-CIO
• Battle Creek Oks prevailing wage law
• News Briefs

May 27, 2005

• Unions wonder if huge pension bailout sets nasty precedent
• Trades pension plans are healthier than their sick, 'single' cousins
• Federal Reserve Note: New facility 'is built like a bank'
• MDOT director sets up 'office' to highlight work-zone speeding
• Trades complete Cliffs Michigan mine maintenance
• $120 million+ expansion set for Van Andel Institute
• News Briefs
•  

June 10, 2005

• Is organized labor headed for Splitsville?
• Most building trades leaders allied with Sweeney
• What's Next: power on at unique energy center
• Carpenters end jurisdiction pacts
• Volunteers sought for Habitat blitz
• Unique 'Toxecon' project targets mercury emissions
• News Briefs

June 27, 2005

• AGC: union trades may 'expedite extinction' with ongoing battles
• Monday, Monday, Can't trust that day? Report says it's as safe as any other
• Unique arches to create gateway to Detroit
• 'Bigger picture' sought with reorganization of West Michigan Construction Alliance
• Pssst…feds clamping down on law-breaking employers
• What's a-Foote: work starts on new emergency department
• News Briefs
•  

July 8, 2005

• Senate panel rejects labor rights in CAFTA, passes bill
• New middle school rises in Flushing
• Trades, contractors seek pension relief
• Family leave backers make pre-emptive strike to defend law
• Trades' part of blitz to build Habitat homes
• Union reporting rules upheld
• News Briefs

July 22, 2005

• CAFTA opens doors in the global 'race to the bottom'
• Schools have trades seeing double
• Rally message: 'Finish the job'
• MDOT celebrates a century of service
• Historic 5-year multi-craft pact inked in U.P.
• News Briefs

August 5, 2005

• Three unions break from AFL-CIO
• Various views: 'As dysfunctional as we are, we're a family'
• Extreme makeover will improve I-96
• Michigan appeals court declines invitation to repeal prevailing wage
• Surprise - Supreme Court places generals on the hook for some injuries
• Granholm gives nod to unions in latest round of appointments
• News Briefs

August 19, 2005

• Delegates approve restructuring of Michigan Building Trades Council
• Michigan trades council sought 'solid front' in 1957 formation
• 'Trying times' for labor, but opportunities, too
• Michigan AFL-CIO's Gaffney: Labor split not a 'short-term deal'
• Congress Oks 6-year plan for highway construction
• More room for Linden students
• News Briefs

September 2, 2005

• Today's K.I. Sawyer a model for redevelopment
• Celebrate Labor's Day on Sept. 5
• The workingmen's (and women's) holiday: 'who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.'
• Building trades assess affect of new coalition
• Electricians keep tabs on union food bank
• Gateway bridge topped off, nearly ready for traffic
• News Briefs

September 16, 2005

• Operators unveil first responder facility
• 'One big family' on Labor Day
• 'Widespread improvement' for U.S. construction, but Katrina raises questions
• Bush bans Davis-Bacon for Katrina rebuilding
• AFL-Cio Executive Council OKS 'solidarity charters' for locals from departed unions
• News Briefs

September 30, 2005

• Bush's strategy for hurricane relief calls for lower wages
• GAO affirms problems with apprenticeship oversight
• New Detroit tower rises
• Trades restore, modernize Detroit Southeastern HS
• The Gangbox - Assorted News & Notes
• Post-hurricane material prices expected to rise
• News Briefs

October 14, 2005

• Introducing… the Change to Win Federation Breakaway union group formally established
• Laborers to leave AFL-CIO - Not 'if' but 'when'
• Trades' operations make more room for surgery
• 37 Republicans urge Bush to reconsider his veto of prevailing wage
• Labor News and Notes
• New rolling billboards for sheet metal industry
• News Briefs

October 28, 2005

• The low-wage global infusion: workers get it; why don't policymakers?
• Globalization without rules leads race to the bottom
• Expanding campus brings more power to Spartanville
• Years of planning pay off with new Local 98 Training Center
• Union benefits not apparent to John Q. Public
• Governor Pays Visit
• News Briefs

November 11, 2005

• Political heat causes Bush to flip over prevailing wage in Gulf region
• Re-enforcement has arrived: State seeks more compliance with prevailing wage law
• No strain for this crane - 508,000-lb. lift caps major Marathon project
• The apprentice: in Michigan it's Scott Daly of IBEW 58
• 324's Hamilton tapped for conference VP
• Senate GOP kills minimum wage hike
• Consumers Karn-Weadock plant honored by Chamber for development
• News Briefs

November 25, 2005

• IBEW hurricane victims blown off U.S. Navy job: their pay was too high
• Post-Katrina, market seems to be trumping prevailing wage, at least for now
• Trades go to work on psychiatry, depression center
• The building materials price market: not for the faint of heart
• Boilermakers 169: Don't forget, hire the vet
• Designer, erector, trades rise to the occasion at LCC

