CISCO Partners With Peoples Energy On New Training Center

Peoples Energy unveiled its new $20 million training facility in Little Village, located at 4228 W. 35th Place.

Peoples Gas, along with their construction contractors, will support the city, Chicago Public Schools and CISCO to develop and implement two successive high school internship experiences. These experiences will develop young people through mentorship, and career readiness training, to create a direct pipeline to trade apprenticeship opportunities.

Receiving their keys to the training center’s “Gas City”, are (from left) Ricardo Munoz, Alderman, 22nd Ward; Mayor Rahm Emanuel; and State Senator Martin Sandoval, 11th Dist. Also pictured left of Senator Sandoval are Charles Matthews, President/CEO, Peoples Gas, and Jimmy Akintonde, President of Ujamaa Construction – General Contractor for the project.

The new training center will feature a mock “gas city” with a fully functioning natural gas delivery system to 20 mock homes and businesses. There, employees and their contractors will practice installing and servicing natural gas pipes and meters, conducting safety inspections, locating pipelines and responding to emergencies.

The Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters hosted a massive crowd of more than 4,000 visitors, who attended the CRCC’s Open House on a sunny Saturday in early June at its Training Center in Elk Grove Village.

The event featured tours of the Apprenticeship School and gave visitors a chance to see what a career as a carpenter was all about.  Fifty (50) architects were presented with two CEUs for attending, and over 100 vendors were on hand to present their new tools and construction products.

Pictured above are; (clockwise from top left) 1) John Horak, CRCC; 2) Joe Serpico, Mike Macellaio, Secretary-Treasurer, Chicago & Cook County Building Trades, and Mike Simone, Amalgamated Bank of Chicago; 3) Visitor registration line; 4) Jorge Ramirez, President of Chicago Federation of Labor, and Dan McLaughlin, Executive Director of the Builders Association and CISCO Board Member.

In addition, other highlights included a visit from gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker, the Mayor of Elk Grove Village Craig Johnson, ABC-TV Channel 7, several local colleges, the Chicago Women in Trades; and the Carpenters “Built To Last” television program was shown by the show’s hosts.

To view more photos of the event, just click here.

Prevailing Wage Rates Posted On IDOL Website

The Illinois Department of Labor has now posted the 2016 prevailing wage rates effective June 5, 2017, in response to a Cook County Circuit Court ruling.

Litigation and Section 9 hearings regarding the posting of these rates has been ongoing since 2016.

The rates were posted on Friday, May 26 in accordance with the ruling, and a letter from Paul Kersey, Manager of Conciliation and Mediation confirmed the action.

According to the Prevailing Wage Act (820 ILCS 130/0.01-12), contractors and subcontractors are required to pay laborers, workers, and mechanics employed on public works projects no less than the general prevailing rate of wages (consisting of hourly cash wages plus fringe benefits) for work of similar character in the locality where the work is performed.

It is recommended that you check to ensure the rates are correct for your area/craft. To view the rates, click here.

CISCO will continue to update you on any further developments regarding litigation and Prevailing Wage compliance.  If you have any questions, please contact the Conciliation and Mediation Division at (217) 782-1710 or (312) 793-1812, or via email at dol.pwd@illinois.gov.

Suicide Prevention Survey

Your help is needed!  Please take 15 minutes to provide input that will help save lives in the construction/extraction industries. To access the survey, click here.

Back in February, CISCO co-sponsored a Suicide Prevention Summit that highlighted the grim fact that the construction industry is the second highest rated industry affected by suicide.

Currently, the Department of Psychology at Florida State University, is conducting a study to better understand the high suicide rate in the construction/extraction industries.  If you are interested in participating in this study, click here.

Chicago & Cook County Building Trades and Chicago Housing Authority Hold Hands-On Event

Representatives from 11 different building trades were on hand to explain to CHA residents how to apply to their respective apprenticeship programs recently at the Carpenters Satellite training facility on Union Avenue in Chicago.

