Fall 2020 Council Newsletter |
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Hello Brothers and Sisters!
2020 continues to be a year of surprises and challenges for all of us. This newsletter is meant to give you a full update on Council operations, news, achievements and more since the beginning of the year.
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Of course, COVID-19 continues to disrupt every aspect of our lives. We continue to pivot and adjust in order to keep as many members working as possible and to keep growing our marketshare.
Before we go any further, I want you to know that for members who have experienced hardship as a result of the pandemic, our Relief Fund is available to you. So far, we have distributed thousands of dollars to hundreds of members, and even more applications are in progress. Read more about our COVID effort later in this newsletter.
We also recently completed our Tri-Annual Delegate Conference, and a lot of news and information that came out of that meeting is covered throughout this publication.
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Our Council delegates also attended the first-ever virtual UBC General Convention. I am proud of the representation our delegates provided via committees, interviews, behind-the-scenes planning, and feature photos and videos. Be sure to check out the Convention coverage later in this newsletter.
Membership & Manhours Dip
Understandably, our membership and man hours have taken a hit these last several months. We have about 7000 members, just a little below our numbers from this time last year.
Manhours are also down - 14% for the first 6 months of 2020 compared to the same time span in 2019. Some industries, like our trade show carpenters, are taking a harder hit than others.
But... Our Council is fueled by a strong, dedicated, passionate staff who are working tirelessly to make sure we come out of this challenging season stronger than ever. In fact, their latest successes are creating a healthy pipeline of work that will propel us into an excellent 2021. Read more about these successes throughout this publication.
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We have a new look!
We are proud to reveal the new Central South Carpenters logo, which represents our unified five-state jurisdiction and the wrap-around services our Council provides to every member!
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And as you know, we are all facing the most crucial election season in our nation's history. Check out our political section to get all the facts and information to ensure you are ready to vote!
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Stay positive in these challenging times, because when things do return to normal – and they will – we will come out of this stronger than ever. I promise you that.
Yours in solidarity,
Jason B. Engels, EST
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Growing Our Marketshare Puts Members to Work |
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Our staff continues to fight to win additional projects, such as the University of Texas stadium, a 44-floor building in Austin, the Omni Hotel, Harrah’s and Isle of Capri casinos in Louisiana, the Biloxi casino in Mississippi, and much much more. Here are a few recent wins... |
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Our staff did an outstanding job in signing Tri-State General Contracting Group as a new signatory employer. This partnership will produce multiple opportunities in the near future.
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Solar Work Has a Bright Future... |
Our solar program scored a great victory in Texas for Blattner Energy in a record-setting project. We installed 709,000 panels over 1,300 acres ahead of schedule, with zero issues at startup! This project enabled us to sign another agreement with Blattner for three more projects!
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Our Online Dues Program is Growing!
Attention members of Locals 71, 329, 429, 551, 690, 943, 1836, & 1846: Did you know you can pay your dues online? It's fast and secure!
You can access the online dues system through the Council's mobile app. Don't have the app? Simply go to your mobile device's app store and search "CS Carpenters". It's that easy!
You can also access the online dues system via your Local's website:
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Si Se Puede ATX! Campaign Promotes Growth in Austin... |
In Austin, Texas, the Operation Bat Fury campaign is covering a lot of ground, despite challenges presented by COVID-19 restrictions, to capture work in the interior systems industry. The staff there has logged more 1,500 job site visits, in addition to worker meetings, home visits and phone banking.
We are working every day to help unrepresented drywallers unite and fight with one voice to achieve better wages and working conditions. We continue to welcome new members into Austin Local 1266 as a result of these efforts. One of our key messages in the promise of a career ladder for union carpenters, as shown in this infographic...
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Industrial Council Builds on Momentum from Multiple Wins
Our industrial program is organizing and recruiting heavily in Arkansas as well as successfully representing workers across the Central South's five-state region. Here are a few of the latest highlights...
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Training: The Driving Force Behind ALL Growth |
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Staff at all training centers in our five-county region were put to the test during this pandemic. Not only did they keep members ready for work while also adhering to strict COVID-19 prevention standards; but they also were tasked with getting as many members as possible trained in the new UBC COVID-19 Preparedness Qualification Course.