December 9, 2005

• Granholm, GOP OK $1.5 billion jobs stimulus package
• MDOT's road funding budget concentrates on 'preserve first'
• 'A' for effort on DTE-Rouge powerhouse outage
• Mason's handy invention - arrives on store shelves
• Construction pay fair to middlin' by comparison
• The Gangbox
• News Briefs

December 23, 2005

• House Dems push jump in state jobless benefits
• Prevailing wage 'reinvigorated' with renewed state efforts
• He shoots he scores: tinknocker's other job is Red Wings team photographer
• Icon on Bond illustrates Grand Rapids' growth
• News Briefs

TOP

January 6, 2006

• Congress takes steps to bolster pension plans
• Federal report raises fear that asbestos fund is inadequate for victims
• Construction instruction part of new Lawrence Tech center
• The world's economic race to the bottom goes through China
• New Wal-Mart meets resistance from Flint area trades
• Wal-Mart's P.R. effort can't mask lousy deal for taxpayers
• News Briefs

January 20, 2006

• Michigan construction outlook, 2006 State emerging from long hibernation
• 22 Michigan Hardhats die on-the-job in 2004
• Numbers reveal the state of Michigan construction
• U-M modernizes LS&A Building
• Noise associated with high blood pressure, stroke
• Wal-Mart's P.R. effort can't mask lousy deal for taxpayers
• News Briefs

February 3, 2006

• Steady as she goes for U.S. union membership
• Trades get ready for some football
• Pre-game efforts help Cass Activity Center
• NFL Theatre here today, gone tomorrow
• The future of U.S. construction...It's about demographics
• It's the Masonic Center all right
• Unions are looking for a few good public office candidates
• Granholm promotes health plan, construction, instruction
• News Briefs
•  

February 12, 2006

• 'Deadbeat boss' legislation takes roost in Michigan
• Timely prevailing wage survey means more union job opportunities
• Have a seat - community re-welcomes Johnson Controls
• Construction contracts up, but inflation isn't far behind
• 'Friends Of Labor'cuts across job titles to boost local candidates
• Weill Hall provides home to policy center
• News Briefs

March 3, 2006

• Union departures rock building trades - Six unions start new federation
• Time will tell: Labor splits may forge a 'new and more powerful' union movement
• Trades operate at BC Health System
• Union pay advantage grows
• Senate sidetracks asbestos trust fund bill - for now
• Michigan's minimum wage needs a raise; here's how you can help
• News Briefs

March 17, 2006

• Michigan Supreme Court upholds prevailing wage
• Lull follows report of new trades alliance
• Where the action is
• GOP turnaround makes minimum wage hike likely in Michigan
• Masons ready new niche for 160-year-old gang of gongers
• State seeks to accelerate $320 million in road funds
• News Briefs

March 31, 2006

• Law would bar workers with criminal history from MI schools…But building industry seeks exemption from poorly written rules
• Building trades get to work modernizing Bronson Hospital
• Strike actions decline, but past work stoppages hold useful lessons, author says
• Right-to-work returns to Lansing
• Big Mac Bridge Museum to return
• Hockey ref calls the shots at state high school finals
• News Briefs

April 14, 2006

• Building trades hold major stake in immigration debate
• Barton-Malow, trades briskly build for Bosch
• Contractor/owner survey reflects uncertain economy
• Trades renovate Borgess Medical Cen
• Prevailing wage still doesn't raise overall costs, seminar shows
• Why has Michigan's oldest pavement lasted so long?
• News Briefs

April 28, 2006

• Michigan Building Trades OK new constitution
• State exempts school construction workers from background checks
• Trades see nickel mine in U.P. paying off with jobs
• State to grant communities road money to attract $320M in federal grants
• A spark in Michigan's heavy metal industry
• News Briefs

May 12, 2006

• GOP lawmaker tries, fails to kill labor pacts on state college jobs
• Michigan senator wants to cozy up to corporations in asbestos cases
• DTE-Monroe plant to become bigger, cleaner after pollution control work
• Employers, trades sign on to safety alliance at Metro North job
• HealthSource ready for renovation
• News Briefs

May 26, 2006

• 'Buy American' campaign revs up to tout domestic automakers' impact
• Reviled man's fountain restored to original glory
• Reuniting doesn't feel so good, as Change-to-Win's attempt to link with AFL-CIO fails
• Low-key start for National Construction Alliance
• Where road workers are present, give 'em a brake
• Trades ready to leave dock at luxury boathouse condos
• News Briefs
•  

June 9, 2006

• State Republicans, Supreme Court push for limits on asbestos victims' legal rights
• Metro Hospital gets fresh start with advanced design, new location
• 'More supervisors!' expected to be NLRB anti-union battle cry
• Republicans kill pro-worker amendment to immigration bill
• Who supports labor? Here's the perfect test…
• Dormant for years, UA sparks up statewide apprenticeship contest
• News Briefs

June 23, 2006

• 'We know there's more to do…'Granholm promotes building Strategy; pipe trades endorse her
• Icon on Bond starts to rise
• Asbestos bill revived; should been left for dead?
• A matter of priorities
• Things are steaming up on NMU campus
• Material price inflation
• News Briefs

