{"id":36419,"date":"2023-06-17T19:01:33","date_gmt":"2023-06-17T23:01:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/?p=36419"},"modified":"2023-06-17T19:01:33","modified_gmt":"2023-06-17T23:01:33","slug":"at-local-plumbers-steamfitters-union-people-see-they-have-a-future-manager-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/06\/at-local-plumbers-steamfitters-union-people-see-they-have-a-future-manager-says\/","title":{"rendered":"At Local Plumbers & Steamfitters Union, \u2018People See They Have A Future\u2019 Manager Says"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Officials at Local 773 Plumbers & Steamfitter say they have union members ready to take on jobs in an industry that complains of worker shortages.
Courtesy Local 773 Plumbers & Steamfitters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Christine Graf<\/p>\n

At a time when local contractors are struggling to find qualified skilled trade workers, Local 773 Plumbers & Steamfitters has at least 40 qualified applicants anxious to join the union\u2019s five-year apprenticeship program.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The union represents more than 450 plumbers, pipe fitters, steam fitters, refrigeration fitters, and service technicians in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties. The local headquarters is in Glens Falls.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am seeing no shortage, and I know that I can recruit the people I need because we pay a living wage,\u201d said Mike Jarvis, business manager at Local 773. \u201cPeople see that they will have a future with us. They know they will be treated right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite being overwhelmed with applicants, Local 773 has been able to accept just three people into the Glens Falls apprenticeship program so far this year. Jarvis expects that number to top out at six, with an additional three apprentices likely to be selected from another large applicant pool in Plattsburgh where the union has its second location, he said.<\/p>\n

Expanding its apprenticeship program will be possible only if the union is able to secure additional signatory union contractors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In recent years, Jarvis and Brian Kill, business agent at Local 773, have been working to attract contractors from the residential and light commercial sectors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u201cWe realized we are missing a lot of market share within the residential and light commercial market space, so Brian and I sat down and came up with a wage rate and benefits package to fit the local economy,\u201d said Jarvis.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spent a lot of time talking to contractors, and we came up with an agreement that would make the contractors competitive but would also offer benefits to their employees. The wage was geared more towards a first year trainee, and the all-in package was less than that of a standard apprentice. Contractors loved it because it allowed them to still be competitive while paying employees what they were worth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under that agreement, Local 773 workers were contracted to work on the apartments at Fowler Square in Queensbury where Albany-based BBL Construction was the contractor. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt started off like a bang, but after they completed Fowler Square, I didn\u2019t have jobs to send them to afterwards,\u201d said Jarvis. \u201cNow I\u2019m working diligently with a lot of my contractors to try to get them to bid on more of this residential\/light commercial work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most independent contractors are reluctant to hire union workers because doing so cuts into their bottom line.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the Brookings Institution, union workers earn 11 percent more than non-union works. They also received an attractive benefits package which includes health insurance and a pension.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0very unusual for contractors to use union employees,\u201d said Jarvis. \u201cI\u2019m not saying that this applies to all contractors, but many want to get rich on the backs of their employees.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Jarvis, Boyce and Drake Plumbing in Saratoga Springs is one of the few small local contractors that relies on workers from Local 773.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoyce and Drake does residential and light commercial heating, cooling, and plumbing, and their charge out rate is the same as the other eight or ten non-union companies that they compete with,\u201d said Jarvis. \u201cThat means that the homeowner still pays the same price, and the only difference is that Boyce and Drake doesn\u2019t make as much because they are paying their employees a living wage. Their employees don\u2019t make as much as my A-rate guys at GlobalFoundries do. But they make a great wage and have health insurance and the complete pension that 773 offers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith 773, you are getting quality employees. Our workers are trained professionals who went to school for five years in our apprenticeship program and receive continuous training. And, if there is an issue with an employee on the job, you make one call, and I come down and sort it out. We get it done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Studies have also indicated that union workers are more likely to engage in safety practices than their non-union counterparts. Union workers are also able to express concerns over workplace safety without fear of retaliation.<\/p>\n

Jarvis warns developers to be wary of what he refers to as the \u201cfly-by-night\u201d general contractors. In order to cut costs, these contractors often hire subcontractors who do sub-par work, something that can lead to costly mistakes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou get a lot of cut-rate general contractors who sub out the work. The cheaper he can get the subcontracting done, the more money he will make,\u201d he said. \u201cAt the end of the day, if the work that is being performed on your job isn\u2019t quality, you need to start asking questions. It may have been cheaper up front, but in the long run, was it really cheaper?\u201d<\/p>\n

When it comes to the skilled trades labor shortage, Jarvis said it comes down to dollars and sense.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you pay their worth and treat them properly, I don\u2019t think we would have the shortage in the trades.<\/p>\n

