RCAW from the Beginning

By Cayden Wemple. 

The Roofing Contractors Association of Washington has a rich history and board member Justin Shirley shared his insight on the association.  

Since 1965, The Roofing Contractors Association of Washington (RCAW) has been an asset for roofing contractors to get fairer wages and better pay. Board member Justin Shirley shared a little bit about the history of the association on an episode of Roofing Road Trips with host Heidi J. Ellsworth.  

“The Contractors Association started long before you and long before me. So it was established around 1965,” says Justin. “It was primarily established by the large union contractors at that time in the greater Seattle and Tacoma area. And they actually used it as bargaining for their union memberships and getting better pay and wages and a tool like that's why they started it. And they were very successful in getting better wages for their employees and bolstering that up.”  

The association continued into the 1970’s but was slowed by a lack of economic growth in Washington. “In the '70s things really died down and there wasn't a whole lot of action going on as far as growth and economy in Western Washington,” Justin explains. “But in the '80s that shifted and that changed as all of a sudden you got housing and you got big communities being built up and money being brought in.” 

With the big economic growth came the need for developing infrastructure. “All of a sudden you got roofing contractors popping up all over because the work needs to be done,” Justin told Heidi. And so they made that change and they incorporated roofing contractors and then they also incorporated the roofing manufacturers and vendors and associate members were brought into the association, which just bolstered it and made it stronger and made it so the contractors worked hand in hand with what they're putting on their roof and who they're buying it from. And so they started building that relationship.” 

Listen to the podcast for more information about RCAW.