July 7, 2006

• House Republicans vote to extend keep-away rules for overtime pay
• What did you make last year? Average U.S. CEO earned that yesterday
• Under way on Michigan Street: New level of medical development
• Time to take cover and screen the sun
• Minimum wage hike gets Senate majority of votes - but it's not enough
• St. Joe's renews its facilities, in a big way
• News Briefs

July 21, 2006

• More supervisors = fewer union members: NLRB weighs rules on classifying workers
• Steel's up on MGM's grand casino
• NMU'S Jacobetti Center to house apprenticeship programs
• New and improved: NMU's Meyland Hall
• OSHA delays, worker safety denied
• Get a room…Trades ready to renovate historic hotels - The Book is back… really
• Fort-Shelby ready, too?
• News Briefs

August 4, 2006

• 'I'm your backstop, Granholm tells trades audience
• Labor is too quiet as Bush's NLRB mulls anti-union cases
• Supervisor in name only: Union rights of 8 million workers at stake
• State's second ethanol plant fuels bounty of work for trades
• State releases first Local Jobs money
• Congress gets closer to pension plan overhaul
• News Briefs

August 18, 2006

• Trades like plan to stabilize pensions
• Tax break for wealthy is 'poison pill' that kills minimum wage hike
• Masons preside at federal courthouse
• If you love a parade, or even if you only like one, Labor Day is for you
• Bike ride benefits cerebral palsy
• Radio host Brian James moves left with new show
• News Briefs

September 15, 2006

• State of working America: corporations profits up; worker incomes - not so much
• It's all about the 0: 3 million man-hours, zero injuries nets gold for Walbridge
• Granholm on Labor Day: 'What we need is a law to make sure no workers are left behind'
• Ethanol plant shuts out local workers as construction starts
• Here comes the sun (and wind): School's open to energy alternatives
• News Briefs

September 29, 2006

• Labor seeks to ride the wave, help Dems take control of House
• Cyclical auto industry, not business taxes, is state's millstone, study says
• Expanding Sparrow Hospital goes west
• Bigger and better health care…St. John Providence tops out
• Three building trades unions beef up commitment to organizing
• Unfortunately, OSHA pushes paper with new respirator standard
• Madame President - Local 58's president breaks gender barrier
• News Briefs

October 13, 2006

• Landmark case could dump union rights for 8 million workers
• Enough is enough? At the ballot box, unions can change our nation's course
• U-M's Mosher-Jordan hall gets much-needed facelift inside
• Chamber's plan to kill SBT shifts burden to taxpayers
• Building trades' signs say 'Granholm'
• Kennecott Mine clears hurdle
• News Briefs

October 27, 2006

• Get out the vote effort is job one for unions on Election Day, Nov. 7
• Help wanted: We share responsibility for our political future
• It's (union-backed) Granholm vs. (business-backed) DeVos on Nov. 7
• High scrap iron prices create new value for old cement kiln
• Jury still out on effect of NLRB's anti-union supervisor decision
• 8.2% rise in drug costs is (don't gag) a good thing
• News Briefs

November 10, 2006

• The other shoe drops after anti-union NLRB decisions
• New heart, surgery center added to Ingham Regional
• Residential housing doldrums may bring 1st decline in U.S. construction in 16 years
• Workplace injuries, illness down a bit; construction still leads
• Men: it's time to talk prostate with your doctor
• This Book starts a little slow…
• News Briefs
•  

November 24, 2006

• Voters' message: time to try a little tenderness towards workers
• 'Extraordinary' union vote fuels election results in Michigan
• Organized labor helps itself by electing friends
• SVSU readies for bigger Pioneer hall
• Teamsters: Kroger boycott still in place
• Duchess of York leaves good impression on plasterers
• Major fight brewing on free trade pacts
• News Briefs

December 8, 2006

• NAFTA, 12 years later…Workers are still waiting for the benefits to kick in
• Helping working families leads Dems' priorities, but vetos loom
• Maybe it's time for a new/old idea: fixing labor laws
• Trades on track with fast-track casino
• MGM-Detroit Hardhats rock; roll in dough for homeless
• What's up with the holes in those beams?
• News Briefs

December 22, 2006

• Construction level in '07 - And there's much more in latest industry update
• More room, down by the Bay
• Grand Rapids Oks rules for responsible contracting
• Detroit, Michigan AGC chapters join
• Iron Workers use shovels, just this once Ground broken on new training facility
• News Briefs

TOP

2007

January 5, 2007

• The shift to a part-time economy widens split between haves/have-nots
• Metro North Terminal takes off
• CNN's Dobbs urges IBEW: 'raise some hell' about U.S. workers, trade policies
• MASCI names Gedge 'Apprentice of The Year'
• Michigan case a beacon for bolstering OSHA enforcement
• Michigan Construction Safety Day expands training
• News Briefs

January 19, 2007

• Michigan construction outlook, 2007 Generally, the trend is up in Michigan
• 24 Michigan Hardhats die on-the-job in 2006
• Will OSHA get back on track?
• Port Huron tunnel workers won't be forgotten
• Trades focus on auto show
• News Briefs