Local 773 has no shortage of skilled workers, and Jarvis is hopeful that contractors in the residential and light commercial sectors will take advantage of the competitive wage agreements that are available.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI need to get the message out\u00a0that we have no shortage and that we could man these projects if they gave us a chance,\u201d said Jarvis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Christine Graf At a time when local contractors are struggling to find qualified skilled trade workers, Local 773 Plumbers & Steamfitters has at least 40 qualified applicants anxious to join the union\u2019s five-year apprenticeship program.\u00a0 The union represents more than 450 plumbers, pipe fitters, steam fitters, refrigeration fitters, and service technicians in Clinton, Essex, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":36420,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nAt Local Plumbers & Steamfitters Union, \u2018People See They Have A Future\u2019 Manager Says - Glens Falls Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/06\/at-local-plumbers-steamfitters-union-people-see-they-have-a-future-manager-says\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"At Local Plumbers & Steamfitters Union, \u2018People See They Have A Future\u2019 Manager Says - Glens Falls Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Christine Graf At a time when local contractors are struggling to find qualified skilled trade workers, Local 773 Plumbers & Steamfitters has at least 40 qualified applicants anxious to join the union\u2019s five-year apprenticeship program.\u00a0 The union represents more than 450 plumbers, pipe fitters, steam fitters, refrigeration fitters, and service technicians in Clinton, Essex, […]\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/06\/at-local-plumbers-steamfitters-union-people-see-they-have-a-future-manager-says\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Glens Falls Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-06-17T23:01:33+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2023\/06\/plumbers-h.jpg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"767\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"540\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jake Van Ness\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jake Van Ness\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/06\/at-local-plumbers-steamfitters-union-people-see-they-have-a-future-manager-says\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/06\/at-local-plumbers-steamfitters-union-people-see-they-have-a-future-manager-says\/\",\"name\":\"At Local Plumbers & Steamfitters Union, \u2018People See They Have A Future\u2019 Manager Says - Glens Falls Business Journal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-06-17T23:01:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-06-17T23:01:33+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/a11ec438b5f0e57f1156754ba3931b86\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/06\/at-local-plumbers-steamfitters-union-people-see-they-have-a-future-manager-says\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/06\/at-local-plumbers-steamfitters-union-people-see-they-have-a-future-manager-says\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/06\/at-local-plumbers-steamfitters-union-people-see-they-have-a-future-manager-says\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"At Local Plumbers & Steamfitters Union, \u2018People See They Have A Future\u2019 Manager Says\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/\",\"name\":\"Glens Falls Business Journal\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/a11ec438b5f0e57f1156754ba3931b86\",\"name\":\"Jake Van Ness\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8083519989e12032abdd06a668982ef4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8083519989e12032abdd06a668982ef4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jake Van Ness\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/author\/jakev\/\"}]}<\/script>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"At Local Plumbers & Steamfitters Union, \u2018People See They Have A Future\u2019 Manager Says - Glens Falls Business Journal","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/06\/at-local-plumbers-steamfitters-union-people-see-they-have-a-future-manager-says\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"At Local Plumbers & Steamfitters Union, \u2018People See They Have A Future\u2019 Manager Says - Glens Falls Business Journal","og_description":"By Christine Graf At a time when local contractors are struggling to find qualified skilled trade workers, Local 773 Plumbers & Steamfitters has at least 40 qualified applicants anxious to join the union\u2019s five-year apprenticeship program.\u00a0 The union represents more than 450 plumbers, pipe fitters, steam fitters, refrigeration fitters, and service technicians in Clinton, Essex, […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/06\/at-local-plumbers-steamfitters-union-people-see-they-have-a-future-manager-says\/","og_site_name":"Glens Falls Business Journal","article_published_time":"2023-06-17T23:01:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":767,"height":540,"url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2023\/06\/plumbers-h.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jake Van Ness","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jake Van Ness","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/06\/at-local-plumbers-steamfitters-union-people-see-they-have-a-future-manager-says\/","url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/06\/at-local-plumbers-steamfitters-union-people-see-they-have-a-future-manager-says\/","name":"At Local Plumbers & Steamfitters Union, \u2018People See They Have A Future\u2019 Manager Says - Glens Falls Business Journal","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-06-17T23:01:33+00:00","dateModified":"2023-06-17T23:01:33+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/a11ec438b5f0e57f1156754ba3931b86"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/06\/at-local-plumbers-steamfitters-union-people-see-they-have-a-future-manager-says\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/06\/at-local-plumbers-steamfitters-union-people-see-they-have-a-future-manager-says\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/06\/at-local-plumbers-steamfitters-union-people-see-they-have-a-future-manager-says\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"At Local Plumbers & Steamfitters Union, \u2018People See They Have A Future\u2019 Manager Says"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/","name":"Glens Falls Business Journal","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/a11ec438b5f0e57f1156754ba3931b86","name":"Jake Van Ness","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8083519989e12032abdd06a668982ef4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8083519989e12032abdd06a668982ef4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jake Van Ness"},"url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/author\/jakev\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36419"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/89"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36419"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36421,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36419\/revisions\/36421"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}