Testimonials
Robert Empie Retired Procter & Gamble Paper Product Supply Director
In the middle 1980s, I was assigned as plant manager at one of P&G’s largest paper manufacturing facilities which remains today among the company’s largest and most successful.
Prior to my arrival, the construction projects at this plant had suffered work disruptions on various aspects of construction and equipment installation every year for 16 years due to the general contractors’ work affiliation with aggressive unions like the Teamsters, S.E.I U. and A.F.L.-C.I.O.
In 1985, I met Fred Kelley, President and Founder of the CIU, who impressed me with his willingness to embark on a collaborative relationship between the needs of P&G, its general contractors and those of its workers, culminating most notably in a commitment to working tirelessly in preventing work stoppages.
P&G shifted their contractors to CIU workers, and the P&G plant hasn’t suffered a single work disruption since: no strikes, no pickets, no headaches, and importantly, the highest productivity via flexing crafts and flowing to the work in every effort to ensure the profitability of the sights.
I then continued to use CIU workers wherever possible, even after I was relocated to Cincinnati, OH later on in my career.
Should you find the unionizing of your employees at any of your facilities to be imminent, having them organized by CIU will be a much more pleasant and profitable experience than having to deal with other, more aggressive unions, in that:
1. The CIU is strongly committed to ensuring the success of the company’s business needs and goals: they have always been willing to make whatever amenable adjustments necessary to ensure the success of our company’s work.
2. When workers are represented by the CIU, it obviates the threat of those workers joining other, potentially damaging unions.
3. Flexing crafts flowing to the work and getting high-quality work done in the most effective means is a hallmark of what CIU stands for.
I know this has been brief and If you would like to discuss my experience with CIU in greater depth, I would be more than willing to speak with you via phone (cell: 937-548-9222), e-mail (robertempie@aol.com) or in person.
Best regards,”
Michael W. Jennewein Site Human Resource Director Procter & Gamble Plant Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Peter Kinder Missouri Lieutenant Governor
Karen L. Schenkelberg Operations Manager Fru-Con Industries Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Jason G. Crowell Missouri State Senator
Letter from the Presiding Commissioner
Letter from Mayor
Our Philosophies
A Union For All Trades
Our contractors enjoy the substantial advantages of one source of supply for every craft needed-from millwright to laborer, from carpenter to sheet metal worker.
It’s a formula that has satisfied contractors from small homebuilders to giants like Fru-Con.
Sound Economics & Reasonable Scale
They know the high level of an average annual employment they enjoy-up to 80% higher than other unions-is based on an hour’s work for an hour’s pay, with wages dictated by their need for a respectable living standard and the contractor’s need for affordable labor in an increasingly competitive world.
Monthly newsletters, coupled with regular training sessions in both field and classroom, keep CIU members in touch with changing technology.
CIU’s strong leadership and its tradition of close cooperation with employers keep them in touch with the realities of sound economics in the modern marketplace.
No Jurisdictional Strikes On Litigation
Our by-laws are structured on this basic concept. When we formed CIU, we built it around the needs of the contractor. That’s why we’ve never had a job slowed or stopped by a jurisdictional strike.
We specify the non-jurisdictional strike policy in every contract we write.
Our members understand and support the idea of uniting all crafts under one banner. They know it pays off for them in higher average annual employment. When our members say: “United we stand, divided we fall.” They know that “we” includes the contractor who employs them.
4,000 People Strong and Ready to March
Wherever CIU members travel, their high morale goes with them. They know they have health, welfare and vacation fund benefits that rise to the levels to which American workers have always aspired.
And wherever they go, they bring proud standards of individual and team excellence on the job. They’re supported by ongoing CIU training programs that keep their skills sharp and competitive.
Strong Leadership and Experienced Staff
Our business agents and managers have that proven, practical experience necessary to provide the best possible construction and personnel-related solutions.
They’ve won the respect of the business community as well as the work force they guide. And they are ready to meet your needs with your specifications, your deadline, and your budget in mind.
Statements - Photos - Maps
- What we Believe
- Letter from Fred Kelley - Union President
- Client Site Photos
- Contractor Gate Entry Map - P&G Cape Plant