February 2, 2007

• 'We have to change the way we do business'
• Providence Park progresses
• Nation's unionization rate continues decline
• Labor keeps an eye on new 110th Congress
• U.S. construction for '06 on the level
• Sluggish protective equipment rule brings union lawsuit
• News Briefs

February 16, 2007

• Bush seeks fast-track renewal
• Senate passes minimum wage hike, adds tax breaks
• America's workers need the Employee Free Choice Act
• Tribe appreciates union skills at Four Winds Casino
• Construction industry study: New strategies needed to win recruits
• Trades, contractors send message to MSU: thanks
• News Briefs

March 2, 2007

• House panel approves Employee Free Choice act; Cheney issues Bush veto threat
• Court to Bush Labor Dept.: Why the holdup with the protective equipment rule?
• It's game on for building trades working at MGM's grand casino
• State's roads face funding pothole
• New concrete mix has the bends
• Mackinac Bridge's 50th anniversary slated
• News Briefs

March 16, 2007

• Employee Free Choice Act passes House; but now comes the hard part
• New York unionists push for 9/11 victim health care funds
• WCC's health and fitness center is shaping up
• New Soo lock is dead in the water?
• Eagle Mine application has ground to a halt
• 50 candles for the Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council
• News Briefs

March 30, 2007

• Chasing low wages won't fix what ails Michigan
• Building trades pension funding improves, mostly
• Pension watchdog a habitual snoozer
• Marriott tower adds to Grand Rapids skyline
• Labor Monument to be dedicated April 19
• Trades handle the air handlers
• News Briefs

April 13, 2007

• Building trades legislative conference, '07 'It shouldn't be this hard to give American workers a voice in the workplace'
• Senate hearing shows partisan divide on EFCA
• Icon on Bond moves toward a high-end finish
• Mock training teams up rescue, construction personnel
• Building trades council mainstay Mary Bechtol retires
• News Briefs

April 27, 2007

• No easy answers for state's budget - The Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council Legislative Conference, 2007
• Granholm lays out plan for 'investment' in Michigan
• Budget crisis quickens drumbeat for anti-labor legislation
• For road work, it may not get any better than this
• Construction Marketing, 101 - The rules have changed
• North Terminal reaches for the top
• News Briefs

May 11, 2007

• Survival story: worker responsibility key to future of construction unions, strategist says
• New pains for pension plans aims to limit funding liability
• 'Spirit of Solidarity' monument is worth the wait
• State vows renewed vigor for Michigan's prevailing wage law
• Motor City Casino on the rise
• News Briefs

May 25, 2007

• Booming out to Baghdad…Michigan tradesmen play key role in building U.S. embassy in Iraq
• 'Absurd' ruling transforms nurses into supervisors; what group is next?
• Unionized Homeland workers would 'negatively impact' U.S. security, Bush Administration says
• Trades work to reopen gate to the past
• Pipe trades apprentice contest is taking root
• News Briefs

June 8, 2007

• Yet another dorm renovated at NMU
• Labor pushes for workers' rights in Immigration debate
• ABC never fails to disappoint - and they're at it again
• Laborer rails against OSHA's waiting room
• An update on the rights of asbestos victims, and how they've been wronged
• Cerebral palsy bike run set for July 28
• News Briefs

June 22, 2007

• Veto threat aside, Senate Dems to move on key organizing bill
• A PAI Special Report: Labor law turned upside down...Taft-Hartley signed 60 years ago
• Outage results in extreme makeover at Consumers' J.H. Campbell plant
• High Court ruling advances Indian casinos
• Reduced work zone speeds are working
• News Briefs

July 6, 2007

• Republicans derail pro-union EFCA; Labor vows return in friendlier Congress
• Positive spin aside, labor lost - now what's Plan B?
• Out with the old blast furnace, in with the new… in 100 days
• Unions laud demise of immigration bill
• Steel's up on GM test lab
• The big 5-0 for the Mighty Mac
• News Briefs

July 20, 2007

• 'Broken' labor law stays that way; unions need more friends
• Crime does pay for union-busters
• Trades play their hand in Greektown
• No mourning for Fast Track expiration
• OSHA seems better at correcting grammar than workplace hazards
• Cooley's faulty towers renovated
• News Briefs

August 3, 2007

August 17, 2007

• Right-to-work crowd eye ballot process to do their dirty work
• Unions and members should focus on friends - but not with blind loyalty
• 'My heart is with the Mighty Mac' - Old-time Hardhats have their say during 50th anniversary celebration
• Authentic statue marks workers' role in building Mackinac Bridge
• Ingham Regional opens new heart and surgery center
• Goodbye summer, hello Labor Day - Events slated in several communities
• News Briefs

August 31, 2007

• Right-to-work proposal the latest struggle in cycle of labor history
• Goodbye summer, hello Labor Day - Events slated in several communities
• 'Hire Michigan First:' Dems win first round in local hiring effort
• Will we let YO-YOs decide our future?
• On a roll, trades complete MSU dorm work
• News Briefs

September 14, 2007

• What's good for workers is good for America
• Without unions, there's no Labor Day - and no pensions… no 8-hour day… no OT pay…
• Two strategies pursue improved safety on jobs
• Right to work - wrong for Michigan
• 'Designed to bust unions'
• News Briefs

