Volunteers from the Carpenters Union were part of a very special project in South Boston, transforming the home of Sydni Pecevich into a space where she can learn and grow.

Sydni was diagnosed with a grapefruit-sized malignant brain tumor when she was just two months old. She had nine months of chemotherapy and eighteen surgeries in her first two years of life. She is now eight years old, and although cancer-free, she was left with disabilities that require 24-hour supervision.

As Sydni got older it became apparent that the tight quarters of her family’s home were not sufficient to accommodate all of her needs. The Carpenters Union, along with other Building Trades volunteers, stepped up in a big way to help her family turn her home into a space for her and her siblings to grow.

Ten members of the New England Regional Council of Carpenters graduated during the 2013 Spring Commencement at Wentworth Institute of Technology. Five of the graduates received special recognition for academic achievement, listed below.

This group of carpenters is the first class to receive bachelor’s degrees.

Bachelor of Science Degree Graduates:

Building Construction Management
David Aldrich, Local 40
Chris Barcikowski, Local 67
Joseph Byrne, Local 33
Nicholas Cuzzupe***, Local 33
Katie Jenkins*, Local 33
Steven Monteiro, Local 26
Edward Rampans**, Local 67

Project Management
Eamonn Murphy**, Local 33
Marc Surprenant*, Local 33

In 2008, Wentworth Institute of Technology’s Division of Professional and Continuing Studies signed an articulation agreement contract with the NERCC to deliver an Associates’ Degree in Construction Management to members of the Carpenters Union. This was Wentworth’s first articulation agreement with a trade union.

The program has evolved in the short time since its first inception. The agreement now includes both the Bachelor and Master of Science Degree programs.

* Cum Laude (3.5-3.74 grade point index) 
** Magna Cum Laude (3.75-3.89 grade point index)
*** Summa Cum Laude (3.90-4.00 grade point index)

The Ledwell family, many of whom are Local 56 members, have organized a motorcycle run in memory of Caitlin Ledwell. All proceeds from the event will go to a scholarship in her honor.

Saturday, June 29, 2013 
Motorcycles | Hot Rods | Antique Cars

Run Starts: A Dancer’s World, 150 Industrial Drive, Halifax, MA  See Map
Run Ends: Upland Club, 67 Upland Road, Plympton, MA See Map

Registration will be held from 8:00 AM – 10:30 AM
$20/rider and $15/passenger (includes t-shirt and cookout)
$15 at the door
Kick stands up at 11:00 AM

A benefit will be held after the run beginning at 1:00 PM at the Upland Club.
*Food
*Raffles
*Live entertainment
*Silent auction
*And much more!

All proceeds from the day’s events will go to the Caitlin Elizabeth Ledwell Memorial Scholarship Foundation. For more information click here.

Learn more about the WRTA Bus Hub project by clicking here to see it in our online portfolio.

A group of union carpenters from Local 275 in Newton recently got together to help out another local playground. The members built a new perimeter consisting of four side walls at the Franklin Playground as a UPP event in coordination with "Newton Serves."

Pictured are members that came out to lend a hand. Back row, left to right: Kevin Kelley, Matt Matheney, Desmond Trainor and Keith Farley. Middle Row, left to right: John McClintock, Rick Scales, Eric MacKinley, John Burrows, Steve Donnelly and Robert Tedeschi.Front row; William Newton.

A job well done to five union carpenters who volunteered on a Saturday in late April to help Rebuilding Together Boston as part of their National Rebuilding Day. The members, who participated through the Sisters in the Brotherhood program worked together, alongside 30 other volunteers, on the house of an elderly Dorchester resident. 

The Rebuilding Together Boston program works throughout the City of Boston to repair and renovate the homes of economically disadvantaged homeowners including the elderly, veterans, families with children, single parent households, the physically challenged, and others in need. The program also assists non-profit-owned facilities- community centers, schools, worship centers, etc. Services are provided at no cost to recipients due to the generous support of foundations, corporations, vendors and individuals like the carpenter volunteers.

