Insulators Local 50 seek new members due to Columbus construction boom

Business Manager for Insulators Local 50 in Central Ohio, Dan Poteet, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss his union needs for new members to handle the construction boom in the Columbus area. Poteet also discussed Local 50’s current efforts and how providing for members during upcoming contract negotiations will improve the organizing efforts.

Columbus is experiencing a construction boom, and unions are struggling to find the needed manpower. Through their growing apprenticeship program and ongoing organizing efforts focused on non-union mechanical insulators, Poteet is facing the challenge head-on. Before the boom, Local 50 was home to about 180 members and is now at 220, and projected to reach 250 by the end of 2024. With the upcoming increase in work, Poteet believes the Local could reach over 300 members in the next couple years.

With several new project announcements, Poteet believes more than 10 years' worth of consistent work will come to the Columbus area. Along with a targeted marketing campaign focused on non-union shops, talked about the assistance received from the International during a recent recruiting blitz. Poteet thanked the International for all their assistance in recruiting and believed with their continued support, Local 50 will reach all of their manpower needs.

Increasing the ability to improve living standards for current and future members is one of the goals for Poteet during upcoming contract negotiations. To assist with these goals, Poteet and Local 50’s President Eric Parsley recently returned from a negotiation training course put on by Insulators International. He also discussed the importance of improving their benefits package to assist with the needs of their growing female membership. Providing better benefits is only a small part of the efforts being made to provide an opportunity to lift workers in the region into the middle class, Poteet said. 

Learn more about Inulators Local 50 and mechanical insulation by clicking here.