Telecommunications Tower Workers Union
Should They Be Unionized?
In such a large labor industry, one might be surprised to find that these workers are on their own. They do not have backing of a union to support them in labor, industrial, health, or legal matters that may arise.
I spoke with John Hettish, one of the creators of an online discussion forum named 'Tower Pro' designed specifically for "those persons whose professions or interests center around the erecting, maintaining, or installing antennas on communications towers1". The group has close to two thousand members. Mr. Hettish is also the owner of Middle Tennessee Two-Way, Inc. We discussed whether the establishment of a union in the telecommunications industry might benefit tower workers. With his help, I also received responses from some other members of the discussion forum on their opinions of unionization in the tower industry.
The first statement Mr. Hettish made was, "No, I don't think a union would help tower workers. Tower workers are skilled technicians and as such are probably their own best bargaining representation." After posting a poll on Tower Pro, I found that 71% of those that answered the poll agree that there would be no benefit to having a union available to the tower workers2. Some comments made included:
"Unions served their purpose when we were a country beset by capitalist pigs in the truest sense of the word...executives that didn't mind exploiting their employees. But, as we grow and learn to understand efficiency and its intricacies, we find that a knowledge-based economy survives on an employment base that remains satisfied with their employee-employer relationship...Our freedom FROM unionization leaves us in a more competitive position."
~Jason Chervenak, 4 years experienced tower worker
"My workers are the backbone of my company. If they were beholden to something (a union), instead of someone (myself) I couldn't expect them to perform in (our) best interests."
~Douglas B. Graham, owner of All Around Towers
Mr. Hettish seems to feel very strongly about unions, saying "My experience, and probably a bit of prejudice, tells me that unions, along with others, have ruined American manufacturing. Unskilled laborers, someone who can learn his job in thirty minutes, often make more money than others who have taken years to learn their trade." I responded that it may be possible that unions would prevent this from happening, if the tower workers would join and actively participate in a union, if one were created. He was prepared for the question. He retorted, "The skilled technicians are not in the sort of jeopardy that the unskilled American factory worker finds himself in today." He gave this example:
"Unions are primarily suited for extremely large companies (organizations) which hire non-skilled people to do an extreme number of diverse jobs. These people have no contact with upper management and need someone to bargain for them. The people making washing machines, for instance, rarely come to that type of work with a skill and are often seen by management as no more than easily replaceable parts of a very large machine. If one of the parts breaks, it is quickly replaced with no thought to what became of the old, broken part."
He went on to say that "wages and benefits cost so much that factory owners, to the cheering of the stock holders, make the companies more profitable by moving to third world countries where there are many poor people to exploit with low wages and poor conditions."
I got the impression that tower workers are very valuable in this industry because the only way one can learn the required skills is on-the-job experience. It simply takes time, patience, ability, and talent to attain the expertise that the men and women in this industry so actively seek to acquire. There is no school that will teach all of the required skills for this profession. There is no instruction manual for how to live on the road. There is only time; job after job of learning the ins and outs of the profession; and the mentor that passed along his or her knowledge to another worker that showed potential.
It seems that a union for the tower workers in the world would be of no use, as these workers know their job well and are in a position to negotiate with potential employers on their own. They are perfectly capable of standing their own ground and making sure that their work is highly valued and that they receive the proper payment for the efforts they put forth.
Ultimately, I have found through John Hettish and members of Tower Pro, that this industry does not need to have the backing of a union to support them in labor, industrial, health, or legal matters that may arise. They can do it on their own, with the help of John Hettish, Tower Pro, and other tower workers of the world. At any rate, one could say that the tower workers already have their own 'unofficial' union organized among themselves.
Works Consulted
Numbers in ( ) are cited in paper.
(1) Tower Pro Discussion Group: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/Tower-pro/.
1,985 members active.