We are proud to report that journeymen upgrade training INCREASED by 26.21% from January - June 2020 over the same time span of 2019. Also, hundreds more completed the COVID- preparedness training. This allows us to continue staffing jobs and competing for work because our brothers and sisters are trained and ready to go. Well done, everyone!
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Remember that all members must complete the Covid-19 preparedness qualification course either before going to a training center, or immediately upon entering. This qualification is required on a number of job sites, both now and work that is coming. Be ready. Click here.
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Keeping Their Skills Sharp, Safely!
These awesome trade show workers from Carpenters Local Union 551 in Houston, Texas are keeping their training up-to-date at the Pasadena Training Center…and they’re doing it safely with masks and social distancing. Well done and thank you for your diligence, (below, left to right) Chanz Eli-Larry, Neykedrick Holland, Marcus Wilson, Tracy Evans, Derek Salazar, and Instructor, Craig Mitchell!
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Paving the Way in Russellville & Amarillo
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Stay Trained. Stay Employable.
There is no shortcut to being the best carpenter you can be. It all begins with training.
We have the classes, facilities, staff and resources - all supported by the UBC's $250 million annual training program - to help you be the best you can be. And when you're at the top of your game, you are in-demand on the job site.
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Political Report: Protecting Our Jobs at the Polls |
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Union carpenters are the backbone of America, let’s show them our power and Rock the Vote! Get informed and be ready to go on election day - or get your mail-in ballot mailed early. Either way, check out the Carpenters.org/Vote for UBC election coverage or the CSCRC Political page.
Around the Council, Local Unions are busy talking with local candidates and supporting those candidates who support carpenter values. Some examples include:
San Antonio Local 14 endorses Gina Ortiz Jones for U.S. Congress. "Unions strengthen our communities and our economies when they fight for fair wages, safe workplaces, and a level playing field for workers. I'm proud to have the support of carpenters Local 14 in our campaign to fight for hardworking families in South and West Texas," Jones said.
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It's all about briskets and ballots in Houston!
Dozens of members of the Local 551 were treated to an afternoon of member appreciation and the chance to participate in political activism at the same time.
The Local held a member appreciation drive-through BBQ, prize raffle, and voter registration drive recently at the Houston Training Center. Several dozen Local 551 members and officers, Central South Council staff and training department staff joined together to make the day a great success!
Thanks to cooking team members Eric Oquendo, Ernesto Gomez, Juan Navarro, and Kenneth Fontenot and the drive-thru/registration/raffle team members Maria Robles, Roshaundra Sandles, Terry Spears and Rosslyn Gibson! Check out these photos...
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Tax Fraud: Let's Stop It & Protect Our Work! |
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Our fight to end tax fraud from cheating contractors continues, and we've made some good progress.
The UBC is leading the charge on fighting tax fraud all over the country. Take a look at this comprehensive report the UBC released recently.
What is Tax Fraud?
Tax Fraud is a terrible epidemic in the construction industry. A growing number of construction contractors are tax cheats. They pay their employees off the books or wrongly classify them as independent contractors. Many use labor brokers to get away with it. We see it on job sites every single day. This not only steals work from union members, but it harms the local tax base because of lost tax revenue. Go to StopTaxFraud.net and learn about this issue and ways you can get involved. This isn't something that's happening to "the other guy." It is happening to you, and you may not even know it. We will fight for you, but we will fight even stronger if you join us.
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UBC 42nd General Convention Paves the Way for Membership & Marketshare Growth |
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Central South Carpenters Regional Council delegates became a part of history on August 22, 2020 by attending the first virtual UBC general convention. Because of COVID-19, the UBC 42nd General Convention took place in a virtual format.
The challenges that a virtual convention holds did not stop our delegation from attending via Convention headquarters in New Orleans.
The highlight of the event was the re-election of the Doug McCarron team for five more years of leading the brotherhood. Part of that team whom we are proud to congratulate is our own UBC Southern District Vice President, Dennis Donahou.
