Government Affairs

8
Sep

Local 33 hosts legislatures to talk training and energy efficiency

In late August, more than a dozen elected officials toured the Sheet Metal Workers Local 33 Training Center in Cleveland and took part in a roundtable discussion about energy efficiency and good-paying jobs. Local 33 and the Cleveland chapter of Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA) hosted the legislators and business leaders at the Local 33 training

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24
Jul

Ohio Representatives Defend Davis-Bacon

An attempt to change the Davis-Bacon Act was made last week in Congress when Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) presented an amendment to H.R. 2810, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018. Gosar’s amendment was met with opposition as it proposed to fundamentally change the way prevailing wage is calculated throughout the country. Gosar stated that his amendment would,

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30
Nov

Bobby Ina and Sheet Metal Workers help brighten holidays for sick children

For the second year in a row, Sheet Metal Workers Local 33 partnered with their political lobbyist to bring holiday cheer to children at Akron Children’s Hospital. Bobby Ina, Sheet Metal Workers Local 33 and some of Ina’s other clients nearly doubled the number of toys and gift cards donated to Children’s Hospital. This year, they raised over $12,000, as

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30
Nov

Moving forward after the election

He is no longer “Donald Trump.” Now people will be referring to him as “President-elect Donald Trump.” Whether you voted for him or not, whether you are happy with the outcome or not, for the good of our members, families and businesses, we have to hope he succeeds and does it in a professional way, because our livelihoods and our

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27
Feb

Local 33 member files ethics complaint against Delegate in West Virginia

Earlier this week, we reported on a possible conflict of interest involved in the Republican push to repeal state regulations for HVAC technicians in West Virginia. Now that charge has reached the state government, as one member of Local 33 filed an official complaint with the Ethics Commission. Local 33 member Steve Hancock cited the questionable tactics of  Delegate Eric

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26
Feb

Message from Business Manager: Keep Up the Good Work in West Virginia

Even  if you do not reside in West Virginia, you should by now be familiar with the efforts of our Brothers and Sisters within Local 33 and other building and construction trades to halt recent attacks on working families by the state’s legislature. (See yesterday’s post, “Building trades members at the WV Capitol today to fight for prevailing wage,” for

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25
Feb

Building trades members at the WV Capitol today to fight for prevailing wage

Building trades members are out in full force today at the West Virginia State Capitol to rally against recent efforts to attack the rights of working families. This legislative session, Republicans have pushed bills to roll back safety and legal rights for workers and scale back prevailing wage laws that provide fair compensation and employment and training opportunities for the

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24
Feb

Conflict of Interest Does Exist in Attempted Repeal of Sheet Metal Bill in West Virginia

Following up from yesterday’s Government Affairs post – “Republicans Continue to Take Away Safety from Hardworking West Virginians” – one of the Republican lawmakers looking to repeal all state laws that regulate HVAC technicians seems to have a conflict of interest in the matter. Delegate Eric Householder, R-Berkeley, one of the most outspoken proponents of the appeal, owns an HVAC business

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17
Feb

Union density down slightly in 2014: Annual report

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that union density was 11.1 percent in 2014, down 0.2 percent from the year before. During the year, unions added 48,000 members, but the overall workforce grew more. The agency’s annual survey for 2014 also showed the median weekly wage of union members was $207 more than the weekly median wage for non-unionists. And

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16
Dec

Get to know Dayton Mayor Whaley in latest ‘People in Politics’

The latest installment in the YouTube video series, “People in Politics” is now available for viewing online, featuring Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley. Mayor Whaley was one of the youngest women ever chosen for a commission seat when first elected to the Dayton City Commission in 2005, and she currently serves as the only female mayor of the state of Ohio’s

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