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Fred Kinateder: Building a Solid Foundation
for Management/Labor Relations

His work isn't always flashy. However, the many projects taken on by his union masonry business are consistently recognized as some of the best of their kind in the country, making up the backbone of some of the most breathtaking structures in Southeastern Wisconsin.

Miller Park. The Harley-Davidson Museum. The Midwest Airlines Center. The Sharon Lynn Wilson Performing Arts Center in Brookfield. Numerous schools, businesses, and public buildings all are notable for Fred Kinateder, Sr.'s commitment to top-quality masonry.

“We've done so many nice projects, it's hard to pick just one favorite,” he says with a touch of pride.

Yet Kinateder is not just the CEO of the Waukesha-based Fred Kinateder Masonry, Incorporated. He's also a Southeastern Wisconsin management leader who believes strongly in the need to advance relationships with union trade labor.

Kinateder is a member of the Construction Labor Management Council of Southeastern Wisconsin (CLMC) and Building Advantage. He has served on the CLMC Marketing Committee for three years now as a management representative. His focus is on strengthening and promoting this partnership between management and labor, with a goal of generating work opportunities for signatory contractors.

“We need to see cooperation continue to get better between labor and management,” Kinateder says. “It's just like everything else. Sometimes you have to put your special interests aside for the good of the whole.”

Kinateder has worked in management for union companies since 1980. The changes he has seen are reflected in the effort undertaken by the CLMC and Building Advantage to bring about unity between management and labor, and keep contractors busy with new jobs.

“Everyone is putting aside their differences and working more like a partnership,” Kinateder observes. “We're figuring it out: neither one could survive without the other. We need each other.”

Kinateder believes the effort to educate union members on such partnerships is paying off, and now the focus needs to turn more to perceptions in the general public and among potential business clients. In his view, the top selling points for using trade union labor include the cost-to-value ratio, the strong safety record, the economic benefits for workers and the community, and the commitment to high quality.

On this last point, Kinateder is particularly passionate. In his extensive management experience, the misperception of union workers as wanting more money for doing less work is unfair and inaccurate. Kinateder says he doesn't settle for anything less than 100 percent effort from his employees. He holds his own team accountable, and believes progress is being made in creating codes of conduct.

“This [codes of conduct] shows management that unions are dedicated to providing the best workers they can,” Kinateder notes. “Members need to buy in.”

Overall, Kinateder says the future is bright for trade union labor in Southeastern Wisconsin, but the effort needs constant attention from the CLMC and Building Advantage. At the same time, aggressive outreach will continue to attract quality workers.

Kinateder stresses that the successes of the CLMC and Building Advantage translate into more bottom-line opportunities for signatory contractors.

“I've heard about shortages for 20 years, but the work is always getting done,” Kinateder says. “The unions are always looking for good candidates. These are some of the best jobs you can get, high wage, health insurance, pension plans. For someone that's not going to be in management, these are good jobs.

“We [the CLMC and Building Advantage] are trying to market union construction to those who buy the services, to increase man-hours for workers and get bidding opportunities for signatory contractors,” Kinateder adds. “The CLMC is using all the resources at its disposal to make sure it happens.”

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