9 minute read
Unions Provide Training and Opportunity for Millions
from Blueprint 2022
Trade unions play a vital role in the development of new workers while providing for their members’ health and welfare on the job. These longstanding groups work to prepare the next generation of craftsmen and women and help them provide for their families.
There are some real differences between union training and other kinds of skilled career training. Union training, called an apprenticeship, combines classroom training with on-the-job learning. Apprentices work their day jobs and attend school a couple of times per week, the actual schedule of which varies from trade to trade.
With today’s skilled jobs being more sophisticated than ever, training has had to keep pace. And that’s just what you find with union apprenticeship programs, which cover a range of skills in demand in the workplace.
Union welding programs, for instance, commonly certify members in different kinds of welding — 2G, 3G, stick, MIG and TIG — versus schools that award a certificate in just one.
Union apprenticeships can take up to four or five years to complete, after which the worker is a certified journeyman in their trade. Apprenticeships are offered by virtually every union today to provide industry-specific training at no charge to members, be it the rank beginner or continuing education for longtime members.
According to Tanif Crotts, head of the Arkansas Building & Trades
Council, union training programs are cutting edge, embracing the latest in workplace technology by trade.
“Union employees work in some of the most advanced manufacturing and industrial jobs there are, and union training has kept up with that to keep our members in demand,” he said. “One fast-growing area of union training is mechatronics, which includes the setup, installation and operation of robotic arms. This technology is commonly in use in automotive manufacturing and assembly. Another recent area of training has been laser alignment in tooling, something local unions added to their curriculum as soon as the technology hit the market.”
Another advantage to union training programs is it employs a “learn more, earn more” mentality. Within unions, apprentices are more than just students — they are full-time employees within their chosen field, earning a paycheck while they perfect their craft. As apprentices move through training programs, they’re typically rewarded with pay raises for classroom performance, hours worked and proficiency. An apprentice may start at 70% of the journeyman’s wage, then increase to 80% the second year, 90% the third year and reach full pay at graduation.
Specialists are hired at even higher wages due to the additional training they have, often earned in a year or less. Once at full pay and with the qualifying number of work hours, a union journeyman also receives robust benefits, including health benefits for the worker and the worker’s family. Actual benefits, pay percentages and timelines vary from union to union.
And, as any union member will tell you, being in a union doesn’t just pay dividends while on the job. Labor unions look out for their members and they have each other’s backs in times of difficulty, Crotts said.
“A union’s responsibility doesn’t end when a member completes an apprenticeship,” he said. “Our larger role has been to stand up for better working conditions and higher pay, things that individual workers could not attain on their own. Organizing and speaking as one have given American workers much more power and say-so over their professions and their futures.
“Locally, unions support members in other ways, acting as a resource for jobs or helping a family where a member has been injured on the job. Many of our members say being part of such a brotherhood is one of the most appealing things about being a union member.”
UNIONS AT A GLANCE
Americans overwhelmingly support unions.
The pandemic and growing wealth disparity have made more Americans take a second look at union membership. NPR reported in January 2021 that 65 percent of all Americans approved of unions, and a 2018 study from MIT showed half of nonunion workers surveyed would join a union if they could, a potential membership bump of some 58 million workers.
Unions are more diverse than ever.
In 2017, the percent of the male workforce in unions was roughly equal to the female workforce, a big jump from 1979 when men were more than twice as likely as women to be union members and made up 69 percent of all union membership. Even more significant is the age of union workers — the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported total union membership grew by 262,000 in 2017 and of these, 76 percent were age 34 and under.
Pay and benefits are better for union members. The ability to collectively bargain has driven up union wages. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that private industry union workers out-earned nonunion private industry workers by an average of about $4 an hour.
Union workers are also more likely to have access to paid sick days and health insurance on the job than nonunion workers. Automotive union UAW reports only twothirds of nonunion workers have health insurance from work compared with 94 percent of union workers. And, 86 percent of unionized workers can take paid sick days to care for themselves or family members, compared with 72 percent of nonunion workers.
