commentContract talks between the District Council of Carpenters and the New York Building Contractors Association are likely to continue through tonight’s deadline, officials say. NYBCA is the last of several management groups still in talks with the union, which reached tentative agreements with the Association of Wall-Ceiling & Carpentry and the Greater Floor Coverers Association on September 8, and with the Cement League on September 1.
The five-year deal with the Wall-Ceiling and Floor Coverers includes a $10.65 an hour raise over five years, says Frank Spencer, head of the union. The carpenters hope for similar terms with the BCA, says Spencer, who believes it is “probably doable.”
The union and the Cement League agreed to a $7.00 per hour rate increase over the three-year life of that agreement, Spencer says.
“This all started with the operating engineers and the painters — with the kick-backs,” says Spencer. “The industry was speaking about 20% wage cuts, and we’re trying to resist that.”
Currently, the carpenters “are trying to identify some markets that they are [not] in but want to be in,” Spencer says. The union and management are “defining markets collectively,” he adds.
NYBCA had no comment on the talks.
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