Just like any other deal between labor and management, portions of the National Maintenance Agreement don't sit well with rank-and-file workers. For that matter, I expect owners and contractors who demand the use of NMAs on their projects don't like some sections of it, either.

The National Maintenance Agreement is not perfect - but on balance, I think it's important to spread the word every now and then that construction projects which utilize an NMA consistently put our people to work, make them sought-after for owners and contractors, and put our contractors several steps ahead of nonunion competition.

This comes to mind because last month, I participated in the 2003 Regional Industrial Maintenance Conference, an event sponsored by the Great Lakes Construction Alliance. The conference featured a number of speakers representing both labor and management under the theme of making an effort to "build a partnership of safety, productivity, quality and strength."

Since their inception in 1971, NMA agreements have usually been used on large, industrial construction projects, although they're increasing being applied to major commercial jobs as well. In Michigan, companies like General Motors, Ford, Daimler-Chrysler and DTE Energy are major users of NMAs.

The National Maintenance Agreement is a 19-page document, used across the country, which spells out common concerns and requirements for construction jobs where they're used. The general terms call for good safety practices in all phases of the job, no disruption of the owner's work, on-schedule performance, cost-effective and quality craftsmanship, productivity flexibility, a trained and available workforce, and a resolution process for job site issues.

NMA agreements have become so prevalent nationwide that there's even an NMA Policy Committee that administers the process. Since 1971, more than 1.6 billion man-hours have been worked under the NMA, performing work valued at $260 billion. More than 3,300 signatory contractors have employed workers under the agreement.

Owners have driven the NMA process, and you get an idea of where their priorities are when you look at the contract. To the owners, it's all business. They don't want workers on their projects who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. They want workers who have participated in a coordinated safety program, and who are certified in specialized areas like welding.

Business owners and contractors want to know the price of wages they're paying for their workforce, the days off they will receive, and how much they will be paying for overtime. They want to be assured that their construction project won't be interrupted by a costly work stoppage. They want work hours and work rules clearly defined.

Building trades workers benefit from the NMA, too, Owners who seek out NMAs have bought into the idea that safe work sites are not only good for workers, they're good for their bottom line in terms of lower insurance costs. So good safety has become something we all agree on.

But the main benefit to unionized building trades centers around employability.

Working under NMAs, our workers and contractors have been able to establish a tremendous track record with the owners. Our quality workforce has bred a good reputation for our employers, and that favorable reputation has led the owners to seek out union contractors time after time.

A good track record helps keeps the owners from going to our competition, which includes workers employed by nonunion contractors and temporary agencies, or even the in-house "construction workers" represented by non-building trades unions.

Many building trades workers are under the mistaken impression that if union members aren't hired to do the work, it can't get done. One need only look to any of the Sunbelt cities in right-to-work states to find nonunion workers are the norm rather than the exception.

Simply put, National Maintenance Agreement projects put union members to work - on many jobs, in droves. Of course, some facets of the agreement, like drug and alcohol testing, aren't popular with some of our members. They're not necessarily popular in other workplaces, either, but they're quickly becoming a fact of life in pre-employment testing.

Working under the National Maintenance Agreement is a perfect example of giving the customers what they want. And the return on our investment in customers translates into union jobs.