IKORCC Magazine
2022 was a BIG year for the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters. Take a look at our annual magazine for a letter from EST Mike Kwiatkowski, hub updates, […]
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2023 Scholarship Applications Now Open
Applications are now open for the IKORCC scholarship program. Forty $1,000 scholarships will be awarded in 2023 to eligible member’s dependent children. Twenty of the scholarships are awarded based on scholastics, and twenty others via a random drawing.
The Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council scholastic scholarships are awarded based on 60% high school grade point average and 40% on
SAT or ACT scores. Twenty scholarships will be selected by random drawing.
The scholarship is to be used solely for the purpose of education in the form of tuition, room and board, and or books.
Tax Fraud Days of Action 2022: Ohio
In four events across the state, regional legislators visited the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters Training Centers on April 12th and 13th to learn more and speak out about construction industry tax fraud. Events were held by IKORCC across the three states and sponsored by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters across the United States and Canada.
On April 12th, the IKORCC held events in Rossford and Monroe. On April 13th, events took place in Richfield and Columbus. All four events brought in legislators from both sides of the aisle some with little knowledge of the dangerous practice in the construction industry. Leer más
Learning from the Past, Looking Towards the Future
This year both the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Southwest Ohio’s own Local 2 celebrate their 140th birthday. In 1880, carpenters in Cincinnati were making just $1.50 a day for their over ten-hour days. The founding members realized their strength as a joint body was no match for “scabs” without a national union’s support. During the formation of the UBC at the Chicago convention in 1881, Local 2 was granted a charter with the second most delegates in attendance – making it the longest continuous carpenters local charter in the UBC today.
Cincinnati was settled by a majority of German immigrants in the early-mid 1800s so every other meeting’s minutes were transcribed in both English and German language, according to Art Galea Junior. The former Local 2 President and former Southwest Ohio’s training center director spoke about what the history means to him, “it means quite a lot…some of the strife those guys went through made me really appreciate what we had.” “I appreciate it, I’ve been a member over 50 years…I’ve got a lot of memories.”
Art, one of seven in his family who would eventually join the Carpenter’s Union, started his apprenticeship program in 1968. Upon graduation he served in the Vietnam War, returned home, and led the apprenticeship program into where it’s at today. They transitioned from classes at the college to the hands-on facilities you see today. He led the programs through several buildings until it landed in its current home.
Thanks to these advanced training centers, even one of the oldest unions can build projects with the newest technology. Multiple union contractors landed the project to install a state-of-the-art grid system for a Kroger Co. Fulfillment Center. Right in Monroe Ohio, UBC Millwrights installed a robotic vertical grid system in the 375,000 square feet facility. The first of its kind, the grid or “The Hive”, has over 1,000 robots flying through the air, up and down, to pick online grocery orders for deliveries up to 90 miles from the hub location. Up to 100 Millwrights were on the project at a time.
Trained Scaffold Erectors Needed in Toledo
In northwest Ohio, representatives are preparing for big calls of labor. With large-scale concrete tilt-up projects in manufacturing facilities, Murphy Tractor, Whiteford/Kenworth, and distribution spec buildings members will be kept busy over the next year.
Members with scaffold training certification are needed for a large call-out at the BP Refinery in Spring 2022. The Rossford JATC will be holding additional classes for anyone in need of their refresher or interested in getting certified. Contact the JATC at 419-872-4651 for upcoming classes or to check your status.
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n the summer, Toledo area members will be needed to work on the third solar module manufacturing facility for First Solar. Work includes metal studs, drywall, ceilings, flooring, and Millwrights installing conveyors. Between, this project and the new Peloton facility ongoing now, representatives expect 50-60 members on-site each respective facility at peak.
This past year the Rossford hub has maintained focus on its tax fraud campaigns. They held several pickets over the year against a contractor that reported on by the local media. This added attention, including a signed letter from Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, helped get carpenters on the job. The efforts are still developing but the hub is motivated by the progress made thus far.
Community Values in Youngstown
Although the local JATC was unable to hold their annual open house, the Youngstown-Steubenville Hub still found a way to introduce high school students to the opportunities within the IKORCC apprenticeship program.
The Mahoning Valley Skilled Trades Expo hosted their second skilled trades event aimed at promoting union trades to seventh through twelfth-grade students. Unfortunately, the event was canceled last year due to the pandemic but returned with new ways to promote careers in the trades. The Hub partnered with local contractors like AP O’Horo, the Western Reserve Building Trades, and the area school’s Educational Service centers to host the two-day event. The event launched with a public open house to recruit and educate members from the community outside of just schools. Students from three Ohio and two Western Pennsylvania counties were given a chance to experience hands-on activities at each of the craft’s stations. Splitting this year’s event into two days gave the over 4,500 students more time to visit with each craft.
The Youngstown-Steubenville Hub has also partnered with the United Way to build several wheelchair ramps and assist the team in bagging groceries for more than 350 families unable to reach a food pantry in person. IKORCC members along with community members spent about three to four hours bagging groceries for United Way’s Satur-Day of Caring. The groceries were loaded into volunteers’ cars to be delivered to elderly members of the community.