Volunteers on the Dorchester project rebuilt a bulkhead, replaced a number of windows and two doors, patched walls, hung drywall, rebuilt a portion of the kitchen, replaced window and door trim, rebuilt latticework around the foundation, poured concrete for a new sill to the bulkhead, and much more.

Members involved in the effort included Karen Blandino, Local 67; Mary Ann Cloherty, Local 40; Mary Muhler, Local 67; Liz Skidmore, Local 118; and pre-apprentice Kaitlin Medeiros.

May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day, commemorates the 1886 Haymarket Massacre in Chicago. Four demonstrators and several police officers were killed during a general strike for the eight-hour workday when an unidentified person threw a bomb at police who were trying to disperse the gathering of people. Police reacted to by firing at the crowd of workers. Today, International Workers’ Day is celebrated in more than 80 countries around the world as a day to commemorate the ongoing fight for workers’ rights.

Boston-area gatherings will be held this afternoon in Revere, Everett, Chelsea and at Boston City Hall (start times vary by location). Participants will march from each of these locations to a combined rally at 5:00 PM happening at Liberty Plaza, Central Square, which is located off of Bennington and Meridian Streets in East Boston.

NERCC, with help from local community groups, created this video as a promotion for local area International Workers’ Day events. The piece gives Boston-area workers, including Piledrivers Local 56 member Fran Kotak, a chance to share their stories. Check out the full length version of this video here. 

Visit nercc.org/mayday for detailed information about Boston-area gatherings.

 On April 25, the New England Carpenters Training Center hosted a graduation ceremony for the 2012  New England Carpenters Training Fund Apprentice Graduates. 101 members, representing 15 Locals, completed their training in the apprenticeship program in 2012.  Keynote speakers included: Mark Erlich, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, NERCC; William Irwin, Executive Director, Carpenters International Training Fund; David Powell, Director, Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts; and Larry Carr, Dean, Wentworth Institute of Technology.

Congratulations to all of the graduates! 

With roots in the American struggle for the 8-hour work day, International Workers Day is celebrated in more than 80 countries around the world as a day to commemorate the ongoing fight for workers' rights.

Below, Boston-area workers share their stories as part of International Workers' Day, which takes place on May Day (May 1st). May 1st commemorates the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago, where workers stood for the eight-hour workday.

Join labor unions, faith organizations, immigrant rights groups and community allies as we march and rally for workers' rights. For information about Boston-area gatherings, visit nercc.org/mayday. 

To see the full-length version of this visit, click here.

Learn more about the St. Vincent Cancer Center project by clicking here to see it in our online portfolio.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2013 New England Regional Council Scholarship Program. Last year 148 students applied and a total of $50,000 was awarded, including the top prize scholarship of $5,000.

To be considered for an award, a completed application package must be received by 5:00 pm on April 12, 2013.

Please review the Eligibility and Guidelines for the program before completing the application. Applicants will be required to write an essay of between 500 and 1000 words on the following topic:

What impact does “Right to Work” legislation have on labor unions, economic development and the standard of living in a state that adopt the law?

To eliminate bias, the scholarship committee is blind to the identity of the applicant. Essays are numerically coded to prevent any reader from having knowledge of the writer. Winners of the top two prizes will be asked to read their essays at the June 2013 delegate meeting. Persons awarded first or second place in a prior year are ineligible for first or second place in subsequent years.

A series of sweeps of construction sites in Connecticut this year has resulted in 27 "Stop Work" orders against contractors for misclassification of workers as "independent contractors." The results continue a disturbing trend in the state's construction industry. In the past year, the Connecticut Department of Labor reports that inspection and review of 108 construction projects and 299 contractors has resulted in 199 "Stop Work" work orders, an alarming rate of cheating.