As CCBT President Ralph Affrunti explained, the idea to recruit residents from CHA was part of a Project Labor Agreement set to take effect on June 21st.

CISCO’s Education-to-Careers Director Johnetta Ryan coordinated the effort of contact the trades who were present.  They included: The Laborers, Painters/Drywall Finishers, Pipefitters, IBEW 134, Operating Engineers 150, Roofers, Boilermakers, Heat & Frost Local 17, Carpenters, Bricklayers and Ceramic Tile Setters.  Instructors and Apprenticeship Coordinators told the residents what was required to apply, as well as showed them some of the more commonplace activities.

To view more pictures from the event, click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CISCO Golf Outing – Monday, September 11 – Start Planning To Sponsor & Register

Start planning your foursomes now for the annual shot-gun style outing and barbecue lunch, Monday, September 11, 2017 at Bloomingdale Golf Club, 181 Glen Ellyn Road.

The outing is still the best value around, and offers great prizes and tons of fun. Registration and free practice range begins at 7:00 a.m.; golf begins at 8:00 a.m. with cocktails and lunch beginning around 1:30 pm.

There are also many ways to sponsor the outing. Hole, Beverage Cart, Halfway House and Lunch sponsorships are available, as well as registration table and prize donations. Call us at 630-472-9411 to sponsor and/or reserve your foursomes today!  To download the registration form, just click here.

Apprenticeship Applications Being Accepted

Sheet Metal Workers Local 73

The following information is provided to any person interested in choosing the sheet metal trade as a career:

1. Applications will be accepted every Wednesday from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at 2701 Van Buren Street, Bellwood, IL 60104.
2. Applicant must be at least 17 years or older.
3. A $20.00 non-refundable registration fee (cash or money order) will be paid at the time of the application to offset administrative costs.
4. Documents that must be brought at the time of application are as follows: a) A copy of high school diploma, G.E.D. Certificate or Equivalent, b) A certified birth certificate (no copies accepted), c) An official translation for any of the above-listed documents that are not in English, d) A copy of DD214 (Armed Forces Discharge) if applicable, e) Present identification with photo (i.e. Driver’s license).
5. An apprentice applicant will take an aptitude test.  Applicants will be ranked by scores.
6. An apprentice applicant must pass a Drug Test and a Physical Exam before indenture.  Applicant must pay for the physical examination (approximately $50.00).  The Drug test will be paid for by the Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee.  The physical exam and drug test must be taken within a specific time period.  Failure to do so will cause the applicant to be dropped.
7. The apprenticeship term is 4 years plus probationary period consisting of the following: a) Possibility of 42 weeks of probationary apprenticeship; b) 10-week pre-apprentice training program; c) 4 years of school – (6 semesters) of concentrated training (20 days per semester) in conjunction with on-the-job training.
8. An apprentice must maintain a minimum 75% grade point average while attending school.

Sheet Metal Local 73 – (708) 544-5711 – www.smw73.org

Career Information Fair at Prairie State College Draws Nice Crowd

About 60 individuals attended a mid-June Career Information Fair held at Prairie State College in Chicago Heights.  Attendees learned about union trades and how they can help in the pursuit of a career in the union construction industry.

Nine different trades were on hand, along with representatives of the Illinois Army National Guard and the Chicago Women in Trades.  The Fair was made possible by the support of CISCO, the South Suburban Mayors & Managers Association, the Chicago Southland Economic Development Corporation and the Illinois Department of Employment Security and several local elected officials.

Pictured above helping attendees with information about specific trades (clockwise from top left) are: Johnetta Ryan, CISCO Education-to-Careers Director; Rich Schuman, Laborers Homer St. Administrator; Mike Borjas, Teamsters Construction Driver Training Instructor; and Roofers Local 11 Apprenticeship Instructor Brian Dubin.  For more pictures from the event, click here.