September 28, 2007

• Consumers Energy picks Karn/Weadock site for new $2B plant
• Memorial dedicated to tunnel workers: 'to lift some heavy hearts'
• North Terminal nearing its destination
• Senate moves to prevent potential Mexican truck menace
• Panel OK's bill overturning NLRB's 'workers are supervisors' ruling
• Trades energize solar house project
• News Briefs
•  

October 12, 2007

• 'Toot your horn' - consultant urges unions, contractors to improve marketing efforts
• Trades bring their case to Miller-Canfield
• The health care crisis '47 million of us cannot afford to get sick'
• Bush vetoes health care expansion for children
• DTE-Monroe partners latest to sign on for safety
• News Briefs

October 26, 2007

• 50 years for the Mackinac Bridge
• Mackinac Bridge workers recall the highs and the lows… and tell tall tales
• More Mackinac memories…'They showed what union people can do'
• Mighty Mac's chief engineer: 'Finest, safest, and most beautiful bridge the world has ever seen'
• Good maintenance keeps the Mighty Mac mighty
• Men built the Mackinac Bridge, but money made it happen
• Lansing council weighs local worker, expanded prevailing wage rule
• SCHIP is off the block: OP stops expansion of health care for kids
• Held at arm's length in the past, top Dems now arm-in-arm with labor
• News Briefs

November 9, 2007

• Seminar gets trades ready for battles over right-to-work, prevailing wage
• Prevailing wage helps make 'a middle class out of the working class'
• United States' low-wage path now moves through China
• Are low wages an effective strategy for Michigan? Rutgers professor says: no
• Virginia contractor's business model: repairing work done by nonunion shops
• Mission accomplished: New Blast furnace in 100 days
• AFL-CIO tries new tactic to take takes its case against Bush's NLRB...
• News Briefs

November 23, 2007

• Trades writing their chapters in Book-Cadillac's renovation
• Challenges to prevailing wage don’t add up
• ‘Better times’ ahead for Michigan construction, says latest forecast
• Congress provides the key to new Soo lock
• News Briefs

December 7, 2007

• Michigan on the highway to steadily declining roads - and road funding
• The problem with the NLRB: It's rolling over workers rights
• There's fabrication work in the pipeline at W. Soule
• Big House to get bigger, better
• OSHA finally orders employers: buy protective equipment for workers
• News Briefs

December 21, 2007

• Union ties that bind are a little loose
• 'General nonsense' guides logic in splits among union
• 'What bonds us is much more compelling than what divides us'
• Preserving data is Job One at technology center addition
• On-the-job injury numbers don't always add up
• News Briefs

2008

January 11, 2008

• Use - not abuse - of apprentices will pay dividends later
• HealthSource Saginaw transformation moves to next phase
• Kennecott's Eagle Mine wins state's OK
• Christmas presents given by building trades, contractors
• Local 80's Ingalls accepts IU position
• News Briefs

January 25, 2008

• Construction prospects in Michigan: Maybe not great in'08, but not bad
• State sees major drop in fatalities, as job injuries trend downward
• Was anyone almost hurt on your work site today?
• Trades move quickly to expand, renovate St. John
• Trades set up field for Fabiano, others
• Time to write the obituary on the union entitlement mindset
• News Briefs

February 8, 2008

• Nation's union membership sees rare, slight jump
• The Silent Majority waits for slackers to get their lumps
• Chilly building trades ramp up work on Gerald Ford airport parking deck
• Union volunteers stand up against a right-to-work effort that hasn't shown up - yet
• Radio program lets labor step up to the mike
• There are signs of life in nonresidential, AGC says
• News Briefs

February 22, 2008

• Why hike wages when taxpayers can borrow their own money?
• On mountaintops or at work: no risk, no reward
• Construction unions reverse declines in membership
• High praise for union work at new Royal Oak high-rise
• State utility deregulation law blocks billions in Michigan construction
• Granholm makes push for energy alternatives
• News Briefs

March 7, 2008

• Michigan Republicans to state's unions: drop dead
• Whining by contractors: Now there's a lousy plan for removing deadbeats
• 'Gateway' work to improve border, freeway exchanges
• Turtle Creek Casino coming out of its shell
• Federal workers unions vs. Bush: 'We won. They lost. Game over.'
• News Briefs

March 21, 2008

• Labor makes other plans while presidential race sorts itself out
• Old dogs need new tricks when it comes to dealing with apprentices
• Trades help Spartan football with their game planning
• IBEW organizing blitz sparks union interest in Florida
• O*Net website shows why right-to-work is wrong for Michigan
• Michigan State OKs PLAs, responsible contractor language
• News Briefs

April 4, 2008

• Lots of energy at building trades conference
• Billions in utility construction hinge on repeal of state law
• New BT president stresses worker accountability
• You're a union Hardhat: define yourself
• Progressive, labor groups to Spend at least $150m on election
• From oldest to newest, Bell Hospital makes modern movement
• News Briefs

