Attention:

On February 16, 2010, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors directed staff to develope a Construction Stabilization Agreement (CSA) suggested to them by Supervisor Salud Carbajal on behalf of union representatives, who showed up before that Board to claim that future county public works projects should only be bid by and awarded to Union contractors. The Tri-County Construction Trades gave a CSA power point presentation, which can be viewed by clicking here.  However, the rest of the non-union construction industry (Merit Shop) was unaware that this event was planned.  They now have collectively moved to let the Board of Supervisor of Santa Barbara County know that this is completely unacceptable to Merit Shop contractors, which comprise of 85% of the construction industry trades.

Should you be a union signatory contractor, take a look at the CSA presenation linked above.  It is what is being promoted for you by your unions.  For Merit Shop contractors opposed to the CSA, the Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo Contractors Association have taken positions opposing the any contemplated CSA.  As well, so has the Tri-Counties AGC and Associated Building Contractors (ABC).  As an individual construction entity, whether union or non-union, here is.......

                                 Action you can take to help stop the CSA

1.  Contact the Board of Supervisors:

1st District: Salud Carbajal                                   2nd District: Janet Wolf, Chair 

Phone:  (805) 568-2186                                          Phone:  (805) 568-2191

Fax:     (805) 568-2534                                          Fax:      (805) 568-2283

E-mail:  SupervisorCarbajal@sbcbos1.org                 E-mail:  jwolf@sbcbos2.org

4th District: Joni Gray, Vice-Chair                       3rd District: Doreen Farr

Lompoc:         (805) 737-7700                                Phone:    (805) 568-2192

Santa Maria:    (805) 346-8407                                Fax:        (805) 568-2883      

E-mail:  jgray@co.santa-barbara.ca.us                      Solvang: (805) 686-5095

Fax:        (805) 686-8133

5th District: Joseph Centeno                                 E-mail:   dfarr@countyofsb.org

Santa Maria:    (805) 346-8400

Fax:                (805) 346-8404

E-mail:  jcenteno@co.santa-barbara.ca.us

2.  Press Conference Wednesday March 10 at 11:00 AM:

Interested members of our construction community are encouraged to show your concern by attending a Press Conference to be staged in front of the county offices on 105 East Anapamu Street in Santa Barbara.  Make your own sign for display before the media, and we will also have a few poster boards available.

3.  Address the Board during Public Comment at these BOS meetings:

Public Comment is generally an early item on the agenda, and the supervisors need to hear your individual opinions and experiences. 

3/9/2010 9:00 AM BETTERAVIA GOVERNMENT CENTER BOARD HEARING ROOM 511 EAST LAKESIDE PARKWAY, SANTA MARIA

3/16/2010 9:00 AM COUNTY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING BOARD HEARING ROOM, FOURTH FLOOR 105 EAST ANAPAMU STREET, SANTA BARBARA

3/23/2010 9:00 AM BETTERAVIA GOVERNMENT CENTER BOARD HEARING ROOM 511 EAST LAKESIDE PARKWAY, SANTA MARIA

Sample letter suggestions to send to the BOS;

please change to reflect your own experiences.

Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors

105 East Anapamu

Santa Barbara, CA  93101

RE: Proposed CSA labor agreement for public works projects

Dear Supervisor,

I am very opposed to the proposed adoption of a Construction Stabilization Agreement (CSA) for public works projects in Santa Barbara County.

I am a merit shop (non-union) subcontractor who works throughout Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.  I bid private and public work, and the past few years have been a real struggle for me and many others.  Unfortunately, under the CSA, my employees and I won't have a chance to work on county projects, because the opportunity to bid them will be limited only to union contractors.

General contractors under collective bargaining have to hire union subcontractors.  As a nonunion subcontractor, I can only sign in one time to a union hall during my career.  After that I must join the union. This CSA shuts out many firms like mine from bidding this work.  Since when does membership in a union make one a better worker?  My employees are highly skilled and more than capable of doing the work, or else they would not be working for me.  I do not believe it is right to forbid me, or anyone else, to work on a project just because I do not belong to a union, but that exactly what this CSA will do.

Moreover, the arguments that are being put forth by the proponents of the CSA just don't ring true.  When was the last time construction workers went on strike? 

I should also point out that nonunion workers never strike. I pay my workers benefits already and am proud to do so.  Forcing them even temporarily into a union program, from which they will never receive any retirement or other benefit, is just plain wrong.  Under the terms of Prevailing Wage, my locally hired workers earn the same amount as union workers and they don't have to pay union dues which are then used for political purposes.  And, in my experience, Santa Barbara county is very good at monitoring certified payrolls.

Please do not shut the door on the majority of contractors in our area by adopting the CSA.  The public deserves competitive bids from a wide pool of contractors, to insure that costs are kept reasonable and that local workers will have the opportunity to work here.  The CSA will limit competition severely and thus drive up costs. This is unneeded and unwanted, since 85% of the construction workforce is nonunion, by choice, just like me. The CSA is a leftover concept from fifty years ago that is unnecessary and does not work in 2010. 

Sincerely,