Our Mission
The Onyx Skilled Trades Union Local 79 (Onyx) is an Equal Employment Opportunity Department of Labor recognized union with the goal to bridge the gap and form a much-needed union which is fair, reliable, and flexible to the needs of African American Employers and their Employees. Onyx was developed as a community movement that would unite all our strengths and talents with a focus on economic, political and social justice for our members.
Our mission is to:
• Improve economic development, benefits and employment opportunities for black and other minority workers
• Provide a voice and vehicle for skilled training creating technical experts in their craft
• Support civil rights, political, religious and civic groups working to improve living and working conditions in the black community
• Bridge the gap between training and real work outcomes
• Ensure the equitable participation of its constituents in the construction industry
In addition, this union will provide wages and benefits along with a DOL Registered Apprenticeship Program. Our union will attempt to win higher pay, shorter work hours, provide more marketability in the construction field and will improve safety conditions for its employers and union members.
Quality Criteria
Be the leader in providing quality union services and benefits for our members. We will demonstrate our ability to compete with traditional unions by ensuring our rates and benefits are comparable, however providing flexibility in the membership bargaining agreements.
8(F) Bargaining Agreement
This union is designed to provide African American Employers and others the flexibility to join our union on a project-to-project basis. Section 8(f) addresses the unique nature of the construction industry where the size of an employer’s workforce can fluctuate from project to project, where projects can be short term in nature, and where employees migrate to different construction industry employers frequently.