Caucus reports delivered by chairmen representing each sector of the tripartite alliance detailed opportunities for improvement, but also praised successes.

John Burnett, Turnaround Manager, Chevron, kicked off the reports delivering the owners caucus report. He noted several areas of importance to improve safety: hands-free standard for bolting, rigging training specific to the type of work to be performed, drug testing policies and concerns about opioid use, ongoing focus on significant injuries and fatalities, and attention to detail in permitting.

The owners caucus also identified staffing and productivity, quality and access requirements as topics to address.

“We need more up-front discussions about manpower availability and experience, especially at the local level,” Burnett said. “We need more transparency on per diem to obtain quality craftsmen. And contractors should continue to raise the level of expectations. It’s something the owners are passionate about.”

Owners had a frank discussion about quality, manpower, availability and experience. Burnett stressed the need for transparency in communicating needs among the owners, contractors and Boilermakers to ensure the best quality of work is produced.

“This is what we need in order to provide a skilled workforce, and especially skilled in this type of work,” he said. One owner reported a recent weld reject rate as low as 1.6%.

He noted that owners were excited to learn that the Boilermakers would bring in workers as journeymen if they were qualified, stressing that apprentices will be crucial for the future “and crucial for our success.”

Burnett said International President Simmons told them that if people were qualified, the union wants to bring them over and give them journeyman rates, because it’s the best thing for the owners, contractors and Boilermakers.

“We were happy to hear that,” Burnett said. 

Reporting for the contractors caucus was chairman Mike Bray, Senior Executive Consultant for Riggs Distler and Company, Inc.

The contractors caucus homed in on the need to understand referral rules, the need for open solicitation and, in order to man smaller work projects, the need for selectivity. Bray said contractors also want to better understand the M.O.R.E. Work Investment Fund—what’s available to help win work and how to go about utilizing the M.O.R.E. Work program.

He said nonunion competition continues to be a threat, and it’s important to show that “Boilermakers are the best of the best.” He went on to praise the union’s boot camp program, which is turning out top quality welders at 95-96% pass rate.

Training was also tops on their list, and Bray called for more or updated training for required confined space training (some jobsites are not accepting MOST programs’ certification), advanced training on robotics, use and care of cordless tooling, and torquing and tension training. Also, he said, training is needed in new technology.

“With new technology, we really have to train our people to get involved, to get into the scheduling and costing aspects of the business so that we can use Boilermakers on these jobs,” Bray said.

Jurisdiction issues and reciprocity with Ironworkers and UA members rounded out the contractors caucus topics.

Anthony Howell, AAIP and Executive Director-Construction Sector Operations, represented the labor caucus as chairman.

Dovetailing with earlier reports, he began with the issue of cost of travel and expenses Boilermakers incur to man projects, and he explained that being able to use per diem to offset those costs could make a big impact on recruiting.

“It’s the first question they ask before they know anything else about us or the job: What’s the per diem?” he said.

And, he said, the caucus also identified a need for better communication about the M.O.R.E. Work Investment Fund resources.

“We need to do a better job communicating with owners and contractors, and they need to do a better job communicating with us,” Howell said, noting that if the Boilermakers are informed earlier that there’s a need for the M.O.R.E. Work program, such as in the bidding stage of a project, the union can respond better and better help the bid to be successful.

Other topics brought forth by the labor caucus included Common Arc and jurisdiction. Howell said the Boilermakers would like to get more contractors at testing sites. Fewer contractors mean testers get fewer welding certificates; and, he pointed out, having better contractor attendance also benefits contractors. Regarding jurisdiction, he said the Boilermakers want to see better discussion ahead of work being assigned—such as working out any “gray areas” that might cause issues later.

He ended his remarks reporting on praise from owners.

“I spoke with some of the owners yesterday, and they told me how they appreciate how hard Boilermaker business managers and reps worked to respond to their needs,” he said.

Also, addressing comments on reciprocity, IVP-Northeast John Fultz informed attendees that the easiest way to administer reciprocity is to contact the Boilermakers National Funds to handle it.

“That’s the simplest way to make sure everything is correct,” he said. “We’ve got it down pat, so please reach out and we will have it done for you.”

Additionally, all three tripartite sectors acknowledged that spreading out work and planning, whenever possible, is a benefit to all parties, because it helps labor better recruit and prepare workers.

“Anything that can be done to spread out work is good,” Bray said. “Those who are doing that are getting better manpower fulfillment.”