Tri-State Building and Constructions Trades Council Business Manager/Financial Secretary-Treasurer John Holbrook provided a work outlook during his appearance on the America’s Work Force Union Podcast.
The Tri-State Building and Construction Trades Council is made up of 50 Local building trades unions located in 33 counties across Kentucky, West Virginia and Ohio. They currently represent 25,000 active building traddes members.
Holbrook discussed the effort of the building trades council to increase the number of apprentices within its affiliated Local Unions. He said most affiliated Local Unions need to increase their membership to handle the current workload.
As part of the effort to increase the membership of affiliated building trades Local Unions, he explained how Tri-State BCTC organizers are reaching out to the area’s underserved communities to recruit these individuals. A career in the building trades offers men and women a pathway into the middle class, he said. Currently, these organizers are working to establish a presence in the communities and he believes this effort will pay off.
Holbrook also shared his optimism over the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which he said will create even more work in the region. While there are a few mega projects in the jurisdiction, there is plenty of other work to keep many affiliated Local Unions busy. Those Locals who are in slower areas will need to send their members to areas where there is a need for manpower.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.