Executive Director for the Heat and Frost Insulators Labor Management Cooperation Trust, Pete Ielmini, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the Federal Mechanical Insulation Act. Ielmini also talked about the ways the LMCT is educating Congress and the work they are doing to bring mental health and suicide prevention awareness and assistance to members of the Insulators Union.
The Federal Mechanical Insulation Act has Ielmini knee-deep in the world of legislation in an effort to get the bill passed. If passed, the bill would require an evaluation of the mechanical insulation in all federal buildings every four years, and it would save millions of dollars, Ielmini said. The bill has bipartisan support, being co-authored by a Democrat and Republican Representative. As Ielmini looks for more support in the House and Senate, many members of Congress are being educated on mechanical insulation.
The bill currently has 10 co-signers, but there’s no minimum requirement. The more supporters of the bill, the better. To further educate members of Congress, the LMCT is hosting a webinar to share the process of a mechanical insulation audit and the savings the government can expect. Addressing the numbers and science behind mechanical insulation is the process required to get the votes needed, Ielmini said.
Transitioning to the work the LMCT and Insulators are working on for mental health and suicide awareness, and Ielmini’s use of a poker chip. On one side of the chip has contact information for resources, and the other has the 988 helpline. At events, Ielmini passes two chips out to each person, one for them and one for someone else. The Insulators also have a program for all members to contact that is 100 percent confidential and helps members get the assistance they need at any time.
To hear more from Ielmini, please listen to the entire show above.
America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.
America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, American Alliance for Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North America, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Survey and Ballot Systems, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.
