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Why do union companies win bids vs non-unions in govt construction contracts?

JEDI

JEDI

Lifer
non-union is almost always cheaper in labor.

so how do union companies keep winning bids on govt contracts?

do they get special treatment? if so, WHY IS THIS LEGAL?
 
Union - We'll have our members campaign and vote for you in the next election.
Non-Union - Hey, we provide more productive and cost-effective labor.

Who do you think has the better argument in the eyes of politicians?
 
Just ran into this a few months ago with a new building we have going up. The fear or retaliation by the unions made us choose them. Stories of new buildings being burned or damaged in one way or another are not false.
 
I spec a lot of jobs for bid. Not on the gubment level but private, I can only assume my private experience can be taken into consideration for gubment bids. I have also been on the other end of the deal. Keep in mind that gubment bids have extremely stringent mandated rules by law but it is not unlike private industry.

This is experience talking - union is more expensive, BUT you get what you pay for. A lot of it is relationships eitherway and trust. I trust those I have done business with and union shops deliver and are worth the premium, when I find a non-union shop offers the same level of quality and meets my specs then I stick with them. You will find that union vs. non-union bids depends on the company.

"It's complicated" would be an understatement.
 
fly by night rats like to cheat the system, gov't wont let them.


btw, Union companies beat non-Union competitors everyday on any kind of job.
 
Originally posted by: ironwing
Originally posted by: Farang
Originally posted by: ironwing
http://www.dol.gov/ESA/WHD/contracts/dbra.htm
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prevailing wage =/= union wage
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It levels the playing field and prevents bidders from lowballing by either screwing their workers or by hiring low paid, unqualified people.
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It does not in any way shape or form. You generally toss out the lowball offers because you know what the job will take. And you specify the qualifications in the contract and spec.

It just so happens that the specs on labor you are allowed to make sure you have qualified people.

 
Originally posted by: JEDI
non-union is almost always cheaper in labor.

so how do union companies keep winning bids on govt contracts?

do they get special treatment? if so, WHY IS THIS LEGAL?
Click to expand...

Prevailing wage laws. The Davis-Bacon laws require non-union companies to pay their employees the "prevailing wage for the industry," which is generally based on the union scale in the area.

Not surprisingly, (to me) Modesto filed "Charter City" a few years ago which lets them bypass the "Little Davis-Bacon laws" and contractors are NOT required to pay prevailing wages. The union contractors still get about 80% of the bids. The union contractors do better work, do it faster, have fewer "re-dos" than the non-union contractors, and in general, far outperform their non-union competitors. About the only work the rat contractors get are small jobs that the bigger contractors don't really want. One local rat contractor has been banned from bidding on city/county jobs by several local cities and (at least) 2 counties. Shoddy work, take forever to get the job done, and they always have to re-do parts of the job.
THAT, in a nutshell, is why union companies keep winning bids on government contracts.

As an employee, IF you're good enough to work for one of the union contractors, why would you want to work non-union? Sure, you have to pay dues, (currently about $70/month IIRC, but there's at least $10/hour difference in wages...often as much as $25/hr difference. Us union people call that difference in wages "non-union dues."
You wouldn't want your friends to know you couldn't add, would you? 😉
 
All the govt contracts/jobs I've bid on have been the lowest bidder = winner terms. Maybe the union company was the lowest qualified bidder.
 
Originally posted by: BoomerD
Originally posted by: JEDI
non-union is almost always cheaper in labor.

so how do union companies keep winning bids on govt contracts?

do they get special treatment? if so, WHY IS THIS LEGAL?
Click to expand...

Prevailing wage laws. The Davis-Bacon laws require non-union companies to pay their employees the "prevailing wage for the industry," which is generally based on the union scale in the area.

Not surprisingly, (to me) Modesto filed "Charter City" a few years ago which lets them bypass the "Little Davis-Bacon laws" and contractors are NOT required to pay prevailing wages. The union contractors still get about 80% of the bids. The union contractors do better work, do it faster, have fewer "re-dos" than the non-union contractors, and in general, far outperform their non-union competitors. About the only work the rat contractors get are small jobs that the bigger contractors don't really want. One local rat contractor has been banned from bidding on city/county jobs by several local cities and (at least) 2 counties. Shoddy work, take forever to get the job done, and they always have to re-do parts of the job.
THAT, in a nutshell, is why union companies keep winning bids on government contracts.

As an employee, IF you're good enough to work for one of the union contractors, why would you want to work non-union? Sure, you have to pay dues, (currently about $70/month IIRC, but there's at least $10/hour difference in wages...often as much as $25/hr difference. Us union people call that difference in wages "non-union dues."
You wouldn't want your friends to know you couldn't add, would you? 😉
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So true. Union labor is very much better. One just has to decide if it's worth the premium.
 
You get what you pay for. With Union construction, you know you'll get quality while with non-union clowns, you'll most likely get idiots that don't know what they are doing.
 
Originally posted by: Naustica
All the govt contracts/jobs I've bid on have been the lowest bidder = winner terms. Maybe the union company was the lowest qualified bidder.
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You can't be serious? I mean I know you have experience but I can't believe low bidder always wins.
 
Originally posted by: bctbct
fly by night rats like to cheat the system, gov't wont let them.


btw, Union companies beat non-Union competitors everyday on any kind of job.
Click to expand...

Bullshit. Care to compare union versus non - union in food service?
 
Originally posted by: MagnusTheBrewer
Originally posted by: bctbct
fly by night rats like to cheat the system, gov't wont let them.


btw, Union companies beat non-Union competitors everyday on any kind of job.
Click to expand...

Bullshit. Care to compare union versus non - union in food service?
Click to expand...

Nobody cares about your career at Burger King
 
Originally posted by: BarneyFife
Originally posted by: MagnusTheBrewer
Originally posted by: bctbct
fly by night rats like to cheat the system, gov't wont let them.


btw, Union companies beat non-Union competitors everyday on any kind of job.
Click to expand...

Bullshit. Care to compare union versus non - union in food service?
Click to expand...

Nobody cares about your career at Burger King
Click to expand...

Nobody cares about unions who've priced themselves out of the market either.
 
Originally posted by: MagnusTheBrewer
Originally posted by: bctbct
fly by night rats like to cheat the system, gov't wont let them.


btw, Union companies beat non-Union competitors everyday on any kind of job.
Click to expand...

Bullshit. Care to compare union versus non - union in food service?
Click to expand...


sorry, I was thinking building trades, is there union food service outside of vegas?
 
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