Michigan Contractor and Builder
September 9, 1995
By: Bernard White | White Construction
The leaders of construction labor, owners, and contractors in Southeastern Michigan have been meeting monthly for over a year and have joined together to make Southeastern Michigan the best place in the world to perform construction. One of their missions is to significantly increase and retain minorities and women in the building trades.
To implement this mission, the GARDE (Gender and Race Diversification Excellence) Awards Program has been established to recognize owners, contractors, labor, and other individuals and organizations that have made an effort and achieved the best results in increasing the employment of minorities and women in Construction.
It is our hope that everyone in construction will realize the benefits of a gender and race diversified workforce as we move into the 21st century and will take the initiative to reach that goal throughout the construction industry. It was discussed and agreed at the Labor, Owner, Contractor Summit Meetings that we all have mutual interests in having a diversified workforce. Some of the benefits and mutual interests are:
- Owners sell a portion of their products to minorities and women.
- Contractors need a larger workforce which will need women and minorities to meet the growth.
- Labor organizations can increase their membership and ability to meet anticipated increased work loads.
- The general public benefits by reducing unemployment taxes, social programs, crime, and increasing employment and tax bases (income, property, etc.).
The above is solid business justification for increasing the numbers of minorities and women in construction (aside from any moral justifications).
The participants in the LOC Summit Monthly Meetings are as follows:
- Owner participants – include representatives from Chrysler Corp., Ford Motor Corp., General Motors Corp., Detroit Edison Co., National Steel Corp., Rouge Steel Corp., the University of Michigan, and the Michigan Minority Business Development Council. Owners fund building projects and hire contractors.
- Contractor participants – include the Greater Detroit Chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America, Barton-Malow Co., Great Lakes Industrial Contracting Inc., Motor City Electric, Power Process Piping, Walbridge Aldinger, White Construction Co., and UE&C Catalytic. Contractors submit bids to perform work, hire construction workers, and see projects through to completion.
- Union Labor representatives – include the Detroit Building Trades Council and the Michigan Building Trades Council, Management & Unions Serving Together (MUST), Boilermakers Local 169, Cement Masons Local 514, Electrical Workers Local 324, and Pipefitters Local 636. There are 40,000 unionized construction workers in Southeast Michigan. Unions provide the personnel to perform the work for contractors per the owner’s requirements.
The GARDE Award is not about increasing the use of Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs). It is, however, about providing the opportunities for minorities and women to get into the construction industry via the trades. This will provide employment, training, and skill development. If minorities and women are retained in the construction trades over a period of years, we will find that some will develop a foundation to start their own business in the construction industry. So utilizing minorities and women in the construction trades is a “first step” in diversifying the construction industry.
Nominations for the GARDE Award are being received until Oct. 1. Award criteria are as follows:
- Programs will be judged on their success in increasing minorities and women in the organized labor construction workforce.
- Programs must be a significant success, with proven results.
- Programs must be documentable and presentable. Nominees and/or nominators must disclose sufficient information about the program to allow documentation for review by the judges and to assist and encourage others in developing similarly successful programs.
- Programs must support good, acceptable construction practices. Some examples of programs that will be considered for the award are:
1. Contractors and/or labor organizations that recruit, train, and commingle women and minorities on their construction crews or staffs.
2. Owners and/or contractors who include “teeth” in their contract documents and enforce such language in regard to minority and women’s employment on their project.
3. Selling the construction industry to youth at Detroit Public Schools. - Individuals at the higher levels of the owners, contractors, and/or labor organizations who advise/require their groups to be sensitive and proactive regarding minorities and women, so that positive attitudes permeate through their organizations. Nominations for the award should be no more that three pages in length. They should include:
1. Program identification. Including the name and location of project(s), owner(s), and/or labor organization(s) that are responsible for the program, as well as other sources of information or references on the nominated program.
2. Program description. Involving a written, succinct description. Describe the success(es) of the program and any obstacles overcome.
3. Program results. Listing the actual percentages and numbers of minorities and women utilized on the project’s workforce.
4. Program illustration. If desired, include graphs, photographs, clauses, drawings, tables, and the like that describe the program or it results.
A total of 12 sets of the nomination must be submitted for review. Programs must be from the southeastern Michigan area. Those responsible for the program must sign and accept nomination, and must consent to have research performed for the purpose of judging and publicizing awards. All nominations will become the property of the GARDE Award.
Persons submitting nominations must identify themselves by name, affiliation, title, address, phone number and signature.
Serving as judges for the GARDE Award will be Elvin Atkins, Cement Masons Local 514; Robert I. Carr, University of Michigan; Sam T. Hart, Operating Engineers Local 324; Edward F. Hartfield, National Center for Disputes Settlement; Roger E. Lane, Detroit Edison; Thomas H. Landry, A.J. Etkin Construction Co.; Linda D. Turner, Barton-Malow Co.; Christy Winter, National Association of Women in Construction; and W. Bernard White, White Construction.
Nominations should reach the following address by Oct. 1: National Center for Dispute Settlement, 4000 Town Center, Suite 485, Southfield 48075; Attn.: GARDE Awards, Fax: (810) 356-4774.
Questions regarding nomination should be directed to myself, Bernard White at (313) 872-6700, or Fax: (313) 872-7397.
The GARDE Award will be presented at a Labor, Owners & Contractors Meeting in December. Press releases on the awards will be prepared and distributed.
If we continue to keep people aware of the benefits of a diversified workforce, and recognize those groups or individuals that get positive results, it hopefully may not be an issue in years to come.