Schedule certainty
No strikes, no lockouts, no jurisdictional work stoppages for the duration of the project.
For contractors & owners
Skilled manpower on demand, a trained workforce you did not have to recruit, and a labor agreement that protects your schedule.
The value case
The cheapest hour of labor is the one you only pay for once.
Union craft labor is not the lowest hourly rate on the bid sheet. It is usually the lowest installed cost — because productivity, rework and safety are where construction budgets actually go.
Every craftworker dispatched from one of our halls has completed or is enrolled in a registered apprenticeship. They arrive with their certifications current, their safety training documented, and a journeyworker’s standard for what finished work looks like. You do not run recruiting, you do not run the training program, and you do not carry the cost of turnover.
When you need to surge — a second shift, a compressed turnaround, a phase that ran long — the referral system puts qualified people on your site instead of whoever answered the ad.
- Trained workforce, no recruiting cost. Apprenticeship is funded through the trust, not your overhead.
- Documented safety. OSHA 10/30, trade-specific certifications, and a strong incident record that shows up in your EMR.
- Surge capacity. Referral halls across 14 trades, plus reciprocity with locals statewide and beyond.
- Predictable labor cost. Wages and benefits set by contract for the life of the agreement.
- A dispute process. Jurisdiction and grievances go through a procedure — not through your schedule.
- Drug-free jobsites. Testing programs that satisfy owner and facility requirements.
Project labor agreements
One agreement. Every trade. No surprises.
A project labor agreement is a pre-hire agreement negotiated for a specific project. It sets the terms for every craft on the job before the first shovel — and it is the single most effective tool an owner has for de-risking a complex build.
Cost certainty
Wage and benefit rates fixed up front across all trades, so escalation does not land mid-build.
Local hiring
Targets and reporting for local residents, veterans and under-represented workers, written into the agreement.
Apprentice utilization
A guaranteed share of hours worked by apprentices — workforce development your project can point to.
Becoming signatory
How a contractor signs on
Signatory status is with an individual local, not with the Council — but we will walk you through it and make the introductions.
Tell us your scope
Which trades you self-perform, where you work, and the kind of projects you chase. That determines which locals you need.
Meet the local
You sit down with the business manager to review the collective bargaining agreement, wage and fringe rates, and the referral procedure.
Execute the agreement
Sign the CBA or a project agreement, set up fringe benefit reporting, and get onboarded with the trust funds.
Call for manpower
Submit your request to the hall with the classification, count, start date and duration. Qualified workers are referred out.
Requesting manpower
What to have ready when you call
The more of this you can give the hall on the first call, the faster the referral goes out. For multi-trade requests, call the Council and we will distribute it for you.
- Project name, address and the general contractor
- Trade and classification needed, and how many of each
- Start date, expected duration and shift schedule
- Certifications required — welding procedures, crane class, confined space, badging or facility clearance
- Per diem, parking and site access details
- Your point of contact and after-hours number
Give us the scope and the schedule. We will tell you honestly whether we can staff it — and if a trade is tight, we will tell you that too. Nashville Building Trades · Manpower desk
Placeholder: add the Council’s real manpower desk phone number, hours, and after-hours contact here — contractors will look for it on this page before anything else.
Building in Middle Tennessee?
Whether you are a signatory contractor, a general contractor bidding a project, or an owner planning a capital program — start the conversation early and we will build the workforce plan with you.