International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 7 Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer Jeff Mehrhoff joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed Wisconsin’s worker shortage and how the Council is actively recruiting members of underserved communities, as well as women and people of color to close the gap.
District Council 7 represents IUPAT Local Unions in Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
The worker shortage is affecting all the building trades in Wisconsin, Mehrhoff said. Many affiliated members retired during the pandemic, while apprenticeship training slowed. This forced many Locals to rely on travelers to make up their worker shortages, he explained. Mehrhoff stressed the value of recruiting women and minorities to expand the District Council’s membership and provide a steady stream of qualified workers to their signatory contractors.
He also talked about an Upper Peninsula Construction Council’s Apprenticeship Readiness Program that gives high school students paid trades experience.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.