Carpenter’s “Built To Last” TV Show Will Continue to Air on Sundays Through Summer

The Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters Labor Management’s video aired for the first time on Sunday, May 7 at noon on ABC/WLS Channel 7.  If you missed it, the “Built To Last” television show will continue to be shown for 12 consecutive Sundays (each starting at Noon), so make sure to tune in and watch this great program.

Of course, you can watch the video whenever you want online. The promotional video that highlights the overall purpose of the show can be found on the carpenters website – www.carpentersunion.org.

The video states that the shows will provide an in-depth look at what it takes to be a carpenter, it touches on the economic impact of the union on the community, highlights veterans outreach and much more. To view the video, click here.

Cement Masons Local 502 Breaks Ground on Apprenticeship Training Center in Bellwood

A new Training Center will be built this summer in Bellwood for apprentices of both the Cement Masons Local 502 and the Plasterers Local 5.  The 20,000 square-foot building is expected to be open sometime in October 2017.

Pictured above are from left:  Newly elected Bellwood Mayor Andre Harvey; Pat LaCassa, President and Business Manager of Cement Masons Local 502; Former Bellwood Mayor Frank Pasquale; Larry Picardi, Secretary-Treasurer of Cement Masons Local 502; Tom Abruzzo, Vice President of Forza Construction; and Anthony Abruzzo, President of Forza Design & Consulting Inc.

“We are very excited about moving into this new facility,” said Larry Picardi, Secretary-Treasurer, Cement Masons Local 502.  “We need to continue to attract young men and women into these trades and having state of the art classrooms and dedicated areas for instruction of the craft is vital.”

“I also want to thank our members who have been very supportive of this project.  We have never had our own training center, and we are happy to be staying in the area,” Picardi added.

The structure is being built next door to the Cement Masons Union Hall in Bellwood, and Picardi said it will provide a campus feel to his members and apprentices who have been using facilities in Alsip for the past two years.  Currently, there are 93 cement masons and 18 plasterers who are enrolled in the apprenticeship program.

CISCO/CPS Hands-On Expo: 12 Trades Give Students Insight Into Construction Careers

Chicago Public School students from 5 high schools tried out basic techniques and were made aware of how to apply to specific apprenticeship programs during the annual hands-on expo held at the Carpenters Apprenticeship Training Center in Chicago.

The Building Trades represented during the Expo included: Bricklayers, Carpenters, Electricians (IBEW Local 134), Laborers, Operating Engineers (Local 150), Painters/Decorators, Pipefitters (Local 597), Plumbers (Local 130), Roofers & Waterproofers (Local 11), Sheet Metal Workers (Local 73), Tile Setters & Finishers, and UAW Auto Mechanics (Local 701).

Pictured below are students getting a try at the following: Bricklaying, carpentry, electrical wiring, jackhammering, operating equipment, virtual painting, roofing and tile cutting.  For more pictures of the event, just click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A rebate program that began in September, 2009 is quickly becoming the talk of the sheet metal industry as a result of a clever, effective advertising campaign that was launched three years ago in March 2014.

The campaign called “I Want SMART” was initiated by Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association SMART Local Union 265 in conjunction with SMACNA Greater Chicago (Sheet Metal contractors) to promote its rebate program.  Since September 2009 through January 2016, SMART has replaced 8,776 furnaces, 8,988 air conditioners and performed maintenance on 14,435 pieces of residential equipment.  Better yet, since the marketing campaign was launched, an average of 300 rebates have been processed each month.

The campaign takes a non-traditional union approach focuses on the pillars of the SMART brand.  The objective of the campaign is to establish VALUE to the customer, prove its QUALITY to the consumer, and develop TRUST with the customer.  The campaign’s purpose is selling furnaces, air conditioners and service work.

If you are interested in learning more about the campaign’s components, whether you are a construction industry professional or a consumer, just click here.