[TheRealThing]

Union members are not more skilled by definition. Maybe that is generally the rule in construction but it is certainly not true in coal mining. Unions have many highly skilled members but they also carry a lot of dead wood that would never be tolerated in a non-union shop. I have not looked at the numbers in a few years, but non-union coal mines operating in similar conditions tended to be much more productive than their union counterparts. Part of the reason was the strict work rules that the BCOA contract required mine operators to follow.

For example, in underground coal mines where continuous miners are used, the skill of the continuous miner operator can make or break an operation. I worked in a mine where the best continuous miner operator was, because of seniority, classified as a continuous miner operator's helper and the only time that he was allowed to run the miner was when the more senior operator was absent. The operator was not incompetent but he was just not nearly as good an operator. Everyday that the operator ran the continuous miner, it cost the company money.

On a surface mining operation, the same is true of the front end loader operator who cleans coal. Some guys have a knack for cleaning coal with a minimal loss of the product and some do not but on union operations, management did not have enough control over the work force to match people to equipment to maximize profits.

I saw the same thing with mechanics and electricians. Men had jobs because of seniority who were far less competent than others having more skill but less seniority. Sometimes mines would set idle for entire shifts until the best man for the job arrived, who might be a second or third shift electrician or mechanic. Union contracts required everybody to be offered overtime on an equal basis, so to call out a more competent electrician would result in a union grievance and likely loss by the company in arbitration.

In my experience, non-union coal miners had equal or superior training to their union counterparts but the loss of companies' right to effectively manage their employees was the biggest factor that accounted for the non-union mines having higher productivity rates.

Maybe Old School can comment on the productivity of UMWA vs. non-union coal mines.

Of that you may be sure. I have provided an excerpt and a link below to substaniate my position as it applies to the building trades only. I have no doubt but that what you say is true and that you have first hand knowledge of what you speak. No disrespect intended but, a nuclear facility is a notch up from coal mining. Only certified craftspeople, verified on-site through testing proceedures, are even allowed to perform many of the functions associated with construction at that level. I agree that to no small degree, craftsmanship is a matter of personal integrity. But, on the other hand, 4 and 5 year apprenticeships and on the job training requirements assure a measure of compitence that non-union firms just cannot match.

I came through in the 60's and I'm not just blowing gas here.
EXCERPT---
We recommend several actions to mitigate the risks associated with the limited availability of highly-qualified personnel:

• NSSS vendors and EPC contractors should complete the plant design(including the routing of small bore piping, tubing, and conduit to the maximum amount practical) prior to starting construction, prepare a detailed construction schedule, and plan for sufficient
staffing for rapid response teams at the point of work for problem resolution. To the maximum extent possible, personnel with experience designing and building nuclear units should be used to design and construct GEN III+ units. These steps are needed to sustain the high labor productivity rates necessary for achieving the desired construction schedules
and project costs. The past consequences of not having this level of design completion and project preparation have been that labor requirements and construction schedule durations were often doubled.

• EPC contractors as a group should negotiate and sign a national labor agreement with major labor unions to provide flexibility in staffing nuclear construction projects (e.g., allowing union members from different areas to work at any nuclear plant construction site). This step helps ensures the needed construction workers will be available.
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http://www.ne.doe.gov/np2010/reports/mpr...102105.pdf