80th Nevada Legislature Delivers Critical Wins to Nevada's Union Building & Construction Trades

State lawmakers act on mandate from Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak to expand workforce development and labor-friendly legislation in the state

Nevada’s historic 80th legislature adjourned last week after 120 days of deliberation and debate on more than 1,000 bills—passing nearly 500 of them. Among those that passed were three important bills for Nevada’s union building and construction trades. All three bills, which have now been signed into law by the governor, are exciting first steps toward increasing and improving the skilled labor pool in Nevada’s construction workforce.

AB136
Introduced and carried by Nevada State Assemblyman Jason Frierson, Assembly Bill 136 corrected prevailing wage cuts made by state Republicans in 2015. Those cuts set prevailing wages for school construction projects to 90% of established prevailing wage, raised the threshold for projects from $100,000 to $250,000, and made charter schools exempt from prevailing wage laws. The 80th legislature reversed those cuts, ensuring that all public school construction workers on projects of $100,000 or more will receive 100% of local prevailing wage.

Why it’s important: AB136 directly impacts Nevada’s construction workforce, putting more money in the pockets of the hardworking men and women that build our public schools. That money not only benefits current construction workers, it increases interest in building and construction careers, which a) helps address shortages in the construction workforce, and b) improves the quality of candidates, which raises the standards of school construction for everyone.

SB207
Introduced by Nevada State Senator Chris Brooks, Senate Bill 207 requires contractors award public works projects to employ one or more apprentices for a minimum percentage of the total hours worked on those jobs, and requires contractors to enter into apprenticeship agreements for all public works projects in the state of Nevada.

Why it’s important: SB207 increases the overall number of apprentices working on public works projects in Nevada, which boosts the benefits and impacts of registered apprenticeship programs in the state and their contribution to the overall development of a skilled workforce in Nevada.

SB231
Introduced by Nevada State Senator Chris Brooks, Senate Bill 231 eliminates language intended to discourage public entities from hiring or awarding tax abatements, financial grants, or exemptions to contractors with labor unions agreements. That language, implemented in 2015, negatively impacted Nevada’s registered apprenticeship programs and undermined the state’s skilled labor market.

Why it’s important: SB231 struck anti-worker and anti-union language from legislation surrounding public works projects, which strengthens project labor agreements, increases the state’s skilled workforce training programs and retention, and keeps more construction dollars in the community.

Northern Nevada’s Union Building Trades Announce Partnership with Washoe YouthBuild Program

In February, the U.S. Department of Labor awarded $1.1 million to the Children’s Cabinet to fund the next three years of Washoe YouthBuild—a program that provides pre-apprenticeship training and job placement in the building and construction trades for at-risk youth between the ages of 18-24 in Washoe County. Washoe YouthBuild expects to serve 60 participants, focusing on youth who have dropped out of school.

“The program will be about 30 weeks,” says Washoe YouthBuild program director Jeremy Stocking. “We’re working with the local building trades to provide vocational skills training. Participants will tour the building trades training facilities, visit the union hall, and we’re working with the Laborers Local 169 and the Painters and Allied Trades Local 567 to set up direct entry for program graduates.”

The Building and Construction Trades Council of Northern Nevada is excited to partner with Washoe YouthBuild to train the next generation of trades professionals. The program uses the national pre-apprenticeship program model and materials (known as multi-core craft curriculum, or MC3) developed by North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU). The MC3 curriculum trains participants on the basics of working in the construction industry, and includes modules like:

Construction Industry Orientation
Tools and Materials
Construction Health and Safety
Blueprint Reading
Basic Math for Construction
Heritage of the American Worker
Diversity in the Construction Industry
Green Construction
Financial Literacy

“We’re very lucky to have this program here in the greater Reno-Sparks area,” says Rob Benner, business representative for the Building and Construction Trades Council of Northern Nevada. “It augments the local skilled workforce and helps provide a pipeline of trained candidates for our growing construction industry, it helps to create healthier  communities, and most importantly, it gives our local youth great career options they might not have otherwise had access to.”

