The Benefits Of Using Union Contractors: Finding The Best

When you think of hiring contractors for a project, labor costs and time to completion are likely your top concerns. However, there’s so much more to it!

While navigating the process of finding qualified contractors, it’s important to look beyond cost and time to some more qualitative aspects. Do non-union craftsmen have the background needed to do the job correctly (and safely)? If you’re not careful, you could be in for a world of headache. 

By comparison, union construction jobs provide a guaranteed way to get quality work for your project.

There are real benefits to hiring union contractors; you get the best trained, most safety-minded workers in the industry who complete regular continuing education and continuously update their skills. But wait…there’s more!

Specialized Training

The Mahoning Valley area benefits from having a vast majority of specialized union construction trades. Employees of the construction trades belong to a locally organized and often internationally recognized trade union. The unions have state and nationally recognized apprenticeship programs that regulate the required education and hands-on training of its craftspeople, and apprenticeship programs are oftentimes the same length as a bachelors degree in regard to time to complete. 

Having a union ensures that only experts are on the job site, and while you might not have realized it, many specialty areas exist within union construction trades. The crafts within this diverse trade include the following:

• Carpenters
• Operating Engineers
• Bricklayers
• Plumber Pipe Fitters
• Electricians
• Cement Masons/Plasterers 
• Roofers
• Sheet Metal 
• Laborers
• Asbestos Workers
• Insulators
• Tile, Marble and Terrazzo Setters
• Painters
• Drywall Finishers
• Teamsters
• Ironworkers
• Glaziers

Using professionals for your construction project provides you with the highest quality of work from your building’s foundation to its finishing touches. Foremen and supervisors also typically receive special training upon completing their initial training and work hands-on for a significant amount of time before elevating through the ranks.

Experience in Professional Situations

Around the world, union construction professionals help craft breathtaking structures, like schools, bridges and so much more. Using an experienced union contractor for your construction project provides a multitude of benefits:

• Work getting done right the first time.
• Utilization of high-quality tools.
• Use of all the appropriate materials necessary for your project.
• Unparalleled knowledge and skills to translate your project blueprints into reality.
• Time savings, thanks to training, capabilities and experience (which translate to efficiency on the job; union contractors stick to your schedule).
• Expertise and experience that provides peace of mind knowing your project is being built with the highest quality work, tools and materials. 

Union Contractors Bring A Higher Level of Artistry 

The basis of any commercial building begins with the foundation and works up to the girders, the framing and the drywall. But the intricate skills used to create a professional building also includes things like the cabinetry, marble and custom finish work. The detailed work on these areas and many others in a commercial building are the work of master crafters who are often union contractors. 

Union Work Is Perfect For Repair And Restoration

These highly trained, talented craftspeople also specialize in restoration. Skilled construction trades can help with building restoration and remodeling. Whether you want to return an 80-year old building to its original glory or you want to update an old building to something more modern, union contractors can do it.

Rather than having inexperienced trades work on a repair or restoration project, many organizations opt to save time (and money) by hiring a union contractor. Doing so helps avoid additional damage to the project because these men and women know how to fix things correctly on the first go.

Restoration, especially historical restoration, requires specialized tools and knowledge. Union contractors have access to these specialized tools and equipment for proper restoration, and also have the professional training necessary to handle this kind of work. 

Along with that, many union contractors have built working relationships with other professionals (such as architects, etc). These close-knit partnerships allow a higher level of work that goes beyond construction and achieves artistry and true craftsmanship. 

Unique Business Benefits 

Beyond their expertise and experience, hiring union labor provides many other benefits, too. This is particularly true for businesses. In the B2B landscape, you improve your project’s safety, labor relations and your company’s public relations by using union contractors.

Using union contractors enhances the safety levels on your project because the unions regularly focus on health and safety training. Union contractors adhere to the highest safety standards, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety standards and regulatory compliance. 

Broker agreements with the workers on building construction or remodeling projects are not needed on union projects because the union handles labor relations. Unions maintain a buffer between your business and the craft’s tradesperson, so if an issue does arise, the union takes care of it (which leaves you more time to concentrate on business as usual). 

Hiring union contractors is a great public relation move because the utilization of the most highly trained, safest workers in your community says good things about you and your business. (Due to their high quality of work and ability to keep projects moving on schedule, many government agencies require hiring union labor on contracts they award.) 

Most importantly, when you hire local union trades, you are “keeping it local.” These people often live in your community, shop in your stores and play with their children in your parks. Their families are the future of our area and support many local projects and activities in our region. 

Find A Union Contractor In Eastern OH And Western PA Today

With so many reasons to hire union contractors, why wait? Whether you need to build an office complex, school or hospital, your local union contractors can help. Check out our directory today to find the team you need for your next project, whether you’re in eastern Ohio or western Pennsylvania. We look forward to working with you!