"Some employers will misclassify workers as independent contractors with the intent of avoiding their obligations under federal and state employment law covering such matters as workers' compensation, unemployment taxes and payroll reporting," said state Labor Commissioner Sharon Palmer. "Unfortunately, when an employer fails to pay for the proper coverage for injuries suffered on the job, and a worker gets hurt, the state's taxpayers ultimately foot the bill."

Avoiding tax obligations gives cheating employers a significant advantage in competitive bidding and negotiated pricing within the construction industry and creates a funding gap for state and federal governments, among other problems.

Media coverage here.

Local 624 Brother John Costello helped organize the Hardhats for Hunger food drive on a jobsite in Bridgewater, MA. Read more about his story here. 

Earlier this month, the NERCC hosted an event at the Carpenters Center honoring the members and contractors who contributed their time, talents, and resources to the construction of the new National Teaching Hospital in Mirebalais, Haiti. Representatives from the hospital attended the event to thank the volunteers for their efforts. Dr. David Walton, Chief Operating Officer, and Jim Ansara, Director of Design & Construction, spoke at the event and shared updated pictures from the hospital, which was scheduled to open the next morning.

Representatives Martin Walsh and Linda Dorcena-Forry also attended the event, thanking all of the volunteers and contributors to the project and handing out citations to each of the members who volunteered on the project.

After the citations were awarded, there was a presentation of the video (below), “Helping Hammers: Carpenters in Haiti,” which outlines the massive donations of time, materials and skills that were needed for the project to succeed.

Congratulations to all the union members who applied their skills to this transformative project that will benefit thousands of people for years to come.

Scott Berry, Local 111; Michael Biasella, Local 40; Eric Bickford, Local 2168; Joe Bickford, Local 2168; Peter Carroll. Local 111; John Colbert, Local 40; David Cormier, Local 43; Michael Costello, Local 40; Jorge DeBurgo, Local 2168; Ryan Donovan, Local 2168; Patrick Feeney, Jr., Local 67; Hans Gabriel, Local 40; Michael Jacques, Local 2168; Stephen Lavache, Local 40; David LeBlanc, Local 2168; Peter Leyden, Local 33; Bruce McKenna, Local 33; Stephen McKenna, Local 275; James Murray, Local 94; Mynor Perez, Local 2168; Michael Robinson, Local 210; Andrew Smith, Local 43; Timothy Sullivan, Local 24; and David Young, Local 2168.

Thanks to the following contractors who contributed to the project:
Contract Flooring Installations, Mark Richey Flooring, Shawmut Design and Construction, Shock Brothers, Central Ceilings, H. Carr & Sons, John Moriarty and Associates, Cheviot Corporation.

Learn more about the Albert Shurman Center at UMass Medical School building project by clicking here to see it in our online portfolio.

An exciting project for one of Boston's neighborhoods and some of the carpenters who live there.

Congratulations to New Hampshire Local 118 member Gary Vermillion, who yesterday was elected to a two-year term on the Londonderry Budget Committee. 

See complete list of Londonderry town election reults here. 

Bryan Bouchard, who serves as Business Manger of Local 1996 in Vermont, Regional Manager for Northern New England and a member of the New England Regional Council of Carpenters Executive Board has announced his retirement, effective March 11. Bouchard is a 36-year member of the UBC.

Executive Secretary-Treasurer Mark Erlich is appointing John Leavitt to fill Bouchard's unexpired term on the Executive Board as well as his role as Regional Manager for Northern New England.

"Bryan served the members on staff for the Carpenters Union for 26 years," Erlich said. "He has been a quiet but effective leader who always carried himself with dignity and integrity. He will be sorely missed by his members and the Council. We wish him a long and happy retirement."
 

NERCC staff recently spoke to a group of five workers employed at the Botany Bay development in Worcester who were owed more than $25,000 in wages and began making noise about it. Regular bannering was done at the site and last week a rally drew members of Local 107, representatives of the MetroWest Worker's Center, religious leaders and Worcester City Councilor Sarai Rivera.