Dian VanderWell, apprenticeship recruiter for the Northern Nevada Apprenticeship Coordinators’ Association, says she hopes the program will reach out to young women, especially. “Across the country, the union building trades are working hard to push out the message that construction isn’t a career that’s mostly for men. The Washoe YouthBuild can be such a great opportunity to engage young women in the trades, and show them first-hand that this is a good-paying career they can support themselves and a family on and be proud of.”

Other Washoe YouthBuild partners include Truckee Meadows Community College, Community Services Agency, and Truckee Meadows Habitat for Humanity. For more information on Washoe YouthBuild, contact Jeremy Stocking at Children’s Cabinet at 775-443-4501 or visit http://www.childrenscabinet.org/family-youth/youth-education-and-training/washoe-youthbuild/.

Do you have the mettle to complete the 2019 Ironworkers Gladiator Bootcamp Training Course?

Do you know someone who deserves not just a better job, but a rewarding, well-paying career they can be proud of? How about paid university-level training and benefits from day one? Tell them to join us for the:

2019 IRONWORKERS GLADIATOR BOOTCAMP TRAINING COURSE

The Ironworkers Union Local 118 is accepting a maximum of 25 participants for a free two-week bootcamp. This intensive course will train participants in the skills required for a great job in the in-demand ironwork industry. Those with the mettle to complete this two-week bootcamp will have the opportunity to join the paid apprenticeship program at the Ironworkers Local 118. Starting wage for an Ironworker apprentice is $19.50/hour plus benefits.

This FREE 2-Week Ironworkers Gladiator Bootcamp runs Monday through Friday May 13-24, 7:00 AM – 3:30 PM.

If you or someone you know is interested in this great opportunity to build a brighter future in the high-tech building and construction trades, register below to attend the MANDATORY pre-bootcamp orientation session on Monday, May 6 from 10am to Noon (late attendees will not be accepted) at The University of Iron, 14295 Mt. Bismark St in Reno.

No experience necessary. Women encouraged to apply! Must be 18 years of age with a H.S. diploma/GED, reliable transportation, and able to lift and carry a minimum of 70 lbs. Must pass on-site drug screen to be accepted into the program.

Referral letters from local contractors or other relevant organizations or individuals are accepted, but optional. If you have a referral letter, please bring it with you to the orientation session on May 6 and submit it by the end of the session.

Registration closed at this time.

Prevailing Wage: What is it, and why is it important?

Today the Nevada legislature heard arguments for Nevada Assembly Bill 136, sponsored by Assemblymen Frierson, Benitez Thompson, Carlton, McCurdy, Daly; Assefa, Backus, Bilbray-Axelrod, Carrillo, Cohen, Duran, Flores, Fumo, Gorelow, Jauregui, Martinez, Miller, Monroe-Moreno, Munk, Neal, Nguyen, Peters, Spiegel, Sprinkle, Swank, Thompson, Torres, Watts, and Yeager. Special thanks to Nevada State Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson and Government Affairs Chair Edgar Flores for introducing this bill to protect Nevada’s workers, communities, and contractors.

Nevada AB136 proposes changes to the way that prevailing wage requirements are determined for public construction projects in Nevada. If passed, the bill would require public and charter school construction projects to pay 100% of the prevailing wage to construction workers on those projects, instead of the 90% they now pay. The bill would also lower the project budget threshold for prevailing wage requirements on Nevada public works projects from $250,000 to $100,000, and remove specific requirements for the way the labor commissioner determines the prevailing wage. Finally, the bill would allow the prevailing wage to be challenged by any public body, labor organization, or contractor in the project’s county within 30 days of prevailing wage determination.

So why is that important? What does it mean for Nevada?

Prevailing wage laws are public checks against the practice by some contractors of slashing wages for construction labor in order to compete on price for public construction projects, like schools. Under prevailing wage laws, contractors awarded public projects must agree to pay wages the labor commissioner has determined to be the prevailing—or statistically average—wage in the county where the project is located.

Studies show that when prevailing wage laws are weak or non-existent, communities and individuals are negatively impacted. These impacts include erosions to workforce development efforts, increased safety hazards and higher injury rates on the job, and lower—sometimes significantly—wages and benefits for workers, which directly impacts county economic health.

