To the editor:
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We read a story in a recent article in the Reader that claimed to be about the carpenters’ union [“Suits vs. Boots,” January 10], but it had little to do with the reality of our union. The leadership of the Chicago and Northeast Illinois District Council of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America has been one of the most effective and successful in the union’s long history. We just achieved the highest increase in wages in the history of the union with a four-year contract that catapulted wages/benefits by $8.40. The union also achieved the same wage rate for commercial and residential work; this is found nowhere else in the country. On top of that, the union increased pension benefits to members by a staggering 82 percent over the past eight years. No other union can come close to these great benefits.
Nor has the union been complacent in terms of quality. We strive to make sure that Chicago’s union carpenters are the best in the world. In 1999 we built the most impressive 35,000-square-foot inner-city apprenticeship school and are now working to double the size of this training center. In Elk Grove Village we had a 95,000-square-foot facility and recently completed a 45,000-square-foot addition to train new members. We also have training centers in Joliet and Elgin and offer skill advancement courses in every aspect of the trade. Approximately 7,000 of our apprentices and seasoned journeymen take part in more than 500 different courses that are offered not only in English but also in Polish and Spanish. These bilingual courses keep us on the cutting edge of the carpentry trade.
Chicago and Northeast Illinois District Council of Carpenters