The event led to pieces in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette and Vocero Hispano, which highlighted the wage theft and the unwillingness of the project developer to do anything but turn a blind eye. The bad publicity may force his hand, though, as regular events are gaining attention and the support of the community.
 

NERCC Business Manager Jason Garand recently recorded the following commercial spot for Health New England, the health insurance provider for Carpenters Local 108. The commercial will run on local television stations in Western Massachusetts through May. 

NERCC Executive Secretary-Treasurer Mark Erlich was recently invited to speak at Brooksby Village, a senior living community in Peabody, MA. Erlich was invited to speak to the Brooksby Village Current Events Discussion Group by Phil Mamber, a retired union leader from IUE 201 at the Lynn GE plant. Erlich gave a PowerPoint presentation titled: The Disappearing American Middle Class: Economic Inequality and Labor. Seventy-five residents attended the event, which was very well received. Check out a PDF of the presentation by clicking here.

Local 26 Brother Mark Brings and his family started C.A.P.T.S. (Calling All Patriots Troop Support)
in an effort to support military service members deployed overseas. Check out his story here: 

 To see more stories like this, visit the Meet Our Community page. 

Learn more about the Kensington Building project by clicking here to see it in our online portfolio.

The American Institute of Architects is confidently projecting strong growth in nonresidential construction this year and next, with increase of 5% in 2013 and 7.2% in 2014. Commercial construction is expected to lead the way in growth, followed by industrial work, while institutional construction will grow at a slower pace. The AIA is basing its predictions on a comparison of its own "Architecture Billings Index" with forecasts from six different industry groups. The consistency in forecasts leads them to believe they will be very reliable.

The Connecticut Department of Labor was joined by the US Department of Labor, OSHA and local and state police in raids of at least four construction sites in Stamford last week in an unprecedented effort to crack down on payroll fraud. The Stamford Advocate covered the raids and published a column by Angela Carella calling for developers to clean up their businesses.

The raids targeted three sites being built by Building and Land Technology and another by Greenfield Partners. The sites have all previously been the target of numerous public complaints as well as demonstrations by union carpenters and other trades workers. The Harbor Point project being built by BL&T has also been the site of numerious enforcement actions. More than 34 "Stop Work" orders had been issued at the project prior to last week's raids.

Investigators talked to more than 200 workers, according to media reports, and will sort out possible violations in the coming weeks after reviewing those interviews.
 

 A group of union carpenters were joined by senior citizens and others at a crowded meeting in Waltham to discuss the future of a former Polaroid site. The parcel is one of a handful of large projects slated for the Metro-West city. Union carpenters are watching closely to see if they will be the source of good jobs for local people or rampant fraud and profiteering by developers. With persistent action, they hope to ensure the former.

The Polaroid project--to be done in phases--will involve the construction of 180,000 square feet of retail space, 100,000 square feet for a Market Basket and another 100,000 square feet of office space.

Members of Local 275 were joined by members of other UBC locals who live in Waltham. Local 275 Business Manager Kevin Kelley was one of the few speakers at the meeting, expressing his desire for developers to make a commitment to decent standards on the project. The meeting was not open for everyone to speak, so carpenters made their feelings known by holding up and rotating small signs that read "Save The Middle Class"  on one side and "Build Union" on the other.

Members in Waltham plan to be active a other upcoming meetings, to discuss the Polaroid project as well as work at One Moody Street, with an eyee toward cementing Waltham as a strong union city. Members in and around Waltham who are interested in participating can contact Brother Kelley at Local 275's union  hall.

The 5th Annual New England Carpenters Ice Fishing Derby will be held Sunday, February 17 from 7am-2pm at Singletary Lake in Millbury, Massachusetts.

