Through the Industry Partner E-News, we hope to keep our current and prospective industry partners up to date on developments in our organization and in the labor industry in general, and on ways we can work together to meet mutual goals.

The 35,000-square foot center in Russellville, Arkansas, held its first class June 6 and is three times the size of the previous training center. It includes a computer lab for nuclear-power-plant NANTeL training and for jobsite-specific member orientations. The hands-on training area in the shop is approximately 20,000 square feet. This expanded space made it possible to add four welding booths, for a total of eight, along with new training props. Read more about the center in an article by Training Director Bryan Spradley.

The center address is 340 North Shamrock Boulevard, Russellville, Arkansas, 72802. To schedule a tour, contact Spradley at bspradley@aokcat.org or call the office at 479-967-4240.

Construction of a 25,000-square-foot training center in La Vergne, Tennessee, is slated for completion by the end of 2022. Training will target skills needed on jobsites in the middle and western regions of the state. Training equipment at the center will include two robot/automation stations to be used for automotive-plant training, a conveyor area for training on floor conveyor and power and free monorail systems, and eight Clean Air welding booths. This center also will include a NANTeL computer lab. Read more in an article by Training Director Rickey Moore.

Learn more about the Nashville center and keep up with its construction here. A 24/7 camera feed of the site is also available.

Military veterans have many hard and soft skills that make them great millwrights. They have demonstrated a strong work ethic and the ability to think critically and perform under pressure. They also have developed skills in the areas of project planning, team building, and motivating others to accomplish organizational goals.

In the South, we have two training centers that are part of the Military Veterans Program run by our parent organization, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. In 2022, 56 transitioning service members have graduated from the millwright program or are in class at Fort Hood in Texas and 17 have graduated from the millwright program or are in class at the Clarksville, Tennessee, center near Fort Campbell. To learn more and find out how to hire our MVP graduates, click here.

The Western Region of the SSMRC has doubled our work hours in the light-conveyor distribution market. We also have re-captured work at several power-generation facilities, expanded into new facilities, and continued our outreach and recruitment efforts by partnering with vocational programs across the four-state footprint. Our training programs and business representatives are ensuring we optimize our apprentices’ availability for work and produce journey-level graduates as quickly as possible. Read more.

2022 has proven to be a challenging and prosperous year for our members and contractors alike. Labor demands have increased throughout the year, and new work opportunities have presented themselves across the region. With the new projects and labor demands heading our way, the Central Region has been in full recruitment mode. Within the region, we have been involved with workforce development as partners with numerous organizations. Read more.

Work in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida has picked up significantly across all industries. I can assure you that our team is working diligently to ensure your jobs are manned with highly skilled millwrights. We ask for your help in setting these jobs up for success by coordinating with our team as soon as possible. We also ask for your assistance with recruiting. Read more.

The collaborative efforts and team mentality between the Southern States Millwright Regional Council Nuclear Office and partnering contractors has yielded yet another successful nuclear-outage season.

During the Fall 2022 season, there was heavy millwright demand throughout the SSMRC jurisdiction. For seven nuclear outages (nine projects total), we received requests for 373 millwrights, and we filled those requests with 360 union members, some of whom worked multiple outages. Established, streamlined communication and coordination systems and the dedication of our SSMRC nuclear millwrights and other millwrights from across the country led to a successful fall season.

HYDROVISION International and Clarion Events will be granting up to $100,000 to causes that reinforce the health and success of the hydropower industry. Companies, nonprofits, other organizations, and individuals with initiatives that benefit the hydropower industry can apply for grants from the newly launched HYDROVISION Industry Fund. The deadline is Jan. 31. "This fund will go to worthy causes with missions including but not limited to modernization, a sustainable industry workforce, environmental protection, new developments, and security," a HYDROVISION statement reads. Apply here.

The Manufacturing Institute is challenging companies within the industry to increase the number of women in their workforce 10% by 2030. In announcing the challenge, the Institute noted that the manufacturing industry is facing more than 800,000 open jobs per month and women account for less than one-third of manufacturing industry employees despite representing almost half of all workers. "Our biggest talent opportunity comes from closing the gender gap in manufacturing," the Institute stated. The 35x30 campaign, launched in March, focuses on increasing the percentage of women in manufacturing from 29% to 35% by 2030. Learn more about the campaign and how your company could get involved here.

Sign up for upcoming Manufacturing Institute diversity virtual events here and here.

Resources are available to share the new national suicide and crisis hotline with your employees. The 988 Lifeline went live in July and connects people in need to mental health professionals free of charge.

Construction workers are SIX TIMES more likely to die by suicide than in a workplace accident, and millwrights have the second HIGHEST suicide rate of all construction trades. You can download and order Lifeline cards, brochures, and other materials here and share Lifeline posts on social media.

OSHA has updated its Injury Tracking Application through which employers are required to report injuries and illnesses for each calendar year by March 2 of the following year. All current and new account holders must connect their ITA account to a Login.gov account with the same email address in order to submit their 2022 data. Watch a video explaining how to create or log into an account and find answers to other FAQs here.

You can sign up for a UBC Millwright Safety account and input your safety data quarterly - a process that takes most contractors about five minutes. Then you'll see info-graphics showing your company's injury types, incidence rate, time of day injuries occur, rates of first aid being rendered and employees not being fit for duty, incidents by region, and work hours compared to an average of stats for all other UBC contractors using the system. We share the overall numbers with our training departments so that if they see a trend, they can modify training to address it.

OSHA's Safety Pays program similarly allows contractors to input data and see how their stats stack up against peers in the same industry. The program also can help you estimate the immediate and long-term financial impact that worker injuries have in lost profits and increased workers' compensation insurance premiums.

Click the button below to learn more about the Safety Pays program.