Organizing Report
By Jorge Rivera
Organizing has been all-hands-on-deck for political work on the home stretch to the local elections all across our jurisdiction. Mayors, city councilors, and school committee members are the frontline officials who can make or break a project, set the labor standards, and serve as our strongest allies when we push for union jobs. Whether it’s knocking doors, making calls, or holding signs, we were at it daily – on evenings and weekends – putting in the time. Our elected allies notice and recognize that DC 35 carries more than its weight. We are always on double duty, and we look forward to a few months where we can focus even more on our campaigns, keeping in mind that the 2026 political season will be even bigger and more critical next year.
Organizers have been building new connections with non-union GCs to secure more work opportunities for our members. We’ve done extensive training and roleplay, and built up a toolbox of key points and messaging to speak their language. We’re finding that the companies are very receptive and willing to give our signatories a shot. Once we have a foot in the door, we know GCs will see the Union difference, and one job will multiply. We know how to fight with bad contractors when we have to, but we can also win a lot by playing “good cop.”
Organizers are leaving no stone unturned on non-union job sites. Earlier this year, we began a major push to patrol the market and gather critical data. Our goal is always to capture more work, whether by securing bid opportunities, raising costs for cheating non-union contractors, or turning jobs outright. We’ve covered more ground than ever before, and we’re going to up the ante as we go. We are identifying unknown players and uncovering contractors with histories of wage theft and other labor violations. When we have the information, we have the edge.
As you can see, we work in many areas: policy, compliance, sweeping and policing jobsites, and more, and all of these efforts connect. On a Worcester project, we discovered a contractor we had previously filed wage theft claims against. Working with the US Department of Labor, we secured their debarment from federal work. Because the project was tax-assisted by the city, and because we helped write the policy with the Building Trades, the developer risked losing its assistance if a debarred contractor stayed on the job. We laid the groundwork, had the intel, and brought the issue forward to the city. The bad contractor was removed, they lost money, and they’ll think twice next time about trying to break the rules.
The GC on the original project from the wage case – the JJ Carroll Apartments in Brighton – was Dellbrook/JKS, a notorious player in the residential market. We put them on notice with the old case. We have also, along with Servicing, been fighting them on the Clarendon Hill project in Somerville, the subject of another wage theft case, which resulted in DC 35 members going to work. Now, in the last few months, they are coming around to working with us from the onset, and we have opportunities on major projects that we wouldn’t have had before. That’s the result of taking the fight to them, but never forgetting to work on those relationships. It shows how our members demonstrate the Union value at work, and how even our threats can become opportunities. It’s also an example of how taking up one lead can lead to many wins down the line.
We are everywhere, but we can’t be everywhere all at once: That’s why I want to ask every DC 35 member to keep their eyes open, to guard our jurisdiction, and if you see something fishy at your jobsite or just one you’re passing by, we want to hear about it! Don’t hesitate to call the Hall!