Organizer Joe Broderick will be set up at 5am at the lake, which can be accessed by West Main Street in Millbury. Look for a banner with the carpenters emblem by the boat ramp. There is a $20 fee to enter. Twenty-five percent of proceeds will be donated to the Valley Tech Educational Fund

Power augers will not be allowed before 7am and no tickets will be sold after 9am. Awards and a shore drawing will be held at the boat ramp at 2pm. Prizes will be awarded to the heaviest fish of any species, with 40% of proceeds going to the winner, 25% to 2nd place and 10% to 3rd place. Ties will be broken by fish length. All fish must be brought in alive.

For questions, please call Joe Broderick of Local 535 at 781-983-1383.

On January 12, 2010, a catastrophic earthquake hit Haiti, devastating an already impoverished nation. With much of the country's medical infrastructure destroyed, plans that were in place to build a 110-bed community hospital had to be revamped. The Ministry of Health, along with Partners In Health, launched a far more ambitious plan to build a 320-bed state-of-the-art teaching hospital in Mirebalais, which is located thirty-five miles north of Port-au-Prince in the Central Plateau.

Haiti's building industry, however, was simply unable to meet the needs of the new building design. Massive donations of time, materials and skills would be needed for the project to succeed. Union carpenters and contractors stepped up to the challenge to help secure materials and volunteer their time and labor to help build the hospital while teaching Haitian workers valuable craft skills 

To learn more, check out the piece NERCC Executive Secretary-Treasurer Mark Erlich wrote for Commonwealth magazine about this amazing project following a trip to Haiti in 2012.

David Rampone, President of Hart Engineering, a signatory contractor based in Cumberland, Rhode Island isn't shy about being a union contractor. Last year he volunteered to be one of the latest union contractors to do a radio ad on behalf of the New England Regional Council of Carpenters. Now, he's published an opinion piece in the Providence Journal explaining why his business is better with a union partnership. Click through to read it.

The following opinion piece appeared in the January 10 print edition of the Providence Journal-Bulletin.

The benefits of employing unionists

DAVID RAMPONE

Regarding Charles Chieppo’s Dec. 20 column, “Unions are 1 percenters in Mass.,” in which he portrayed the construction industry inaccurately:

As the chief executive of a major Rhode lsland construction firm that does work all over New England, I’ll set the record straight. I am the president of Hart Engineering Corp., a general and process mechanical contractor founded over 70 years ago and based in Cumberland.

While I have read several opinion pieces by “public-relations experts” articulating the “evils” of the unionized construction industry, it needs to be pointed out that these experts have no actual experience in the construction industry and draw their conclusions based purely on anecdotal information provided by those who wish to see the unionized construction industry fail.

For the record, the National Labor Relations Act lets construction companies decide for themselves whether to be affiliated with the industry’s trade unions. It is the only industry that has such a provision. Since its inception, our firm has made the business-driven decision to be affiliated with several trade unions — a decision that has been beneficial to both our company and employees.

Currently we employ more than100 union tradesmen and women on dozens of jobs, large and small, throughout New England. These employees receive a fair wage, full health-care benefits and pension contributions — a package that lets them provide their families with a respectable standard of living. And in light of the negative attention cast on public-sector unions in these times, note that unionized construction workers are not guaranteed employment. In fact, Rhode Island unionized construction workers average about 1,500 hours worked a year. They do not receive vacation time, sick days or holiday pay, nor do they receive any benefits if they do not work the required number of hours a year — usually between 1,200 and 1,400, depending on the trade union involved.

Beyond my own company, the performance of Rhode Island’s trade unions and union contractors speaks for itself. There are more than 200 local contractors with union agreements in the Rhode Island area, and there have been more than 50 all-union project labor agreements (PLAs) worth billions of dollars completed in this area, including most of the state’s highest-profile projects. Most of these PLAs have been in the private sector.

These agreements symbolize the marketplace at work. Owners, construction managers and contractors enter into these agreements for one reason only: It is in their best interest to do so. And why? The trade unions in partnership with their contractors invest millions of dollars annually recruiting, training and retraining their workers to provide the safest, most skilled workforce in our industry. In today’s world, owners want their projects completed safely, on time, under budget and to the highest level of quality possible. That is why owners from small firms to Fortune 500 companies enter into project labor agreements.

