Local Unions Back the Block
The Build the Block campaign has an enthusiastic new partner: The West Central Illinois Building Trades Council, representing 20 individual construction craft unions with a total membership of more than 15,000 members.
At a Sept. 2, 2008, press conference launching Build the Block, West Central Illinois Building Trades Council President Mike Everett announced eight union construction organizations have pledged a total of $485,000 to the project, with more to come.
The Block “truly is a building block for our future and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Everett, promising that building trades' members “fully intend to put our money where our mouth is.”
The group joins the Museum Collaboration Group, CEO Roundtable and Caterpillar in supporting efforts to raise the remaining $12 million of private funds needed to build the $136 million riverfront development.
The focus of the Build The Block campaign, spearheaded by the CEO Roundtable, is raising $8 million of private funds and the public awareness necessary to help build the Peoria Riverfront Museum. The multi-faceted museum would join the fully-funded Caterpillar Experience as key components of a planned downtown development designed to transform seven vacant acres overlooking the Illinois River into a thriving center for the arts, education and entertainment.
“For way too long the old Sears block has remained vacant, and the combined Peoria Riverfront Museum and Caterpillar Experience is the perfect project to fill this empty hole in the heart of Peoria,” Everett said before announcing an unprecedented agreement among Caterpillar, the Museum Collaboration Group, and the Greater Peoria Area Contractors and Suppliers Association to build the entire development with 100% local labor. “This will mean hundreds of jobs for our highly skilled building trades,” Everett added.
Caterpillar Chairman and CEO Jim Owens called The Block “a real centerpiece at the heart of our community,” and confirmed his company is committed to building The Block completely “with local labor and local contractors.” He called the labor agreement “a tremendous investment in human capital” mirroring the “physical capital” that will “dramatically improve the livability of our downtown area.”
Everett underscored local labor's reciprocal commitment: “To the building trades, this is not just another construction project. It is a conscious choice to move our community forward.”
West Central Illinois Building Trades Council members which have pledged support to the museum include:
- National Electrical Contractors Association, Peoria Chapter: $10,000
- United Association of Plumbers, Local Union No. 63: $25,000
- Greater Peoria Contractors and Suppliers Association: $25,000
- United Association of Steamfitters, Local Union No. 353: $125,000
- Mid-Central Illinois Regional Council of Carpenters on behalf of Carpenters Local Union No. 183 and Millwrights Local Union No. 1051: $100,000
- Laborers' International Union of North America, the Great Plains District Council: $50,000
- Peoria Area Laborers International Union of North America, Local Union 165: $50,000
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union No. 34: $100,000
“And we're just getting started,” Everett added, promising more support for the museum project to be announced in coming weeks.
“Today our community is a great place to live, work and raise a family. But we cannot rest on our laurels or the hard work of those who came before us,” said Everett. “We have to step up and take our future into our own hands and shape it together.”