A Fresh Approach To union Projects.

An unusual forum of owners, contractors and labor leaders has joined forces to make changes on union projects that ultimately could increase union market share and please owners and contractors by limiting extended overtime, absenteeism and work disruptions. After more than a year of negotiation, the Construction Users Roundtable Tripartite (CURT) Initiative Report was issued earlier this month. Since January 2003, CURT owners met extensively with top officials from five contractor groups, the AFL-CIO's Building and Construction Trades Department. CURT members collectively spend more than $95 billion each year on construction and maintenance projects. They championed the project because of growing concern that capital, talent and effort on construction projects were not being used effectively.