While there are far fewer PLAs in the public sector than in the private sector, they are becoming more prevalent. However, before any public entity in Rhode Island can implement a PLA, it must complete an independent “objective and reasoned” study that recommends their use.

The trade unions’ record of providing contractors and owners with a safe and productive workforce is unmatched in our industry. Those who oppose them assert that using nonunionized workers would provide the owner with great savings. Unfortunately, those savings are usually the result of substandard wages, failure to provide health-care benefits to employees, or misclassifying employees to pay them a lower wage.

For 70 years we have provided our clients with the safest, most capable and productive work force in the industry, and our employees with a fair wage and benefits for them and their families. We are proud of what we have been able to achieve with our union partners.

David Rampone is president of Hart Engineering Corp., in Cumberland.  

Brother Richie Trahan checked in to report on the Holiday Party held at the Carpenters Center for NERCC's Boston Retirees Club last month. Members from the four Boston locals were invited to attend and several dozen did. A group of retired members from Carpenters Local Unions 33, 40, 67 and 218 began meeting  last fall to develop a club for members who had hung up the tools, but not their desire to stay connected to each other and the union.

The group is meeting regularly on the 2nd Monday of the month at the Carpenters Center and hopes to schedule social, educational and union-building activities. The time for the meeting has not been made permanent. For more information or scheduling, contact Richie Trahan at 781-848-9597.

Registration is now open!

Registration is now open for 2013 Spring Semester. All training is provided FREE to UBC members. Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so register early!

To register, log onto the training website NECTF.org by using your UBC number (found on your union card) and your date of birth.

Check out nercc.org/training2013 for more info. 

Learn more about the Unum Building project by clicking here to see it in our online portfolio.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2013 New England Regional Council Scholarship Program. Last year 148 students applied and a total of $50,000 was awarded, including the top prize scholarship of $5,000.

To be considered for an award, a completed application package must be received by 5:00 pm on April 12, 2013.

Please review the Eligibility and Guidelines for the program before completing the application. Applicants will be required to write an essay of between 500 and 1000 words on the following topic:

What impact does “Right to Work” legislation have on labor unions, economic development and the standard of living in a state that adopt the law?

To eliminate bias, the scholarship committee is blind to the identity of the applicant. Essays are numerically coded to prevent any reader from having knowledge of the writer. Winners of the top two prizes will be asked to read their essays at the June 2013 delegate meeting. Persons awarded first or second place in a prior year are ineligible for first or second place in subsequent years.

The following video story about Local 210 Brother Kevin Smith was recently posted in the Meet Our Community section of nercc.org. To see more stories like this, visit the Meet Our Community page. 

First they helped it win approval, now they're helping it become a reality. Union carpenters in Bridgeport are now building the Fairchild Wheeler Multi-Magnet School, a combination of facilities and programs that are bringing excitement and hope to a troubled area. The building will be LEED Gold Certified and offer Aeronautics, Information Technology and Zoological/Ecological programs underwritten by corporate sponsors. The 340,000 square foot building is the largest school project in Connecticut's history and is employing hundreds of local trades workers.

See more of this project and others in NERCC's Project Portfolio.

Misclassification has been a serious problem in the construction industry for years, and something against which the Carpenters union has led the fight locally, regionally and nationally. Union efforts resulted first in greater understanding and awareness among elected officials and now regularly lead to enforcement and publicity on the issue that is either directly a result of union action or an indirect result of efforts initiated by the union.

Two items broke this week that reinforce that point. In Worcester, Telegram and Gazette columnist Clive McFarlane wrote about efforts by NERCC Organizer Manny Gines to chase down employers who cheat by misclassifying workers as independent contractors or cheat them out of their wages.

