Agreement reached between HBR-MEA Union Contractors, Mid-America Carpenters councils

The following was received by the Illinois Business Journal in an official statement on June 28, 2023:

“The Home Builders & Remodelers Metro East Association’s Union Contractors Council (HBR) and the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council have agreed to a new 5-year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

The new CBA represents an investment in our most valuable asset, our employees.  This agreement recognizes the impact the labor shortage has had on the residential construction industry since the great recession and represents a major investment in our skilled carpentry trades to ensure they remain a viable and attractive career path in the marketplace.

This agreement includes an immediate increase of 11-26% in total wages and benefits, with an increase of over 24-46% during the term of the CBA.  It provides for an Apprenticeship program that includes a starting total benefits package of over $65,000 right out of high school, and a minimum top compensation package of over $120,000 in as little as 4 years.  This is a very competitive alternative career path that has a more lucrative compensation structure without the delay, cost, or potential debt of going to college.

The CBA has provisions for all the stakeholders involved and was achieved through a collective bargaining process involving partners in our industry and representatives from the Carpenters Union looking for a truly innovative agreement that represents the value our employees bring to our industry and businesses as well as an investment in their futures through great wages, free family health care, retirement, and other benefits.

‘We look forward to a continued working partnership between the HBR and the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council,’ said Michael Needles, president of the HBR.

Added Gary Perinar, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council: ‘We thank our partners at HBR for the opportunity to work together to offer the best wages and benefits package on the market to the hardworking union carpenters in the Metro East. There’s a lot to be proud of in this CBA that ensures our members are able to provide for themselves and their families and retire with dignity.'”