April 18, 2008

May 2, 2008

• Clinton, Obama build their case before building trades delegates
• Bringing foremen to the forefront is path to higher union share
• MI Supreme Court maintains legal path for injured workers
• Trades creating a bigger Big House
• Unions show off May 16-18 in Detroit
• News Briefs

May 16, 2008

• Nationwide IBEW training program seeks new home, finds it at U-M
• 'Hire Michigan First' clears some hurdles, but many remain
• Union apprentices are an investment worth protecting
• U-M envisions growth for expanded eye center
• McCain's voting record shows worker issues not his priority
• Iron Workers show off new training center
• News Briefs

May 30, 2008

• Toilet legislation for construction sites starts to move
• Special interest group? History shows unions are good for America
• Unions good for American wages, too, study reveals
• A column about safety training on the job, or 'When I Was an Idiot'
• Union Industries show gone, probably for good
• Young welders get an elbow up during Boilermakers competition
• News Briefs
•  

June 13, 2008

• With primaries over, unions start planning fall campaign
• Bad news for the master sergeants: Today's young workers are not created in your mold
• Bigger cancer center starts taking shape on the 'Hill'
• Laborers launch campaign to get America moving on infrastructure construction
• Marathon job fair another step toward start of $1.9 billion project
• News Briefs

June 27, 2008

• Portable toilet bill held up in House; it's time to speak up
• Nowhere but up for airport job
• NMU's Hunt Hall the latest to get renovated
• What can we learn from the 50-Year-Old Apprentice?
• Local 80 photographer shoots Red Wings' 'joyride'
• News Briefs

July 11, 2008

• Right-to-work effort heats up in Michigan
• Anti-union survey aimed squarely at trades
• AFL-CIO endorses Obama
• U-M Flint residence hall seen as an economic catalyst
• Take the bull by the horns: Construction's risks need to be understood
• News Briefs

July 25, 2008

• Building trades endorse Obama
• Industrial construction to bring labor shortages, group predicts
• 'From factory town to college town' Trades help transform Flint
• Leadership ethics can replace the handshake
• Industry 'clobbered' by surging material costs
• News Briefs

August 8, 2008

• Rally seeks to spark new attention for Employee Free Choice Act
• Obama: 'I'll sign EFCA'
• 'Broken business model'? Contracts need new focus on training, market share
• Pipe trades workers set sail on Lake Huron
• Trades on track for Fabiano
• News Briefs

August 22, 2008

• The Employee Free Choice Act
• Wanted: a president who wants government to work for U.S. workers
• Think Ford's first: Masons renovate façade at Ford's Piquette plant
• Goodbye summer, hello Labor Day - Events slated in three communities
• Bigger Troy-Beaumont in the works
• Trade deficit with China a U.S. jobs killer
• News Briefs

September 5, 2008

• Obama vs. McCain - How they stack up on matters that matter to working Americans
• Obama gives short tribute to labor
• A new look this fall for U-M Stadium
• Heads up: West Michigan trades try billboard campaign
• News Briefs

September 19, 2008

• Labor starts biggest blitz ever to appeal to members to vote Obama
• Opulent Book-Cadillac reappears
• Business leaders now worry about workers' voting rights on the job? How… touching
• Trades give MCV plant more operating options
• News Briefs

October 3, 2008

• Labor's perspective on Wall Street meltdown
• Let's pull nation up by its bootstraps with public works construction
• Trades safely land construction at Metro's North Terminal
• Energy law to spark billions in power plant construction
• Right-to-work Wrong for Michigan? Not for these union busters
• Green machine rolls through Michigan
• News Briefs

October 17, 2008

• Election 2008: An end and a beginning
• Employee Free Choice Act should be part of the solution
• Here come the judges: A vital part of voting, at the bottom of ballots
• Plenty of action at FireKeepers casino
• Governor signs off on renewable energy plan
• Michigan electricians help restore power to flooded Cedar Rapids
• News Briefs

October 31, 2008

• 'On issues from A to Z, Barack Obama is with us'
• Union trades rally for Employee Free Choice Act
• Labor's push for labor law reforms are overdue, NLRB member says
• Bonior: 'We have a union-busting mentality in this country
• 'We built this country and it's time we took it back' - Union members urged to vote
• Don't be distracted on Election Day
• News Briefs

November 14, 2008

• AFL-CIO: unionists were 'firewall' for Obama in key swing states
• In Michigan, labor flexed muscles, made a difference
• Road back to prosperity should include infrastructure work, labor leaders say
• Academics propose a new, New Deal for infrastructure work
• Durant Hotel ready for renovation
• 'Slow it down': a phrase the industry could do without
• News Briefs

November 28, 2008

• Help for U.S. auto industry isn't a bailout - it's a bargain
• Trades' stay nearing end at new Greektown hotel
• Same-old, same-old funding 'not an option' for MI roads, report says
• Employee Free Choice Act: Largely unknown, labor's top priority needs P.R. - and a plan
• 'If you can't be safe for you, do it for your loved ones' Take personal responsibility, accident victim urges
• News Briefs