McFarlane's column ties into an announcement earlier in the week by the Executive Office of Labor in Massachusetts that more they had found more than 2,300 workers misclassified by just three employers. Though the three companies were not involved in the construction industry, the eye-popping $11 million in unreported wages and millions of dollars the state should have received for unemployment insurance payments generated new stories that put the issue in front of the general public.

John Leavitt, the Business Agent for Local 1996 in Portland hit the airwaves this week to promote the union and help a disk jockey fill time as he stays on the air for four consecutive days. The Mark-a-thon is an annual event held by WCYY's Mark Curdo to raise money for the Center for Grieving Children. CYY is one of the radio stations on which NERCC and the New England Carpenters Labor Management Program place ads to promote the union and industry standards. They also carry radio broadcasts of New England Patriots games, on which the union advertises. Leavitt was on air with Mark on Tuesday afternoon at 3pm.

Through a partnership between Wentworth Institute of Technology and the New England Regional Council of Carpenters members can advance your career by earning an Associate of Applied Science in Building Construction Management. Courses are now being offered at the New England Carpenters Training Center in Millbury, MA.

* Classes held at New England Carpenters Training Center in Millbury, MA
* Convenient evening and weekend classes
* All members receive 33% tuition discount
* Graduates of the Apprenticeship Training Program earn 22 credits towards Associate degree
* The balance of 42 credits can be completed in as little as two years

The program begins on January 7, 2013. To complete an online application visit www.WIT.edu/apply.

To speak with an admissions counselor, please contact Ashley Roberts at 617-989-4651 or by emailing Robertsa2@wit.edu.

For more information about oppoturnities available through this unique program, click here. 

News from the US Department of Labor on construction employment was slightly positive in October with the addition of 17,000 jobs in preliminary data. Jobs in the construction industry increased for the fifth consecutive month, reaching 5.53 million. The trend that could continue following rebuilding efforts tied to Hurricane Sandy.

The industry still has a ways to go to reach employment levels enjoyed before the recession. Seasonally-adjusted employment numbers showed more than 7.7 million construction jobs through much of 2006, but then heavy, steady job losses in the industry from October of 2008 through February of 2010s. Since then, employment numbers in the industry have varied month-to-month between 5.45 and 5.56 million jobs.

The Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics' website has an interesting graph and table tracking seasonally adjusted jobs in the construction industry, starting in January 2002.

To all staff and local unions:

Yesterday was a good day for union carpenters across New England. Amazingly, all of the Council’s endorsed candidates won election. Obama swept the six states, including winning swing-state New Hampshire by a larger-than-expected margin. In the critical races -- Warren in Massachusetts, Murphy in Connecticut, Hassan/Kuster/Shea-Porter in New Hampshire, King in Maine, Cicilline in Rhode Island – our picks were all winners!!

There is no doubt in my mind that some of the credit for these outcomes belongs to all of you and our members. We worked as hard as we ever have in an election season. We used all the tools available to us – new and old techniques – to educate and mobilize our members. And they responded. Door knocking, phone banks, rallies, visibilities, robo-dials, tele-Town Halls. We had a good story to tell…and we told it well and often.

But it’s important to keep a clear-eyed perspective on where we stand the morning after Election Day 2012. In many ways, we “held serve”. We helped fend off the right wing Republican assault on the middle class. There should be a clear message to the nation’s anti-union forces that their philosophy is not welcome, that the voters do not buy an agenda that favors the wealthy over working families. Yet we still have a divided Congress; we still have a Republican Party that attacks unions. We have some new articulate champions but we also have some old foes. Paul Ryan is still chair of the House Budget Committee and there are no signs yet that the House leadership is prepared to move forward in terms of solving our country’s problems as opposed to scoring political points.

So, as much as all of us deserve to take a deep breath and feel a justified sense of pride in our efforts, we will need to remain vigilant. The economy will not fix itself; it will require more federal and state action to invest in jobs and people. And it will require our continued involvement. Our members need to work; that’s why we endorsed the candidates who understood that the best social program is a job.

Thank you all for your efforts these past weeks and months. It was worth it. Congratulations.

