Union seeks to move offices to Jackson
JACKSON TWP — The Steamfitters Technology Center already is a bastion on Wise Road, with 70,000 square feet of trades training space.
Now, Steamfitters Local 449 looks to construct a union hall and move its business offices from Pittsburgh to Jackson.
Ken Broadbent, the local's business manager, said Steamfitters hopes to take advantage of the Jackson Township location, which is central to its 15-county area.
“From Erie, you can get here in an hour and 20 minutes. From the West Virginia border, probably an hour. From Pittsburgh, 30 minutes,” Broadbent said. “That's why we moved to this location; it's centrally located.”
Broadbent added he believes there's going to be a greater need in the near future for workers to complete the tasks of Steamfitters. This work includes process piping, refrigeration, air conditioning, medical gas and heating, ventilation and air conditioning, among many others.“The temperature's going up. Air conditioning, when I was younger, wasn't in cars or in houses. Now, people need air conditioning as much as they need heating,” he said. “Look out west, when the temperatures are 112, 115 degrees. You've got to stay indoors and do stuff early and use air conditioners, so people that can do heating and air conditioning, refrigeration, there's going to be a shortage of them and you're going to need more and more people to do it.”
The technology center contains a large amount of floor space dedicated to helping apprentices and journeymen learn hands-on.Apprenticeships, Broadbent said, are five-year programs, and apprentices make roughly $17 to $18 an hour when they begin. The training facility is intended to help them learn the skills necessary to succeed in their jobs.These skills, according to the local, include pipe fabrication and welding, medical gas systems, HVAC and computer-aided drafting.Broadbent said the specific skills Steamfitters need to learn have changed over time. But, he added, the training facility is state-of-the-art and evolves along with contractors' needs.“The world is constantly changing and you adapt to the changes, so that you can stay up with the needs of the contractors,” he said.For instance, plastic fusion on welding is much more common now than it was in the past, Broadbent said. Now, gas lines of “any size are put in plastic fusion.”
The apprenticeship program, Broadbent said, is a relatively popular way for those interested to find a role with the local.To get into the program, interested workers must apply to the Steamfitters, and must take a written examination.“We average about 450 per year who take our test, and we take in about 60 or 70 people,” Broadbent said.There are certain qualifications the local looks for in applicants. But, Broadbent said, the biggest is the ability and drive to work and learn.
“I need a kid that worked on dirt bikes or worked in the cold or the heat, and maybe isn't first in his class, but most of us are average intelligence,” he said. “It's the people that are determined and motivated that make money for contractors. The people that are determined and motivated are the ones that are successful in life. It's not brains. It's motivation and determination.”That's because, he added, the motivated workers are the ones who benefit not only themselves, but also their employers.“Most everything we do is common sense, but everybody isn't motivated the same. People that are motivated make money for contractors,” he said. “If a contractor bids a job and makes money, now he bids another one, now he bids another. He's employing our people.”People who want to give themselves an edge also can try learning to weld at the training center prior to applying, with programs held specifically for those looking to enter the local during some weeknights.“If somebody shows motivation, comes up here and welds at night for 120 hours, and somebody else comes up and welds 20 hours, who's more motivated?” he asked.
In addition to the massive training facility, the local is constructing an adjacent building for some business offices and a union hall. It's part of the local's desire for a central location, and it's part of the Steamfitters' goal of giving back to the community.“We are not a burden to the community, to the county, to the city, state or federal government because we're self-funding,” he said. “We're paying taxes from day one, supplying people with health coverage and retirement vehicles.”
It's not just in the vague economic sense of giving back — that is, Broadbent's example of providing people with high-paying jobs, who in turn pay taxes to all levels of government. In addition, Broadbent said, the building is open for anyone, regardless of political affiliation.“Any community group that inquires about our facility, we've offered them to use the school here to have meetings,” he said. “The reason being, when somebody comes to your area — and there was corn on this lot when I looked at it, now there's two big buildings — we want to blend in and be an asset to the community, to where they appreciate us being here, not that they would be against us being here.”