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New Orleans was one of 29 satellite locations of the UBC 42nd General Convention. |
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The Douglas McCarron team was elected by delegates to serve for five more years! |
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More Convention Coverage... |
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Members: The Heartbeat of our Union |
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Whether it's protecting members from a deadly virus or supporting them as they progress along their career path, the Central South Carpenters is and will alway be focused on serving the members as a top priority. |
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Navigating Through COVID-19 |
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Our membership is living through an historic time with the global pandemic surrounding COVID-19. From the start, the CSCRC has focused efforts on helping the membership... |
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On the Central South Carpenters website (CentralSouthCarpenters.org), we operate a Coronavirus Resource Center, accessible right on the top of our home page. The Center offers information about the relief opportunities and carries the latest updates on items that can help you navigate through this crisis. Some resources you will find are outlined, below:
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We are sad to report that we've lost several members to the coronavirus. Your health is our top priority, so please follow any guideline you are asked to observe.
Now more than ever we must show our true union carpenter grit by staying safe and productive in the midst of the various restrictions, rules, and guidelines we are asking you to work under. Thank you for your diligence.
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The Fund offers monetary relief for CSCRC members in good standing who meet requirements (must have lost employment or verifiable employment opportunities due to COVID-19).
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Members can also apply for a one-time withdraw from their retirement fund, without penalty, if he or she has been affected by COVID-19. If eligible, you can withdraw up to $10,000 from your account.
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The health fund and hour banks are also making it easier to keep your coverage if you have been affected by the coronavirus. The Fund will add hours to a participant’s Hour Bank if a participant has less than a full hour bank. He or she will be credited the number of hours that qualifies him or her for a full month of coverage
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Relief Fund Results as of August 5, 2020
$10,500 awarded
358 applications
210 applications approved
39 denied
109 active applications
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Bringing Out the Best in Each Other
Our members have really stepped-up to take care of one another during this crisis. Both our carpenter and industrial locals have gone above and beyond to help members and neighbors get food, masks, and other forms of relief. Here are a few samples. Well done, everyone!
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Local 1751's Olivia Ramirez works at Commemorative Brands in Austin, Texas. She is a 66-year old cancer survivor. Olivia was laid off when Austin’s Stay at Home order started, but soon was asked to come back to work. Despite being high risk (age and other health issues) she returned to work. She could have insisted on staying at home and continued getting unemployment. But Olivia saw it differently. She enjoys what she does and felt a greater need to keep her employer productive. She later reported that everything at the shop is set up safely, including barriers to separate people, hand washing stations, and staggered breaks. Thank you, Olivia!
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Carpenters & PCI Give High School Seniors a Proper Graduation Celebration
It was a great day to be a high school senior in East Baton Rouge, Louisiana recently, when the Central South Carpenters and Performance Contracting, Inc. helped make a special memory for them. More than 60 high school seniors from across the region walked across an outdoor stage built by Central South Carpenters for a tailgate-style graduation ceremony held by the Louisiana Leadership Institute and featuring LUS football coach Ed Orgeron. Learn more.
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Staying Safe. Mask-Up CSCRC! |
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Brother's (and Sister's) Keeper |
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Local 551 members again stepped up to help the community by providing the manpower for the annual “Beat the Heat Relief Initiative.”
U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee coordinates this program. This year marks the 20th annual Initiative, held this on August 21 in Houston. The program gets air conditioning units installed for families seeking relief from extreme heat.
Many thanks to Local 551 members D. Mario Shields, Tracy Evans, Derek Salazar, and Craig Mitchell for doing such a great job. They are shown in the photo, (left to right), with the Congresswoman in front and her aide on the far right.
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Arkansas Senior Citizens Benefit from SIB Project
Industrial Local 2346 in Leola, Arkansas made one local dad pretty happy when he won the Local’s Sisters in the Brotherhood Father’s Day raffle! Proceeds from the raffle went to create food boxes for senior citizens in Carthage, Arkansas, located just outside of Leola. Central South's Sisters in the Brotherhood's Samantha Bevill and Deborah Mitchell organized the boxes for delivery, then delivered them to many grateful recipients. Well done, sisters!
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Local 429 Members Lend a Helping Hand in Mansfield, Texas
Big shout-out to Local 429 apprentices (pictured, bottom right) Juan Martinez, Alex Rodriguez, and Ramon Garcia; and (pictured top right) Jason Woods, Zeke Holbert, and Cody Dean. Under the leadership of instructor Will McFarlin, the group helped low-income families in Mansfield, TX by building and installing staircases with a porch and storage shed as part of their training.
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Carpenters Come to the Aid of the Nation's Oldest WWII Veteran
In the heart of New Orleans lives a war hero. Lawrence Brooks, the nation’s oldest known American World War II veteran, celebrated his 111th birthday recently. But when Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards called to wish him a happy birthday, he learned that Mr. Brooks had a leaky roof.
