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Executive Director of the Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, Pete Ielmini, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and spoke about the Federal Mechaincal Insulation Act, President Joe Biden announcing he will run for another term and improvements in jobsite safety.
Ielmini provided an update on the FMIA. After several months of meeting and discussions, they found a Republican co-sponsor in Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas), who sits on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
He then explained what will happen once the bill is introduced and placed into committee. He will be required to testify in front of the the Energy and Commerce Committee, and if goes well, the bill will receive full committee support and head to the floor of Congress for a vote. If passed, this act would add mechanical insulation to the federal building energy audit. It would require all federal buildings to have mechanical insulation and this work, including maintenance, could only be performed by someone who completed a registered apprenticeship program.
Ielmini also discussed the recent announcement by President Joe Biden to seek re-election and how this news will impact organized labor. A large number of jobs will soon be created thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the CHIPS Act, thanks to the efforts of Biden, who has been a strong advocate for organized labor. However, as a result of this wave of work, there is the potential for a labor shortage. Ielmini spoke about pre-apprenticeships or Apprenticeship Readiness Programs, which help get people into a registered building trades apprenticeship program.
Several days prior to Workers’ Memorial Day, Ielmini recalled how safety has changed throughout his time in the industry. Since OSHA was founded over 50 years ago, there has been a tremendous improvement of jobsite safety. In the 1970s, there used to be one safety meeting for a project, and now, there are daily safety meetings. The focus on safety is not just due to the works, but also thanks to buy-in from contractors, who helped increase the amount of safety training. The work to improve safety will not be complete until there are no accidents, he added.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more.
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.
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