I've been searching the net for a couple hours trying to locate information on which Union a sign shop would be qualified for.
Would anyone have any advice. We are located in Missouri.
We also print Tee shirts. Would one Union cover our shop as a whole?
Thanks!
[ October 13, 2001: Message edited by: Brian K ]
Posted by David Wright (Member # 111) on :
I know a printer and screen printer here who belongs to the atomic energy workers (?) union and gets to bid on all types of jobs. Apparently as long as you are unionized in any sense you can qualify.
Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :
Union Brian?..Why would you want to join a union?
I may be REALLY naive on this question..
PLEASE enlighten me!
Posted by Bruce Bowers (Member # 892) on :
Hey Brian,
We used to have a local union - "Sign and Pictorial Work Local 21". All the members got old and retired or died off. If we wanted to get our shop in the union, we would have to join the painter's union or some affliated union, I would guess.
We were involved with a job at the stadium here and let me say that some of the union guys can be quite the dinks. Between the verbal stuff and the uncooperativeness, it left us with a somewhat less than stellar opinion of the unions involved with the stadiun renovations.
Having just the two of us, and we are both owners, we don't have to do the prevailing wage thing (who wants a pay cut, anyways?)because we can't join a union even if we wanted to. Oh well... such is life. I won't get into a pro/anti union thing here.
I would shop around for a union that would be willing to accept your shop as a union shop. I wish you well in your search.
Have a great one.
Posted by Brian K (Member # 1867) on :
Thanks for the replies.
Dave: It's not that we really want to join a Union. We were contacted by a business agent from my Union Local 513 (Operating Engineers), they said if we had the little (BUG) we could be contracted for their stickers, decals, vehicle lettering, shirts and hats.... So my wife and I thought we would do a little research on the subject just to see what is involved. We could find nothing on the topic. A search for a Signwriters Union shows a lot of results from the UK. We also searched on the "Union Label", did find some places in the US, but were screenprinters.
This is not a destined effort, but just an inquiry. The "Painters & Allied Trades" seem to be the most likely candidate. We did find a Union that was related to sign & display, however from reading their site it is primarily for stage setup and not design or creation.
Okay, I rambled entirely too much. Thanks again for the input Dave, Dave and Bruce.
[ October 14, 2001: Message edited by: Rick Sacks ]
Posted by Monte Jumper (Member # 1106) on :
In the event a Union cannot find a union shop to do what we used to call "Bug work" they can use anyone...it is up to them ...show them ther are no union affiliations in your end of the world see if it works.
In any event any painters union would accept you.
The best places to check are the AFofL or the CIO or even Teamsters the truth of the matter is all thet matters to them is your money (you will be accepted into any union)who knows you may even pick up some benefits along the way.
I sometimes wonder if the Union I belonged to when I was a lad even exists anymore...it was a national union called The Sign Painters and Paper Hangers of America (I belonged to local #45 Denver Colorado)
If memory serves me right, it was based in Chicago...curious does anyone remember it or know if it still exists?
[ October 14, 2001: Message edited by: Monte Jumper ]
Posted by Bill Dirkes (Member # 1000) on :
Hey Monty I was in that Union! In the late 70's I was working in the Carew Tower in Cincinnati,O. as a maintenance/construction painter. The shop had to be Union and the scale was lower for Sign Painters than it was for House Painters! So we were in the Sign painters Union. The local was based in Cleveland. The irony is that in 1980 I was hired as a Sign painters helper at Norton Outdoor in Cincy. A family owned, non-union shop. Been there for 21 yrs. now! Posted by COLONEL DICK BOHRER (Member # 905) on :
25 years ago when I first started out I apprenticed in a sign painter and display workers union in the Twin Cities. All the big shops belonged, their were a lot more billboard companies back then. Now with digital, billboard painters are fading away. 12 years ago I started a shop in Northern Minnesota and dropped out of the union. Last year though, I started doing a lot of work on new construction sites, which in Minnesota are mostly all Union built. I had just got a $32,000.00 contract from a hospital for interior sign work. Well the unions found out that I wasn't a member and put up quite a fuss. It was decided that I could produce the signs but not install them. I said screw this, I talked to the Painters union and joined as a sole owner, it costs me $32.00 a month to belong because I own the business, I can work at any site and my business is now on a union contractors list. The thing that really worked out was the Health Insurance Benifits, I now save over $200.00 a month on medical insurance.
