Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust Executive Director Pete Ielmini made his monthly appearance on the America’s Work Force Union Podcast from Orlando, Fla., where he was attending the Insulator Union’s annual training conference and Master Apprentice Competition.
Ielmini said apprentice training coordinators and instructors gather every year to improve their training methods in the U.S. and Canada.
Ielmini briefly touched on the new technology the Insulators JATC programs are using and how it has helped the union.
Canvas, the digital learning management system used by the training division and LMCT allows instructors to share information between different apprenticeship programs with the push of a button.
“Whether it be the Insulators or any of the building trades, the apprenticeship programs are the backbone of all our great unions and trades,” Ielmini said. “We’re always preparing the next generation to be bigger, faster and stronger.”
He added that people sometimes criticize the building trades for the amount of money they make, but when a client wants a job done right and on budget, they know where to turn.
“Our apprenticeship programs make sure that the clients that employ us are getting the best and most economical workforce that money can buy,” Ielmini said.
AWF host Ed “Flash” Ferenc changed the topic and asked Ielmini about the status of the Federal Mechanical Insulation Act.
The FMIA was proposed to advance federal energy efficiencies, save tax dollars and reduce energy loss and emissions for approximately 350,000 federal buildings in the U.S.
Ielmini told Ferenc that the day before the interview, the bill received six more congressional co-sponsors, bringing the total to over 60.
Original sponsor Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas) wanted the bill to collect at least 60 co-sponsors before it is presented for a vote.
Ielmini hopes that once Congressman Weber introduces the bill to his subcommittee, it will be quickly approved and eventually passed by the entire House.
“We’re excited about that and we’re about to release the Senate Companion Bill,” Ielmini said. “We now have a Republican and a Democrat sponsor.”
He hopes the bill will pass, and a law will soon require mechanical insulation to be evaluated in every federal building every four years.
“I feel like that will put a lot of our members to work and put a lot of people that aren’t even members yet to work as well,” Ielmini said. “We want people to get trained in our apprenticeship program and be able to make a nice living with mechanical insulation.”
Ielmini wrapped up the interview by discussing IMAP, the union’s mental health initiative, and the Jobsite Leadership and Marketing Program held in conjunction with the HFIAW.
The purpose of the leadership program is to raise the awareness of foremen in the industry by making their presence known on the jobsite and presenting themselves in the proper manner.
Ielmini explained that many people do not understand what mechanical insulation is and as experts are in the field, project foreman can bring attention to the people who have the power to make a difference.
“I am a firm believer that every job that we go on is an opportunity to get another one,” he said.
Ielmini then told Ferenc about the Insulator Member Assistance Program and the importance of having a clear mind while working on the jobsite.
“Workers must go to the jobsite drug- and alcohol-free because we want people on the jobsite that are thinking clearly and soundly because what we do is very dangerous,” Ielmini said.
He touched on other mental health issues as well as financial and family issues that can cause workers to think about these problems when they are on the jobsite. IMAP addresses that and offers resources like phone numbers, websites and numbers to text for members, their spouses and children when they need help.
“I am very proud our persistence is making us one of the leaders within the trades and unions,” Ielmini said.
Listen to the full interview: