web-based training session summary
CURT web-based training is designed to provide an understanding of critical work processes. Visit the web-based training page to view a list of the training sessions currently scheduled.
managing the construction workforce
Owners should develop a consistent corporate construction labor policy to be deployed across their sites and projects. This policy should include:
- Labor Posture - Project labor posture identifies the source of personnel for the project workforce. Three options are possible:
- Union - The workforce is assembled by contractors that have contracts with the organized building trades.
- Non-union - The workforce is assembled by contractors from the open-shop sector.
- Merit - The workforce is assembled by contractors from both the organized building trades and the open-shop sector.
- Contractor Prequalification - Contractors should be prequalified to ensure their local capability.
- Labor Agreement - If organized labor is to be used on the project, a form of labor agreement must be decided upon. It is important that a consistent agreement form be used for all trades to reduce complexity of administration. Labor agreement options include:
- National Agreements
- National Maintenance Agreements
- General President's Project Maintenance Agreement (GPMA)
- National Maintenance Agreement (NMA)
- Local Union Agreements
- Project Labor Agreements
- Use of Overtime - CURT owners recognize that productivity is lost with use of extended overtime. This loss of productivity is significant and costly. Also, it is generally recognized that safety risk is increased by use of extended overtime. Worker fatigue affects their ability to concentrate and focus on safe completion of the task. Fatigue also increases absenteeism. For these reasons, CURT owners prefer to use spot overtime rather than scheduled extended overtime. Spot overtime is used to apply extra effort to critical tasks from a selected few individuals. CURT owners discourage the use of scheduled extended overtime as a technique to recruit and retain craft workers.
- Support for Industry Effort to Recruit, Train, and Retain Craft Workers - CURT owners recognize that skilled construction craft workers are in short supply. The construction industry has initiated a number of programs to recruit, train, and retain the workforce of the future. Owners are dependent on this workforce for construction of their future projects. The project labor strategy, then, should include provision for owner support of these industry efforts to develop the future workforce.
- Safety - Safe construction operations should always be of primary concern for any construction project. The owner must take a proactive role in ensuring the safety of the construction workforce.
Owners who proactively establish corporate, site, and project labor strategies experience improved labor performance on their current projects. Cost and schedule risk is reduced through improved productivity, reduced absenteeism, and fewer jurisdictional issues. Owner support for recruitment and training of craft workers supports development of the construction workforce for future projects.
