INDUSTRY UPDATES

Dan Bukiewicz Talks Workforce and Milwaukee’s Renaissance

Read the Q&A discussing the city's workforce pipeline and building boom

Dan Bukiewicz, president of the Milwaukee Building and Construction Trades Council, discusses Milwaukee’s workforce and the city’s building boom with Chris Mambu Rasch, executive director at Building Advantage.

"We’re seeing a renaissance in Milwaukee as we change from more of a manufacturing town to an entertainment and cultural hub, like with the advent of Fiserv Forum and now the Wisconsin Center Expansion. We’re truly becoming a great alternative to bigger cities like Chicago. It pays to reinvest and double down in what you’re successful at doing, and that’s really recreating Milwaukee as a destination for the rest of the country."

Skilled Worker Shortage Has Smaller Impact on Union Contractors

Union firms 14% less likely to experience difficulty filling craft worker positions

The Associated General Contractors of America's (AGC) survey of more than 5,000 of their member firms found that "the skilled labor shortage is much less severe in

the union segment of the industry". Even during the pandemic, union construction's pipeline of skilled workers fared better than the competition. The trades attribute this to the benefits of registered union apprenticeship which provides family-sustaining wages and benefits and robust training programs that lead to far safer job sites. Ultimately, these benefits lead to worker retention with union contractors being 13% less likely to lose their workers to other industries compared to non-union firms. 

Last week, around 90 juniors, seniors and recent graduates from Bay View, Milwaukee Academy of Science, Hmong American Peace Academy, Vincent, Whitnall, Greenfield, Greendale, Franklin, Muskego, and St. Francis rotated between several joint apprenticeship training centers and participated in hands-on activities for each of the trades. After last year's event, eight individuals were hired on as apprentices in different trades.

Programs like the Summer Trades Academy expose students to the skilled trades and the different career paths within this industry. It's important for everyone to get hands-on experience in the different trades so they can make an informed decision for their future.

Building Advantage is proud to be part of a large coalition of businesses, economic development organizations, institutions, and other entities deeply invested in the future of the I-94 East-West Corridor. We understand the importance of this corridor as an economic engine for commerce in metro Milwaukee, Waukesha County, and the entire state. We strongly support the opportunity to rebuild this 60-year-old section of the Interstate Highway into one that meets the current and future needs of our community.

Submit your comments of support for this much-needed reconstruction.

Gilbane and CD Smith shared program information for bid release #5B for the Wisconsin Center Expansion Project. The virtual session's matchmaking forum will be held on 6/28 from 3-4pm. Bids are due July 21st. 

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