Labor Relations Update: A Message to Our Industry Partners

SMCA respects the skilled union members who bring excellence, pride, and craftsmanship to our industry every day. Their work is the foundation of our collective success, and our commitment to union labor is not incidental — it is a deliberate and principled choice. 

As union contractors, we have long chosen to align our businesses with the values of partnership, quality, and opportunity that union labor represents. This model is a cornerstone of how we build — and it is a partnership we continue to value. 

However, our ability to maintain and grow these opportunities for union labor relies on one essential truth: We must remain competitive in the marketplace and contractors must be able to operate their companies efficiently. 

In today’s environment, with persistent inflation, volatile material costs, ongoing global tariff pressures, and growing economic uncertainty, margins for union contractors are tighter than ever. 
Our projects are awarded through competitive bidding processes — processes where even small increases in cost, or small decreases in productivity, can determine whether a job is won or lost. 

If we are priced out of the market, it is not only the contractors who lose. 
It is the union members themselves whose opportunities diminish. 

Our shared future depends on balance: 

• Fair and competitive wages that honor the skill and commitment of union members. 

• Sustainable business models that allow union contractors to win work and keep jobs flowing to the field. 

SMCA remains committed to negotiating in good faith and finding solutions that protect the integrity of our industry, preserve work opportunities for our contractors and the Local 19 members they employ, and position all of us — contractors and union members alike — for long-term success. Finding those solutions is a challenging process, and while opinions may differ on how to achieve them SMCA and Local 19 share a common goal of making our industry stronger and better in the years to come. 

We are proud of our long history with Local 19. And we remain hopeful that through mutual respect and a shared commitment to the future, we will find a path forward that benefits everyone.