EST Report: Building off of a Successful 2018
2018 was a successful year in the Central South Council. We increased membership. Our member working hours are on the rise. We bolstered our staff. We added another state to our jurisdiction. And through it all, the members remained the heartbeat of that success and I thank each and every one of you for your hard work!

2019 is already off to an accelerated start. Expanding work opportunities are prevalent across our five-state Council. We also opened a new office in Mississippi!

While Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Oklahoma are incredibly busy, the potential for outstanding market share and membership growth is on display in Texas.
Austin is at the hub of intense recognition from the nonunion sector regarding the benefits of becoming a Central South Carpenter. Here's a recap from our latest meeting. We are also taking our message directly to the interior systems sector through an aggressive Yes We Can ATX! campaign. You will be hearing more about this in the weeks and months to come.

In Dallas-Fort Worth, a series of worker meetings is attracting many trade show carpenters to help prepare for contract negotiations with Freeman Fabrications. Learn more about that, here.

In Houston and Arlington, our healthcare construction (ICRA) program is in front of healthcare facility decision-makers via training center tours, meetings, and Construction ICRA awareness courses for hundreds of healthcare professionals in these two areas. To help get that message across, we developed a dedicated website: CSCarpentersICRA.org. Check it out!

Our mission for 2019 is to not just meet, but surpass the outstanding progress our Council achieved in 2018. Again, thanks to the hard work and dedication of every member of the CSCRC, I am confident we will achieve this goal.

Yours in Solidarity,
Jason B. Engels, CSCRC EST
From expanding staff and gaining new work for our members, to welcoming in our Mississippi brothers and sisters, we are proud of the accomplishments achieved in 2018. Here's a quick year in review we put together for you.
LOOKING OUT FOR OUR MEMBERS' FUTURE
Pension Strategy Gets International Attention
The international money management magazine,  Pensions & Investments , recently ran a story that featured a strategy established by the New Orleans Carpenters Pension Plan, concerning variable benefits. The Fund's chairman, Central South Carpenters' EST Jason Engels, is quoted in the article. Check it out.
THIS IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT
Servicing our employers is a top priority at CSCRC. Here's just one excerpt from a letter EST Engels received about our efforts from Local 1266 and our Texas Training program...

"While I was speaking to Sean (Forkner), I took the time to express to him our appreciation for the work he does on behalf of 1266 and its contractor partners. I dare to say, he may be the most competent Business Rep we have worked with in 33 years since I signed our first contract the day I opened business. We can trust his word, appreciate his straight forward, direct, and respectful and reasonable manner of communication, and the work he and his crew have done to assist us, obviously without jeopardizing the Union’s influence and strength and standing in the community in which we cooperate together to provide outstanding service.

I told him that I had spoken with Paul (Jones, Texas Training Director) few months ago to praise him for the manner in which he runs the training programs and how his management has benefitted the quality of the members we employ. I have worked with Paul in various aspects for over 30 years and have always found him to be a professional, knowledgeable, and competent person to work with. I have appreciated his strong willingness to set up training we request, including cleanroom work and protocol.

Also, Brenda (Munoz) is one of the most helpful administrative managers our staff has had the pleasure to work with anywhere. There are lots of good (and lousy) ones at client and supplier businesses, for sure, but none of them are better. Our Administrative Manager, Asst. Controller, and Field Operations speak with her regularly, each assisting the other with all kinds of matters. She maintains an excellent relationship with Craftcorps, and is dependable, quick to respond to our needs, and a wonderfully cordial businesswoman.

I don't know other 1266 staff as well as I do these three, having only met them infrequently, but I have no doubt they also make considerable beneficial contributions to the success of our partners at the union.

Thanks for doing such an outstanding job of managing the locals.

Best regards,
Sam Griswold, President   
CRAFTCORPS,  Inc.
Specialized Facility Services
3401 Manor Rd Austin, TX 78731
CENTRAL SOUTH POLITICAL REPORT
Taking a Stand for Our Brothers & Sisters in Texas
Central South members and staff rallied with other labor-protective groups to create a strong presence at the Texas Workforce Commission recently to protect the rights of middle-class workers. Read more about this.

Get Involved! Our CSCRC political program is always working to better our position in the halls of legislation. Visit our political page to learn more .
MEMBERS ON THE MOVE
Congratulations to these three outstanding members who were recently added to the CSCRC staff. Learn more about them here.
SISTERS IN THE BROTHERHOOD
TRAINING REPORT
The staff at the Tulsa Training Center helped members go the extra mile to hone their floorcovering skills. Take a look.

The Austin Training Center hosted a three-week skill information course for area youth interested in starting an apprenticeship program in the construction industry. Here's the full article and a photo album.

Our training centers are busy! Here's a snapshot of how things looked at the end of 2018...
JOBSITE LEADERS
We place a top priority on developing the total professional: Carpenters who are not only technical experts in their craft, but who also demonstrate effective communication and leadership qualities.

REMEMBERING OUR FALLEN
We remember all of our brothers and sisters who have passed in 2018.
AROUND THE COUNCIL
Local 551 Member Gives Life-Saving Aid
Gregory Allen is that guy who never hesitates. His heroic efforts on the job site caught the attention of the UBC's Carpenter magazine (below) and the praise of EST Engels at the last Council meeting. Well done, Gregory!
That's a LOT of Minutes!
Local 1266 member Robert Stolle (right) is pretty used to hearing "...did you get that?" He just put in 28 years of recording secretary services.
San Antonio Local 14 Celebrates Long-time & New Members
Welcome New Delegates!
The CSCRC is proud to welcome Gary Perkins and James Thomason as alternate delegates to Local 1098!


MEMBERSHIP GROWTH
We welcomed more than 1,000 men and women as active new members of our Council in 2018! This chart shows how our membership is distributed among our Locals. To see our full list of 2018 new members, click here.
HELP US BUILD OUR RANKS!
Members are the heartbeat of our Council. Only in strength and numbers will we continue to protect our careers and our families.

 YOU CAN HELP.
Share these videos.

• Load the movies onto your phone, tablet, or laptop, so that you have them handy to show an interested candidate

• Add the link to any or all movies to your email signature

• Play the movies at a local union meeting and show membership where the movies can be accessed

• Offer incentives to membership –and their families - for posting movies on social media

• Add the videos to local union web sites

• Add the videos to your local union social media pages

• Play the videos at trade shows, job fairs or other events

• Load them onto flash drives and distribute them as much as possible

Learn more about our recruitment efforts. Visit...
Top: For nonunion carpenters.
Mid: For new carpenters,
Bottom: For military vets
ARE YOU IN THE LOOP?
There are multiple ways to stay informed about Council news and information. Make sure you're opted-in...
We Want to See You!
We want to see our awesome members in action, just like this pic in Arlington of Local 429 members at the GM plant (left), or these pics of an Oklahoma City job site where Local 329 members are getting it done (below). As you can see, above, we're all over social media. Post your job site, meeting and/or community service pics and get the attention you & your co-workers deserve!