Mark Erlich
Executive Secretary-Treasurer
New England Regional Council of Carpenters
 

Only two weeks ago, an ad for Elizabeth Warren featured Local 107's Jack Donahue. It was the latest sign that Elizabeth Warren and union carpenters share the same vision for the future of Massachusetts and the United States. This week, Donahue takes a backseat to Brother Richard Brow, another Local 107 carpenter featured in an ad for Elizabeth Warren. In the ad, Brow talks about the importance of creating jobs and how Scott Brown has voted no on multiple jobs bills since arriving in the Senate. Take a look and remember to share with all of your friends and family.
 

The 2012 Carpenters Expo and Apprenticeship Career Day was held on Friday, October 19, at the New England Carpenters Training Center in Millbury, MA.

705 high school students, representing thirty-three schools, toured the facility and learned about the opportunities available to those who pursue a career as a member of the Carpenters Union.
Vendors, retailers and carpenter organizations were on hand with exhibits and informational handouts.

The small group guided tours of the training facility gave students and their instructors the opportunity to see professional union carpenters and apprentices showcasing their skills in the following areas: flooring, interior systems, infection control risk assessment, exterior siding, residential wood framing, scaffold erector certification, cabinet installation, door hardware, finish carpentry, stair layout & framing, concrete formwork, structural insulated panel systems, insulated concrete forms, pile driving and under water welding.

Last night in Hartford, carpenters participated a pre-debate visibility in support of Chris Murphy, the union's endorsed candidate for United States Senate.

A committee of retired members from Boston-area local unions affiliated with the New England Regional Council met today to discuss establishing a retirees group. Preliminary discussions involve inviting retired members to participate in social, educational and union-building activities. Stay tuned for more information on how the group will operate and how retired members can get involved.

More than 50 members, representing ten local union affiliates of the New England Regional Council of Carpenters, gathered in Salem and Pelham, New Hampshire Saturday to knock on some doors. Members canvassed in support of President Barack Obama, Gubernatorial candidate Maggie Hassan and Annie Kuster, Second District candidate for United States House of Representatives. They visited with both union carpenters and members of the general public for several hours.

United States Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren visited the Carpenters Center recently to speak with members about issues of specific interest to union carpenters. She took questions from members and spoke individually with members before and after the event. Thank you to Elizabeth Warren for coming by and thank you to every member who cared enough to come out and get involved.

Weather didn't deter members of Carpenters Local 26 on Massachusetts' north shore. They turned out and stood up for their friend, Congressman John Tierney, who is facing a tough re-election battle.

More than 75 carpenter stewards in Connecticut from Locals 24, 43 and 210 gathered last night to talk about upcoming elections in the state that could have a significant impact both locally and nationally. A United States Senate race between Congressman Chris Murphy and second-time candidate Linda McMahon of the WWE wrestling company is one of a handful of races in the country that could tilt the balance of power in the Senate. Members are also active in other races in the state.

After discussing issues of importance to union carpenters, the conversation turned to getting as many members active as possible. Stewards returned to jobsites today armed with information and schedules. The information is to educate fellow carpenters about the issues and the candidates, the schedules were for events at which members will reach out to even more members. Between now and Election Day on November 6, members will be participating in phone banks to contact registered members and talk to them about the importance of the election to their families, our union, the economy and the construction industry.
Members interested in participating in scheduled activity should contact their Local Union hall for dates and times.

The massive wage and hour violations at the Boston Copley Marriott, which were investigated only after loud and repeated protests by union carpenters joined by other trades workers and union workers has hit the news again. This time reported by HR.BLR.com, a site that reports on business and legal issues pertaining to human resource management.

The article lays out the nearly $1.2 million in violations by numerous contractors hired to renovate rooms at the high-priced downtown Boston hotel, including one that misclassified 28 employees as independent contractors and failed to report more than $410,000 in wages and another that failed to report more than $460,000 in wages to the Department of Unemployment Assistance.