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Since 1899
HEAT AND FROST INSULATORS Local 10 206 Ave Two SE Atkins, AR 72823 Jeramy McCoy, Business Agent (P) 479-307-1701 (F) 479-307-1702 (M) 479-641-0772 awl10@insulators.org
INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF BOILERMAKERS UNION Local 69 4515 W. 61st St. Little Rock, AR 72209 Rodney Allison, Business Manager (P) 501-565-0059 (F) 501-556-0112 bmlocal69@sbcglobal.net boilermakers.org
BRICKLAYERS AND ALLIED CRAFTWORKERS UNION Local 5 OK/AR 212 NE 27th St. Oklahoma City, OK 73105 Ed Navarro, President (P) 800-579-9555 (F) 405-528-0165 ed@baclocal5.com baclocal5.com
CARPENTERS UNION Local 690 3920 Wall St. Little Rock, AR 72209 William White (P) 501-568-2500 (F) 501-568-2522 carpenters690@prodigy.net ubclocal690.com
CARPENTERS UNION Local 1836 1407 S. Knoxville Ave. Russellville, AR 72801 (P) 479-968-1724 (F) 479-967-5878 Dewayne Young, Business Representative Jeremy Hughes, Business Representative dwyoung2002@yahoo.com Jhughes@cscouncil.net centralS.carpenters.org
INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF ELECTRICAL WORKERS Local 295 7320 S. University Ave. Little Rock, AR 72209 Will French, Business Manager (W) 501-562-2244 (M) 501-291-9949 Ibew295.org INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF ELECTRICAL WORKERS Local 1516 P.O. Box 577 Jonesboro, AR 72403 Kirk Douglas (P) 870-932-2114 (F) 870-932-6707 ibewlu1516@sbcglobal.net
ELEVATOR CONSTRUCTORS UNION Local 79 P.O. Box 2081 Little Rock, AR 72203 Mike Campbell, Business Manager (P) 501-944-6970 (F) 501-372-2172 iuec-local79@sbcglobal.net
IRON WORKERS UNION Local 321 1315 W. Second St. Little Rock, AR 72201 Johnny Wilson, Business Manager (P) 501-374-3705 (M) 501-730-2607
LABORERS INTERNATIONAL UNION OF NORTH AMERICA (LIUNA) Local 360 5 Colonial Square Clarksville, AR 72830 Tanif Crotts, Business Manager (P) 479-754-1015 (F) 479-647-3909 tanif.c@liunalocal360.com
INTERNATIONAL UNION OPERATING ENGINEERS Local 624 202 Katie St. Richland, MS 39218 Brett Daniels, Business Agent (P) 501-422-8109 brett@iuoe624.com
INTERNATIONAL UNION OF PAINTERS & ALLIED TRADES District Council 80/Local 424 10112 Chicot Road, Suite 218 Little Rock, AR 72209 James McAlister, Business Representative (P) 501-353-2957 (M) 501-772-6885 jmacftidc80@gmail.com www.iupatdc80.org
PLASTERERS & CEMENT MASONS UNION Local 908 815 Enterprise Cape Girardeau, MO 63701 Guy “Tom” Schwab, Business Manager (P) 573-334-2729 (F) 573-334-5451 op908@clas.net PLUMBERS & PIPEFITTERS UNION Local 55 1223 W. Markham Little Rock, AR 72201 Ricky Jeu, Business Manager (P) 501-374-4943 (M) 501-529-3131
SMART SHEET METAL UNION Local 36 415 W. 12th St. Little Rock, AR 72202 Danny Graves, Business Manager (P) 501-372-5150 (M) 501-326-4777 smw361@sbcglobaI.net www.smart-local.org/smart-sheet-metal-local-36
UA LOCAL 669 Sprinkler Fitters P.O. Box 400 Abita Springs, LA 70420 Tony Cacioppo, Business Representative (P) 985-809-9788 (F) 985-809-7802 cacioppo.669@att.net sprinklerfitters669.org
UNITED UNION OF ROOFERS, WATERPROOFERS & ALLIED WORKERS Local 20 6301 Rockhill Road, No. 420 Kansas City, MO 64131 Jim Hadel, Business Representative (P) 816-313-9420 (F) 816-313-9424 rooferslocal20.com
UBC MILLWRIGHTS Local 216 1407 Knoxville Ave. Russellville, AR 72802 Matthew Nowling, Business Representative (P) 479-967-0639
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JESSE VELASCO
AGE: 27 JOB TITLE: Laboratory Technician I EMPLOYER: Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority SNAPSHOT: Looking for a way to apply his chemistry degree in a meaningful way, Velasco relocated from his native New Mexico to join LRWRA.
WHAT PUT YOU ON THIS CAREER PATH? Back home on the Navajo reservation, we have this saying, “Tó éí ííná át’é,” which translates to “Water is sacred.” Our teachings instill a great respect for the environment, and coupled with my love for chemistry, I knew I wanted to work with water reclamation.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB? While I love the work I do in the lab, I really enjoy the staff. Everyone from the lab, administration, to the sampling team has made me feel welcome. Our company is so diverse and inclusive and it makes me excited to see what our company is going to do next.
WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING THING ABOUT YOUR JOB? The most challenging part is time management, 100%. There are some days where the plant needs more tests/analysis performed, and with an already packed day it can seem overwhelming. However, with more experience I find myself feeling accomplished when I am able to persevere through even the busiest days.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST POSITIVE THINGS ABOUT YOUR JOB? I really enjoy seeing how our treatment plant provides a necessary function to the growth of Little Rock. Many people don’t think about where their water goes once they’re done with it. Our plant reintroduces a limited resource back into the environment, residences and businesses that is necessary for growth and health.
WHAT WOULD SURPRISE SOMEONE THE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB FIELD? What truly blew me away were the benefits with this company. Everyone you meet raves about them and as a testament there are so many people I’ve met with 15-plus years with this company. Something else I love is the opportunity for advancement. I’m thinking of going back to school to obtain my master's, and if there is a line of work dealing with your program, the company will reimburse some tuition. They make you feel like you’re taken care of and that’s hard to find nowadays.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR SOMEONE LOOKING TO GO INTO THIS CAREER FIELD? It’s a little cliché, but go that extra mile. Work hard and sign up for those things that aren’t required like panels, commissions, etc. Your hard work will bleed into your routine and those “extra” responsibilities become networking opportunities. Learn as much as you can and get really good at what you do so when it’s time to learn something new, you’ll be that much better off.
