I am a tenant rep broker in a top 5 market and have come across several buildings that are either union or non union buildings. It normally does not affect me until a client wants us to set up/recommend a GC or furniture vendor for tenant improvements and we have to make sure that the contractor is either union or not.
How does a building become a "union building?" Do the union buildings sign some weird catch all collective bargaining agreement? Why would the building's ownership restrict themselves and their tenants by requiring union contractors? Is it a quality control tool for ownership that they can pass the union expense on to the tenants?
Also, for you construction guys, why do you chose to be a union shop? Is the quality of tradesmen you get from the union worth the labor restrictions placed on your shop?
Great Question, I would like to know as well. Bump.
My brother is a foreman on a non-union construction crew, he told me joining a union is about friendship and spending time together. He always noticed it took a union guy and several of his friends to change a light bulb.
I work in a union building and they have been renovating the lobby for almost A YEAR. A non-union GC would have had this under wraps a few months tops. I have literally watched the progress every day and it's painstakingly slow. I see them late night often as well (@ like 11pm) when leaving the office, which further speaks to how slow they are working. Plus they are racking up a ton of overtime for that.
Love living in the South. I've never dealt with construction unions.
I think I depends heavily on the market and the influence the unions have on said market. NYC for example has been historically union driven until recently. If you do decide to use a non union contractor you have to be prepared for the backlash that will follow (potential protests, picket duty, inflatable rats, etc.)
This is the best answer to the OPs question.
Buildings become union buildings through dirty pool by the unions. One of my first jobs a laborer's union job that I got through a family connection.
They were more corrupt than I was overpaid...and I was an 18 year old kid making $30/hr to waive an orange flag.
I think a "union building" is blurry term that simply means a building typically uses union contractors. I do not believe it implies that the building owner has a catchall agreement to require union contractors.
As far as why a building would chose to do so, I have no idea. In some cities it is practically (but not technically) a requirement to use union labor.
God bless Virginia. I've never had to deal with legalized corruption like people have to in Maryland and Chicago, for example. Our Democrats and Republicans are, like, normal people.
Some of it is city driven. Some of it is owner driven. Some institutional owners manage union capital. The union capital may require the owner to use union labor. By way of this, they need to use union labor.
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