December 12, 2008

• Unions, employers push for relaxed pension rules
• Why rescue Big Three?: 'Cascade of financial damage' awaits with failure of rescue
• Trades help Fort-Shelby Hotel make an unlikely comeback
• Smooth journey for giant Marathon coker drums
• News Briefs

December 26, 2008

• They're 'willing to risk a worse global economic calamity in order to break a union'
• Do we become a nation that…no longer has a path to middle class prosperity?
• Delta Dental's HQ becomes bigger, greener with expansion
• MSU reels in $550M isotope beam facility
• Dow Corning announces $1B expansion
• Obama signals support for jobs proposal that any Hardhat would love
• News Briefs

TOP

2009

January 16, 2009

• Stretched funding rules give pension plans a much-needed break
• Most building trades pension plans are healthy, but negative numbers lurk
• Topped out C.S. Mott Hospital replacement 'right on schedule'
• 'Devastating' outlook for U.S. construction without stimulus
• Job losses explode in final quarter of 2008
• A few simple truths to guide the way…
• News Briefs

January 30, 2009

• 2009 Construction Outlook: Michigan's forecast mostly calls for pain
• State's construction fatalities remained relatively low in '08
• Topped out C.S. Mott Hospital replacement 'right on schedule'
• Stimulus plan for Michigan worth about $1.2 billion
• Obama inaugural address begins 'task of remaking America'
• News Briefs

February 13, 2009

• Governor's green initiative blacks out thousands of construction jobs
• First order of business: Obama signs Fair Pay Act
• Union membership numbers make a significant move up
• A northern lodge? No, it's Henry Ford's new $310M hospital
• Senate keeps 'Buy American'provision in stimulus bill
• Is Obama serious about supporting union expansion? So far, so good
• News Briefs

February 27, 2009

• Stimulus bill has something for everyone; but trades would like more
• Imperfect bill a 'cushion,' not a cure for construction unemployment
• Michigan stimulus windfall pegged at about $7 billion
• Will the New, New Deal be enough?
• Finishing touch for HealthSource
• Today's lesson: Employee Free Choice Act 101
• 'Hire Michigan First' would put local workers first in line

March 13, 2009

• 'Unions matter' in restoring prosperity
• Divvying Michigan's share of stimulus: It will take a while
• New labor secretary gets pro-union course from Obama administration
• $1 billion development hinges on sewer upgrade
• AFL-CIO, Change To Win move toward reuniting
• News Briefs

March 27, 2009

• 'Hire Michigan First' passes House; reception may be 'frosty' in Senate
• Biden pledges Obama accord on key labor movement goals
• Gallup poll: majority support Employee Free Choice Act, but most are clueless about it
• Trades help Madonna expansion to go green
• As new turbine turns, more power comes from Consumers' Hardy Dam
• News Briefs

April 10, 2009

• Major setback for Employee Free Choice Act
• Smooth road for Gateway project
• Granholm relaxes stance on power plant permits
• Road work the first sector to get stimulus money; others in line
• Hire Michigan 1st stalls in state Senate
• News Briefs

April 24, 2009

• For trades, misery now moves from unemployment, to pensions, to politics
• Difficult to light a fire under several big power plant projects
• Kennecott Mine work awaits rebound in nickel market
• Former power plant begins transformation into office space
• New leadership, new opportunities for labor
• News Briefs

May 8, 2009

• Right now is the right time to pass reforms to labor law
• Looks good for passage of PLA in Ingham County, Board chair says
• College has new designs on revamped Argonaut Building
• Specter's move could bolster EFCA, other labor causes
• Right-to-work states aren't on right track, either
• Weren't low wages supposed to curb high unemployment? Not in South Carolina
• News Briefs

May 22, 2009

• New sheriff at OSHA
• More money, increased focus on enforcement expected at OSHA
• 'OSHA lost its focus' - New chief ready to advocate for workers
• More room for research at Van Andel Institute
• Trades restore class to renovated schoolhouse
• News Briefs

June 5, 2009 

• Building trades chief: Construction unions share 'enormous stake' in Employee Free Choice
• Good, safe work at J.H. Campbell outage brings acclaim to trades
• Weak version of 'Hire Michigan 1st' adopted by Senate
• Employer intimidation 'standard practice' in fighting union drives
• Slip in April construction 'establishing a bottom' for industry?
• Trades sprinkle, help refurbish this old house
• News Briefs

 June 19, 2009

• The Employee Free Choice Act: time for a compromise in Congress?
• Kids, families are the focus at new children’s hospital
• ‘Work is just getting started’ – Slow roll-out for stimulus
• Trades: Don’t harm our existing health care plans
• Funding outlook is grim for crumbling state roads
• More room to operate at Munson Hospital
• News Briefs

July 3, 2009

• Ingham County PLA rule easily adopted
• PLAs: ‘Valuable tools’ that provide value for taxpayers
• Trades serving time expanding Washtenaw Co. courts, lockup
• Automotive downturn arrives at trades’ doorstep, 10% givebacks set for Chrysler, Ford work 
• NMU lobby work brings residence halls together
• GM nods: make it in Michigan
• News Briefs