(2) Poll question posted on Tower Pro: Many industries are supported by labor unions. Do you think it would benefit tower workers to have a labor union that they could join? (For this purpose, a labor union is defined as an: "association of workers for the purpose of improving their economic status and working conditions through collective bargaining with employers.") After answering the poll, if you have further thoughts on this subject, I would be very interested in hearing them. My email address is towerfortune@yahoo.com.
3. John Hettish and the members of Tower Pro.
4. The Columbia Encyclopedia.
http://education.yahoo.com/reference/encyclopedia/entry/union-la. Sixth Edition. 2005.
Published by Susan
I'm a wife and mom from Virginia. I am also a licensed secondary English teacher and I have a BSBA in Marketing and Management. In my spare time, I like to read, bake, and create web sites. View profile
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7 Comments
Post a CommentI was watching the last episode last night of Bill Moyers journal. Realizing the importance of the people, and the power corporations have over us, I have in the last three years of operating a tower company felt the negative impact of being on ones own. I don't know if a union is the answer, however I am interested, and will be looking into the possibility of creating a Tower Coop. Whereby the company is owned and operated by the tower hands, technicians, etc. In the interest of increasing the benefit for all, and not a small majority. I am currently the owner of the company, but started with a very good incentive program paying guys more when working at night, more when on the tower, etc. I think sharing the wealth and the decisions will create a better working environment.
I've been reading up on guilds, and it sounds like the tower workers should form a kind of guild. A guild seeks to establish a monopoly over a field of work, set wage rates and standards, and control entry into a field. While achieving this goal is illegal, the point is to try an push toward that goal. By doing this, they can assure that technicians are paid well, and can afford to purchase benefits like retirement plans and health insurance. Companies in the field would have a contract with the guild to employ people from the guild. The guild would control training, through a kind of apprenticeship or mentoring program, with certifications. The guild would necessarily have a political arm to defend its ability to operate legally.
While unionizing would in fact do alot of good for the industry it could do alot of Bad as well. First we need to get a type of regulation on the industry in order to form a union. Second we need to get rid of these jack legs out there that are simply a crew with a DBA Certificate and drive down the prices to where Companies can no longer afford health insurance.
the first step towards getting the industry coordinated has already been made through Towerhand Central.com, and Tower-Pro.net these are two sites that I encourage everyone to join.
Thanks for your comments, guys. I always appreciate someone else's views and opinions on the subject. ~Susan
I think there should most definately be a labor union for communication tower workers. Yes they may be paid very well but does that keep them from losing benefits because the company wants to cut back on spending. Unions help the workers negotiate with the company and make sure the workers are being treated as they should be since they do keep cell phones across america working and keep radios blaring for everyone.If there is no union how are they going to stop the company from giving them the short end of the stick.
Continued...
When the market becomes saturated, it's the contractors who will feel the pain first, before the satellite companies.
Anyway, as the number of small companies proliferates, the industry should form groups to regulate themselves. Otherwise, other parties may step in to regulate - most likely, the big businesses will first, then the government later.
The question for the average worker is whether they wish to participate in a small business group, or in a guild or guild-like union. Which type of organization will best represent their interests. Do they care more about keeping taxes and fees low, or do they care more about establishing a retirement fund or pension? Are they interested in funding industry lobbying, or getting involved in politics that benefit laborers? Most likely, it's both, but the two legal forms available are the business organizations, and the unions.
I'm obviously biased toward the unions. They operate things like health insurance funds an
There are some unions for workers that operate, partly, independently, like the electricians in the IBEW. The union takes a role not only in negotiating, but in helping to set safety standards, and doing training.
When there's a shortage of talent to do a job, incomes rise. This causes less qualified people to enter the field, potentially diluting the average wage, or discrediting the business. If a guild doesn't develop (a guild being a type of union), small companies will tend to form. They will compete with each other, and potentially lower prices.
While low prices are generally good for consumers, they are bad for the companies. Moreover, when the number of small contracting companies outnumber the number of buyers in the market, it's the buyers who control the prices.
Look at the situation for these satellite tv installation contractors. They are indies, and competing against each other. The market's being flooded with contractors. When the market becomes saturate