Agreement ensures 10 years of industry peace
The Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Administrative District Council (ADC) of Eastern Missouri has announced an unprecedented eight-year extension to the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between Bricklayers’ Local 1 and the Mason Contractors Association of St. Louis.
The extension, which includes a roughly 2.8 percent wage increase each year, makes the current CBA a 10-year deal, expiring in 2029. The new agreement ensures a decade of labor peace in an industry that has seen three strikes at the conclusion of its last three contracts.
“We’re extremely proud,” said Brian Jennewein, ADC director. “It shows that we’ve come together as an industry in this town. We’re looking forward to 10 years of steady growth and peace, working hand-in-hand with the Mason Contractors Association.”
‘ALMOST UNHEARD OF’
ADC secretary-treasurer John Hopkin added, “In our industry, a 10-year contract is almost unheard of. We thought the last contract that was six years was a big deal.”
Jennewein credits MCA President Martin Heck, Jr., for the smooth negotiations. In the past, he said, there was a lot of back and forth between the Bricklayers and the MCA, which is typical in contract negotiations. This time, Jennewein said, both sides were focused on reaching an agreement.
“We owe a lot to Marty,” Jennewein said. “He reached out with the idea of extending the contract, and he did a great job. We skipped the back and forth, and on Day One, there were very realistic offers on both sides of the table. We got to the heart of the contract in a matter of days. It was pretty fast.”
The new contract represents about 800 Local 1 bricklayers, tuck pointers, caulkers and cleaners employed by more than 80 local companies.
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