Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 716 Return to Residential Plumbing & HVAC
As work in the paper industry in Maine has declined over the past several years and decades, so have jobs for pipefitters with the UA Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 716. As a result, the 450-member local has begun a big push to organize new members in growth areas like residential and light commercial HVAC and plumbing.
“The paper mills are shutting down and going away,” said Training Coordinator Derek Armstrong of Local 716. “In other states UA members rely on oil refineries or nuclear power plants and that pretty much brings in all of their revenue. But in our state it was the paper mills and they’re dropping one by one. Each time one closes there’s a lot less people contracted to do the work.”
Plumbers & Pipefitters in Maine once performed more residential work, but once the other regional locals in Bangor, Lewiston and Portland merged into Local 716 in the late 1990s, members primarily worked in the industrial market. In addition to the paper mills, there was also lot of work in power houses and the semi-conductors so members gave up the residential jobs and went where they could earn more money. Now with industrial work on the decline, the intense demand for residential plumbers and the boom in electric heat pump installations have presented an opportunity to build up the local by organizing and training new members for rewarding union careers.
“There isn’t going to be a boiler in any of the new green buildings going up,” said Local 716 Business Manager Tony Sirois. “There’s a lot more work to be done in plumbing and HVAC than there is in the industrial side, so we’re trying to get back into the game with that.”
In recent weeks, Local 716 has held trainings for members to receive a number of new certifications for installing heat pumps, plastic fusion piping for geothermal heating and MedGas, which is used in hospitals to provide oxygen. While there are several MedGas installers in the state, there is no one certified to maintain the equipment so now 25 newly certified Local 716 members will be able to provide that service for Westbrook-based union contractor CCB.
Armstrong said that in order to get more members working in the residential and light commercial sector, it is critical for pipefitting apprentices to do some residential plumbing.
"It doesn’t matter if you’re a pipefitter, you’re going to get a Maine plumber’s license. It just makes sense,” he said. “If you go through our apprenticeship program we’re going to get you signed up for a plumber’s license to get all of those hours documented.”
Local 716 members are also taking plastic fusion courses to learn how to install geothermal, also known as ground source-heat pumps, which is a type of renewable energy that uses heat from earth’s core to heat buildings. Local 716 members will be getting trained up to install geothermal at the new Roux Institute in Portland. As part of a national union, Local 716 often has instructors from other states come to Maine to offer free training for certifications. Journeymen can take the courses for free as long as they agree to instruct other members in the trade. Because the training is free, train-the-trainers courses are also good organizing tools to recruit new members.
“If you need any specialty certifications, we’ll get you trained for it,” said Sirois.
Local 716 also has an eight-week welding program called the Finishing Program to train people who know how to weld but need some need some extra training, even if they haven't been able to pass the entrance exam.
“What we will do is we’ll offer the welder a position in this eight-week finishing program that will train and fine tune him on his welding,” said Sirois. “He may walk out of there with two to five certifications. We’ll train him how to weld and put him on the job.”
Local 716 is also working on getting signatory plumbing and HVAC contractors for its Plumbers 911 referral program, which connects customers throughout Maine with skilled union plumbers in their areas. They are also setting up HVAC 911 program. Plumbers 911 helps signatories increase their market share in residential and light commercial work in their chosen regions at no extra cost.
At the same time, Local 716 has been recruiting at high schools and tech schools. Currently it has instructors at Southern Maine Community College and the University of Maine who teach students plumbing and provide information about the benefits of joining the union.
“A lot of community colleges are now looking to us for our curriculum, so they can teach to our curriculum,” said Sirois. “If we get someone out of one of those community colleges, they’ll get credit into our apprenticeship. Instead of starting them as a first-year apprentice, we can start them as a second or third year.”
As Sirois explains, the trick is to show new recruits that joining the union is much more beneficial in the long term. For instance, a non-union worker may shake his head at the union journeyworkers’ rate of $37.50 an hour when he's earning $38-$40 an hour for a non-union contractor. However, their 401k, health insurance and other benefits are deducted from their paychecks, while Local 716 members are getting $21 an hour in benefits on top of the money they earn. The union difference is real, so if you know any plumbers and HVAC installers tell them to reach out to Local 716and they will be happy to give them a run down on the benefits of going union.