Building Boom in Columbus
Central Ohio carpenters and millwrights are busier than ever with some of the most well-known organizations around town. With ongoing projects for Ohio State Medical Center, Ohio State University, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Facebook, Google, Amazon, Hilton and more; members working in central Ohio will be plenty busy for the next five years plus.
If you’ve been to the Ohio Apprenticeship graduation, you know the Convention Center Hilton hotel. To meet the needs of the growing city, Hilton is expanding to a second tower, known as Hilton 2.0. The standalone tower will add another 463 guest rooms, making the total occupancy 1,000 rooms. This will be Columbus’ first and only hotel of that size. Area-members are working on the piling, micro-piling, concrete, metal studs, drywall, doors, acoustical ceilings and roofing. The $210 million project is being completed with union carpenters and is expected to be opened by June 2022.
Representatives are kept busy recruiting from non-union job sites and career fairs while competing with the countless now hiring signs around town. With huge projects approaching for both carpenters and millwrights, they are actively hiring experienced journeypeople and apprentices.
“It’s important our members know how effective their testimony is. They’re the best organizers we’ve got”, Senior Representative Troy Woodyard said. “They have inspiring stories to tell and we’re hoping everyone can do their part to grow our Brotherhood”.
If you know someone with experience or looking to get into our trades, visit www.ikorcc.com/contact to get in touch with us.
Recruitment and Retention: Cleveland Nails It
The “Great Resignation” is hitting the country hard especially with the baby boomer generation retiring in waves. Now more than ever it is crucial to bring in and retain new members. The Cleveland Hub has organized over 60 new Hispanic members throughout the year with the help of bilingual representatives. The Hub has also signed two new minority contractors along with several other new signatory contractors. More contractors mean more future work and more advancement opportunities for members.
Renewed attention on apprentice retention from locals out of their office has proved successful with retention rates in the 90th percentile. A focus on mentoring, maintaining a strong relationship between the Hub and the JATC, and attentive job placement assistance keep these apprentices busy working and coming back year after year.
Fourth-year apprentice Savannah Engelman is one of these returning stars. “Joining the Carpenters’ Union and Apprenticeship Program has been a rewarding and fulfilling experience, as there are so many skills to be learned and mastered. With numerous opportunities around every corner and at every level of our profession, there are always new goals to work towards and new skills to learn!”, she said about her journey so far.
The biggest project out of the Cleveland hub this year has been the mass timber frame mixed-use project across from the historic West-side market in downtown Cleveland.
Rubber City with their Eye on the Ball
Keeping the Akron-Canton members on top of the area’s biggest projects includes one of their most notable attractions, the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame Resort recommitted to using local, union workers in the next phase of their Hall of Fame Village Project in April 2021. President and CEO of the Hall of Fame Resort and the East Central Ohio Building Trades President jointly signed a PLA to confirm the commitment.
The $900 million Phase II includes the development of the Hall of Fame Village. They plan to build a new hotel, an indoor waterpark, medical facilities, business and research buildings, retail stores, and more. Carpenters recently completed the renovation of the football stadium and are currently working on the Center for Excellence, practice fields for high school students, and the beginning stages of the onsite hotel.
From football to basketball, Akron has its share of high-profile places and people. The kid from Akron made a name for himself across the country but continues to make the biggest impact in his hometown. The Lebron James Family Foundation is expanding their I Promise campus to create more opportunities for the success of their students.
The Akron/Canton Hub is proud to have worked on the first section of this project in building key aspects of the I Promise Campus. Representatives worked tirelessly to secure the work for our carpenters in this next phase despite many challenges. By supporting one of our signatory minority contractors, the Hub has guaranteed this high-profile work will be completed using local union carpenters.
Community Based Organizing
Our country is experiencing an unprecedented labor movement not seen since the 1940’s & 50’s. Every labor union in the country should be capitalizing on this momentum, but at some point, every union member has to ask themselves…what can I do to help?
Members like you, have and always will be the UBC’s most valuable asset. To reach the UBC goal of 70% market share & the regional council’s goals, we need you engaged.
Throughout our history carpenter to carpenter & community-based organizing have been the most effective tools we have as a union. Many of you are familiar with the IKORCC M.A.C program. The regional council has set up Membership Action Committees and holds meetings in multiple areas in IN, KY & Ohio.
Unlike regular monthly business meetings, this is where you have the opportunity to get involved in our organizing efforts. Activities range from community events, helping our neighbors with small construction projects, but most importantly showing up in force to collectively voice our concerns on carpenter issues.
We are the community, and we will hold elected officials, owners and developers accountable when they let unscrupulous contractors come into our community and steal the work that puts food on our tables. We are putting a schedule of events together for the 2022 M.A.C. agenda & we need you there.
Please contact your local or regional council office for more information & how you can make a difference.
Fraternally,
Ken Lyons
Director of Organizing