Six building trade unions representing mechanical crafts have formed a new division within the AFL-CIOs Building and Construction Trades Dept.
The unions, including the plumbers, boilermakers, electrical workers, ironworkers, asbestos workers and sheet metal workers, want their Mechanical Allied Crafts unit, or MAC, to present a unified front to owners and contractors. Owners are paranoid with all of the turmoil in the AFL-CIO, says one union chief.