Governor Edwards knew just where to turn. He asked the Central South Carpenters to assess the damage and repair Mr. Brooks’ roof, so that it was done correctly and safely. “Helping this American hero is a great honor for the Central South Carpenters and we pledge to give Mr. Brooks the outstanding workmanship on his roof that he so deserves,” said Central South’s EST Jason Engels.
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The effort was coordinated by Council Representative Shawn Walker and Political Director Gary Warren. The project also attracted a lot of media attention! Here are just a couple examples:
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Welcome New Staff! We have strengthened our staff to continue our mission of outstanding member services and growing marketshare. They are:
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Delegates Keep Council Business Moving Forward
The foundation of our Council is our Council delegates. Take a look at who they are and, be sure to thank them when you see them around your Local Union.
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New Member Leaders Emerge
Open only to those who are already journeymen leaders, this training focuses on constructing and building UBC relationships on the job site. Participants learn business finance cause and effect, emotional intelligence for UBC Leaders, adult learning principles, and how to manage healthy conflict.
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71: Dennis McComb
329: Travis Finney, Edward Herrera, Reginald New Jr., Gilberto Sosa
429: David Acero
551: Ernesto Gomez, Sr., Roberto Prado
665: Johnny Forehand
724: Moises Osti, Ngoc Phan
1098: Ray Hoover
1266: Sean Ballow, Daniel Carranza Solis, Alfred Rittenhouse, John Van Daley
1836: William Conley
1846: Karen Costello, Bobby Green, Lizandro Marinez, Jr.
2086: Marcus McLaurin, Angelo Shelby
2345: Johnny Shine
3094: Shanta Prude
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Job Well Done, Ronnie!
A big congratulations to Ronnie Storks, a member of Industrial Local 2285, who just retired after 22 years. Ronnie worked at Batesville Casket Company in Vicksburg, MS. He was a great leader at the Local, serving as president, and was an active participant in our organizing campaigns. Great job, Ronnie! You will be missed!
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Our brothers and sisters lost in 2020 will always be remembered and honored. They are (years of service in parenthesis):
Local 14 - Stephen Richardson (17); Local 71 - Charles Brown (37); Local 329 - Travis Eaton (1), Neil Murray (69); Local 551 - Claud Burnett (44), Paul Henroid (60), Kato Mitchell (51), Gabriel Prejean (58), Riley Wade (64), Herman Weigelt (74), Richard Yarbrough (69); Local 665 - David Barrington (37), John Crow (2), Jarred Phillips (15), Danny Shelpman (63), Ray Smith (66), Jeremy Wood (6 months); Local 943 - Charles Crisp (33), Hipolito Perez (37); Local 1098 - Roy Broussard (71), Tollie Coates (67), Harold Foreman (69), James Freeman (68), Hollis Gill (60), Joseph Lacombe (56); Local 1266 - Charles Johnson (1), Robert Stolle (46), Henry Vojtek (73); Local 1846 - Rayford Calamari, Sr. (51), Henry Firmin (4), Brian Hoffmann (39), Nathan McMorris (41), Michael Murphy (35), Samuel Stiltner (1), Charles Windham (61)
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Did you know there is a FOR MEMBERS section on our website dedicated to help brothers and sisters, or their families, get the resources he or she needs quickly? Know where to go - use the For Members section often for info on...
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Sometimes life’s circumstances seem extremely overwhelming. There is help for you. Don’t try to “fix it” on your own. We tell our contractors to turn to the professionals for their carpentry needs, right? Likewise, turn to a professional to help you through this. Your life is worth it. Learn More. Click here.
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Know Where to Get Answers |
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If you have a question about COVID-19 and how it affects your work, we want to hear from you. We now operate a virtual "Ask-the-Council" program, where you can simply text your question and we will get an answer to you as soon as possible.
Text the word QUESTION to 844-682-7272 (844-68-CSCRC) to get started. Don't want to text? You can always reply to this email with your question. But if you do, include your Name and Local Number so we can route you to the proper person to help you.
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Know How to Stay in the Loop |
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Follow us on social media |
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Download our mobile app! Simply go to your mobile device's app store and search "CS Carpenters". |
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Member news (volunteering, features, etc.)
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