Programs

Programs and Activities

In today’s harshly competitive market, the success of labor/management partnerships depends on how well each defines their shared interests and pursues common goals.

The Mid-Atlantic LECET partnership is working to expand market share for union contractors in a variety of ways. Here are some of our present activities:

Real Estate Investments

Laborers and their signatory contractors jointly manage defined benefit pension plans. A portion of these pensions are invested in prudent, safe real estate investments through third-party real estate funds. The real estate funds in turn help to finance building construction projects in places like Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. Click here to see recent examples of pension-connected construction jobs.

Best Value Contracting (BVC)

Best Value Contracting is a different way of doing business for construction from the traditional low-bid method. It is a procurement & construction process that goes beyond just price.

To think of it as a formula: Best Value = Price + Qualifications. The basic concept is something we all use everyday, when buying a car, an appliance or anything else. You look hard at price, but not just price. You consider quality, options, warranties, how long it will last – in short, value. Best Value Contracting gets good results for the government and taxpayers because it reduces overall project cost, improves quality & schedule and cuts change orders & litigation.

Best Value is being used extensively in public works throughout the country. It is now the procurement overall tool of choice for federal agencies and being used for 70% of federal construction.

A Win-Win for project owners and local communities, BVC gets better projects for better costs and can be designed to promote a more positive impact on local communities. This is because the Best Value process can be structured to encourage things like local hiring & local training and minority & women contracting opportunities. Further, since BVC is a qualifications-based process, its benefits quality contractors & craft persons who invest in their skills, run good operations and deliver a good product.At least 10 states have passed BVC laws. AK, CO, DE, GA, KY, NJ, NM, PA, TX, & UT. NJ is the only requiring it for $12 billion of schools.

· How BVC Works

Workforce Development: BVC can encourage good skill training opportunities by promoting investments in apprenticeships & other training programs that are:

locally-based and therefore, beneficial to the local community impacted by projects;

privately funded, which is critical since these programs don’t rely on tax dollars; and

highly effective because the create high wage/high skill jobs w/good fringe benefits.

Safety-Incentive Programs

Mid-Atlantic LECET sponsors a Laborers On Time & Safe Awards Program (LOTS), created to reward our members for showing up to work every day, on time and accident free. This encourages construction owners to reward those contractors who invest in training and apprenticeship, who care about safety, and who perform quality work at cost and on schedule.

The LOTS Program (Laborers On Time and Safe)

·    The “LOTS” Safety Awards Program may be sponsored for a specific project at the request of a Local Union Business Manager or signatory employer representative. The program is only available to Laborers in good-standing. Awards may be earned over the duration of an approved project. Exception: With prior approval, Laborers transferred to other projects by the same employer, may carry their earned work hours with them.

·    Awards pictured can be earned by working the hours listed or each hit without a lost-time accident and maintaining an outstanding record of on-time attendance.

·   Work hours cashed-in for awards after the Single (360) do not accumulate towards acquiring other awards. For example, if you have 1300 hours and claim a shirt (1200 hours) from awards, you now have 100 hours left which will be added to any future hours earned on the project. You may claim as many awards for which you can earn hours, including duplicate awards, during the project sponsored.

·   If you experience a lost-time incident or lapse in on-time attendance, all work hours accumulated up to that point are erased.

·   You should keep track of your own work hours and notify you Local Union when you believe you are eligible for an award. Local Union Business Managers will verify all award requests with you employer

·    Awards will be presented to winners at Local Union Membership Meetings or on the jobsite. Please allow 2 to 3 weeks for delivery of awards.