That's all fine and good ... but I suspect that you'll find a fair amount of disagreement on the point.
Simply put, as independent contractors, you have absolutely no business telling them how to run their businesses. Not even indirectly, with the implied threat of refusing to deal with them again. Subs are not your serfs, nor your employees, and you have absolutely no claim to any profit from work that does not involve your trade - which is general contracting.
It's no different than if a plumber wanted a say, just because I helped him put in a water heater last year.
In a similar manner, you have no business objecting if I work with another general on a job - even if he's your main competitor.
You want me to become other than an independent contractor, feel free to get your own EC license, and then buy me out.
