The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced plans to permanently rescind previous efforts to create Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAPs) from all industries.
Introduced during the Trump administration, IRAPs were widely criticized by the labor community due to their lack of oversight. These “self-monitored” apprenticeship programs rely on employers or affiliated partners to train new workers without any government regulation or oversight.
Many feared these programs could lead to a permanent class of apprentices.
Laborers’ Local 310 officers welcomed Labor Secretary Marty Walsh to the Local 310 Union Hall. From left to right: Field Representative Sean Campbell, Business Manager Terry Joyce, Secretary of Labor Walsh, Secretary-Treasurer Thomas Byrne and Field Representative/President John Soeder.
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Officials from the Cleveland Clinic held a virtual groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 20 to mark the beginning of construction on a new hospital in Mentor.
The project was delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but ground has officially broken, generating expectations of amble work opportunities for local union tradesmen and tradeswomen.
Members of multiple building trades affiliated with the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council stand to benefit from a longstanding relationship with the Cleveland Clinic, as many past Cleveland Clinic projects have been completed under Project Labor Agreements (PLA).
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The Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council officially endorsed the Cleveland Indians lease extension for Progressive Field on Aug. 26, including the corresponding stadium upgrade plan that would create jobs for building trades members. Earlier in the month, the Indians announced they reached a tentative deal with the city of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and the state of Ohio to renovate the ballpark and extend the team’s lease in Cleveland for at least 15 years. The current lease expires in 2023. The new lease is expected to start in 2022. The county is slated to pay off bonds from the original construction in 2023, coinciding with the expiration of the current lease.
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Union pension funds help finance ‘Artisan’ project
Area leaders officially broke ground on July 29 at the new Artisan Circle Square building in Cleveland’s University Circle neighborhood, which will be built under a Project Labor Agreement.
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Plans to build a new hospital in Lake County under a Project Labor Agreement are back on the table following a one-year pause due to COVID-19, creating hundreds of jobs for area union trades.
In late April, the City of Mentor announced the Cleveland Clinic will break ground later this year on the new hospital project.
The new construction will provide work for 300 to 400 affiliated members of the Cleveland Building Trades, according to Dave Wondolowski, Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council Executive Secretary
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Members of IBEW Local 38 and their signatory contractors recently donated $34,000 in labor to the Women’s Recovery Center, which offers a multitude of services to women struggling with addiction.
The Women’s Recovery Center is an intensive outpatient center in Cleveland dedicated to women, focusing largely on substance abuse disorder. They use a unique approach to recovery, including care for physical health, emotional healing and family reunification.
Cleveland Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee Director Ken Field was recently appointed to the Ohio State Apprenticeship Council.
The Apprenticeship Council is a state board made up of representatives from various aspects of the industry and the public. It is comprised of three employer representatives, three employee representatives, three public representatives, four advisory members and three representatives from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Field’s appointment was made by Gov. Mike DeWine’s office earlier this year.
President Joe Biden used a stop in Cleveland late last month to push harder for Congressional approval of his infrastructure improvement plan.
Speaking to a group at Cuyahoga Community College, the President argued his families and infrastructure plans will create millions of new jobs and reshape the economy – in need of a boost as the U.S. tries to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cleveland Building Trades Tradeswomen volunteering at Haven House an overflow shelter for women and children.
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Union Heads Praise Biden Infrastructure Plan -President Joe Biden’s 10-year, $2 trillion infrastructure plan calls for more than just the construction of roads and bridges. The plan will include, among other items, green retrofitting of schools, construction of energy-efficient housing and $400 billion for new infrastructure for child care and elder care.
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Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, a member of Laborers Local 223 and former head of the Greater Boston Building Trades Union, was officially appointed U.S. Labor Secretary on March 22. Walsh became the first union member in decades to head the U.S. Department of Labor.
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Major Projects Across Ohio Boost 2021 Construction Outlook
In Ohio, officials closely involved with the union trades are seeing signs of a somewhat positive outlook for 2021, anchored by a number of large projects.
The Columbus area leads the way, with multiple massive, billion-dollar projects underway or set to break ground in 2021.
In 2019, members of the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council logged about 6.75 million manhours. C/COBCTC Executive Secretary-Treasurer Dorsey Hager believes they topped that mark in 2020.
Thanks to the ongoing building boom in the area, he anticipates the potential for even more hours worked by affiliated unions in 2021.
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Laborers 310 Terry Joyce to Recieves Irish Labor Award
Laborers Local 310 Business Manager Terence P. Joyce was recognized with the Irish Labor Award by the nation’s oldest Irish American newspaper.
On Dec. 18, Joyce was honored by the Irish Echo newspaper during the 10th annual Irish Labor Awards. For the past decade, the New York-based newspaper has recognized the contributions of men and women of Irish heritage who have made a major contribution to the labor movement.
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CBA Talks Break Down Between Laborers 860, Juvenile Court
A group of union members working at the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court had contract negotiations halted as court officials opted to seek legal action instead.
Laborers Local 860 in Cleveland represents roughly 140 workers at the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court and Detention Center. These employees work in the Juvenile Detention Center with those in custody and on the administrative side working in office settings.
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Ashtabula Pig Iron Plant Covered by PLA
A new pig iron plant in Ashtabula will be constructed solely by union construction workers.
Petmin USA signed a Project Labor Agreement with the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council to ensure only highly skilled and highly trained building trades members will construct their first facility in North America.
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IUPAT DC 6 apprentices volunteered their services at the Edna House. The group repaired drywall, retextured ceilings and painted the living quarters at the rehabilitation facility.
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For the Cleveland Building & Construction Trades Council (CBCTC), investments in real estate and infrastructure are critical to rebuilding America.
When it comes to revitalizing a city like Cleveland, building and construction trades workers provide more than just skilled labor. The men and women who build Cleveland’s apartment buildings, roadways, tunnels, bridges, and sewers put money back into their communities. “The more job opportunities there are for our members, who are themselves residents of Cleveland, the more we’re boosting the local economy,” Dave Wondolowski, Executive Secretary Cleveland Building & Construction Trades Council says.
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A partnership between the Cleveland Building Trades and area contractor groups led to the creation of a new nonprofit organization dedicated to recruiting men and women into the union construction industry.
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Training directors react to pandemic with multiple plans
As the COVID-19 pandemic seems to regain strength in Ohio and many other states, restrictions are beginning to ease, but training directors for various union trades must now prepare multiple training plans that can change quickly, if needed.
At the onset of the coronavirus, K-12 schools, colleges and universities, registered apprenticeship programs and other educational centers had to either modify their schedules or shift to online learning.
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