Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO
Encyclopedia
The Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO (BCTD) is a constitutionally mandated department of the AFL-CIO
. It was founded on February 10, 1908, as a way to overcome the jurisdictional conflicts occurring in the building and construction trade union
s. It was largely unsuccessful in this task; conflict ended only after the Taft-Hartley Act
largely outlawed jurisdictional strike
s.
The BCTD coordinates the activity of building and construction trade unions belonging to the AFL-CIO by establishing jurisdictional rules, coordinating how work is assigned at construction sites, mediating jurisdictional and work assignment disputes, and coordinating interaction between the AFL-CIO's construction unions and employers.
The BCTD also conducts research into construction workplace health and safety issues. It lobbies the United States Congress
and executive branch agencies (such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
) on health, safety, wages (e.g., the Davis-Bacon Act
), and other legislative and regulatory issues. The organization also helps its affiliate unions establish, coordinate and uphold minimum educational standards for apprenticeship and journeyman training programs.
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
. It was founded on February 10, 1908, as a way to overcome the jurisdictional conflicts occurring in the building and construction trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s. It was largely unsuccessful in this task; conflict ended only after the Taft-Hartley Act
Taft-Hartley Act
The Labor–Management Relations Act is a United States federal law that monitors the activities and power of labor unions. The act, still effective, was sponsored by Senator Robert Taft and Representative Fred A. Hartley, Jr. and became law by overriding U.S. President Harry S...
largely outlawed jurisdictional strike
Jurisdictional strike
Labor unions use the term jurisdiction to refer to their claims to represent workers who perform a certain type of work and the right of their members to perform such work...
s.
The BCTD coordinates the activity of building and construction trade unions belonging to the AFL-CIO by establishing jurisdictional rules, coordinating how work is assigned at construction sites, mediating jurisdictional and work assignment disputes, and coordinating interaction between the AFL-CIO's construction unions and employers.
The BCTD also conducts research into construction workplace health and safety issues. It lobbies the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
and executive branch agencies (such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Labor. It was created by Congress of the United States under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, signed by President Richard M. Nixon, on December 29, 1970...
) on health, safety, wages (e.g., the Davis-Bacon Act
Davis-Bacon Act
The Davis–Bacon Act of 1931 is a United States federal law which established the requirement for paying prevailing wages on public works projects...
), and other legislative and regulatory issues. The organization also helps its affiliate unions establish, coordinate and uphold minimum educational standards for apprenticeship and journeyman training programs.