July 17, 2009

• Jobs ‘fell off a cliff’ – Report says slump is the worst in 80 years
• Recession has ‘devastating impact’ on construction industry
• ‘A ton of pain in the pipeline’
• New U-M data center is all about redundancy 
• Franken signs on to first bill: Employee Free Choice Act
• OSHA to clear the air on silica rule?
• News Briefs

 August 3, 2009

• Employment numbers continue to be a downer
• First half of 2009 shows immense drop in construction activity
• Much, much better working space set for the A2 Municipal Center
• Businesses with house in order 'have nothing to fear' from EFCA
• Obama supporting, not yet pushing, Employee Free Choice Act
• Solis to unionists: go out to push for Employee Free Choice Act
• Scrubbers, SCRs will further clean the air at Detroit Edison's Monroe Power Plant

August 14, 2009

• State AFL-CIO chief: ‘We’re losing a helluva lot of members’ – now’s time to push labor’s goals
• Devlin, Gleason re-elected to building trades offices
• Action starts at Firekeepers Casino
• Detroit River terminal seeks to become a hub for Great Lakes cruises
• Without compromise, prospects dim in ’09 for EFCA passage
• IBEW training program finds a home at U-M
• News Briefs

August 28, 2009

• In health care debate, unions ready to rumble with wavering Dems, and maybe each other
• Labor Day, 2009 Parades, picnics planned to celebrate workers’ holiday
• ‘Long overdue’ – new Mackinac Straits Hospital is taking shape
• UA instructors follow IBEW after leading them to AA
• Keys to northern work prospects: paper, power and pulp…Paper maker wants the economy to turn the page
• Soo region ideal site for new-tech ethanol plant
• Hurdles aplenty as Wolverine group seeks more power
• News Briefs

September 11, 2009

• ‘Remarkable slowdown’ in wage growth imperils economy, study says
• Obama proposes pro-PLA rules, seeks to extend them to other projects
• Thousands of workers from around Michigan celebrated labor’s day, anyway on Labor Day 2009
• Big drop for construction fatalities
• Decade-long safety record shows improvement, too
• Bigger, better, Battle Creek Central H.S. on the way
• News Brief

September 25, 2009

• More roadblocks for power plant work
• Guardian Building’s remodel will keep office space viable
• Obama to AFL-CIO: ‘When organized labor succeeds, the middle class succeeds’
• New AFL-CIO chief Trumka pledges to lead labor in fight to rebuild middle class
• Passage of Employee Free Choice Act is about details,and more details
• News Brief

October 9, 2009

• Trades protest coal plant obstacles
• Rally time: Trades demand permits for clean coal plants
• Church’s old joints will be made new again
• U.S. construction’s 17.1% jobless rate packs wallop for nonresidential sector
• Tradesman wins top award among labor publications
• News Brief

October 23, 2009

• ‘I want not only green jobs. I want any job that pays green.’
• ‘What is the problem? Put us to work!’
• Project labor agreements…A form of ‘win-win,’ or the bane of free enterprise?
• ‘Moderate expansion’ forecast for construction industry
• Protective equipment isn’t accepted – until it is
• News Brief

November 6, 2009

• When it comes to employment,the hits just keep on coming
• ABC’s business model: Cheap, subservient workforce contributes to our race to the bottom
• Saginaw Valley State University’s unique aquathermal system…
  
• Want to save money on heatingcosts? First, you need a pond...
• NLRB nominees one step closer to full OK
• Trades among hundreds of volunteers who helped build rescue simulator
• News Brief

November 20, 2009

• Dreams of economic boon from green energy just blowin’ in the wind
• It matters where things are made
• State highway repairs, jobs on the road to nowhere
• Lost time for swine flu prompts paid leave proposal
• Rail bridges ease traffic through Spartan land
• News Brief

December 4, 2009

• Low wages, union hate sustain nonstop war on workers
• Full course renovation of Brody Hall in the works
• Steep drop in 2009 for U.S. construction, but hopeful signs sprout
• What is ‘cap and trade’ anyway?
• Face of the U.S. labor movement is changing, report says
• Volunteers provide new home, new start for injured veteran
• News Brief

December 18, 2009

• Kissed and coddled, corporations, bankers have rewarded us with the mess that we’re in
• New building, old style at landmark Wards site
• 40 years later, plumber honored for valor in Vietnam
• Retirement awaits Michigan Building Trades’ Ed Coffey

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 2010

January 8, 2010 

• Consumers Energy’s proposed coal plant passes major state air permit hurdle
• Not much love for health care bill from union leaders
• Part of health care bill removes bidding edge for nonunion
• Trades erecting bigger, better Marysville High
• Around the corner in 2010, new pro-worker rules
• Fitter makes a rare bone marrow match, gives hope to cancer victim
• News Briefs

January 22, 2010

• Ugly era for Michigan construction
• Unions cut deal to move universal health plan
• Labor isn’t going to accept a bad bill” Oh really? A viewpoint by by Press Associates Union News Service
• Employee Free Choice Act: ‘It has to be this year…’
• ‘We’re glad to be here’ Trades set up Detroit auto show
• News Briefs

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