Research also shows that the presence of prevailing wages laws does not increase project costs, which suggests that higher wages offset losses due to unskilled labor, injuries, and decreased productivity when no prevailing wage exists. Prevailing wage laws are also shown to increase workforce diversity and participation in apprenticeship programs.

A robust, skilled labor workforce is critical to Nevada’s future. Nevada Assembly Bill 136 will ensure that the viability, safety, and diversity of our state’s construction apprenticeship programs and workforce will be protected, can grow to meet the challenges of Nevada’s growth, and provide living wage jobs for working Nevadans—which benefits all of us.

Thank you again to Speaker Frierson and Chair Flores, and to the Nevada legislative members who sponsored and support this important bill.

Chart the Course: Educating Washoe County Students and Families About Earn-While-You-Learn College Opportunities

U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto stops by the Northern Nevada building trades booth to chat with Dian VanderWell and Rob Benner at Chart the Course.

So many students flounder trying to find their way through college and into a rewarding career. Many of them end up unemployed or under-employed after graduation, often saddled with thousands in student debt. And we now know that this generation’s massive collective student debt has had repercussions on our economy that we’ll feel for decades to come. Educating Nevada’s students about debt-free, earn-while-you-learn opportunities for good-paying jobs in growing career fields is more important now than ever.

U.S. Senator Cortez Masto and Rob Benner, business representative for the Building & Construction Trades Council of N. Nevada.

Thank you to the University of Nevada—Reno for hosting Chart the Course, an event for Washoe County middle- and high-school students and their families to explore a variety of education and career paths, including careers in the high-tech building trades. We loved having the opportunity to speak with Washoe County students and parents about our registered paid apprenticeship programs—a college education that pays students to learn!—and the limitless and varied career opportunities that exist today in the in-demand building and construction industry.

We’d also like to thank Truckee Meadows Community College and the Washoe County School District’s Career & Technical Education (CTE) program, and a special shout-out and thank you to Nevada’s U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto for stopping by, and for her support of registered apprenticeships and the Nevada building trades!

BCTNN's Rob Benner and IBEW Local 401's Michelle Abel talk workforce development and good jobs on the Cheri Hill Show

Trade union representatives Rob Benner and Michelle Abel talk about the new landscape of construction jobs with Cheri Hill. Image courtesy of the Cheri Hill Show.

Two champions of the Northern Nevada building trades—Michelle Abel, journeyman electrician and union organizer at IBEW Local 401, and Rob Benner, business representative at the Building & Construction Trades Council of Northern Nevada—sat down with local radio host Cheri Hill on Thursday, February 14 to talk shop about local construction growth, the changing definition of higher education, what career success really means, and why skilled workforce development is critical to the future of our region.

“If we can’t build it, they can’t come,” said Benner of the skilled workforce shortage that stands to put the brakes on unprecedented growth in the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area. “It doesn’t matter how attractive Nevada is to business, it doesn’t matter what incentives we offer—if we can’t build the facilities these companies need, they won’t be able to move here. And if they can’t move here, then we don’t get the data center jobs, we don’t get the advanced manufacturing jobs.”

Filling that need requires educating everyone from graduating high school students to parents and educators to local community and political leaders to the job-seeking public about paid apprenticeship programs in local building and construction trades, most of which allow apprentices to earn free college credits—even full associate degrees—while in the program, but without the burden of student debt that often comes with higher education.

Listen to the full interview (26 minutes)

Jerry David, IBEW Local 401 brother and community leader, will be missed

The Northern Nevada building trades community extends its deepest condolences to the loved ones of IBEW 401 brother and former business manager Jerry David and his wife of 52 years, Sherri, who were found dead in their south Reno home last month.

Jerry David was initiated into the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 401 on March 6, 1958, and served the IBEW community for a total of 61 years—from his apprenticeship with Acme Collins Electric to his retirement as Local 401 business manager in 1999 at the age of 62. He later served as the president of the Reno Rodeo, of which he and Sherri had been long-time members.

Union, community, and business leaders remember Mr. David for his generosity in leadership, his drive and commitment to his work, and his ability to bridge connections in the labor and management community. He had strong and long-lasting relationships with area contractors, and his impact on IBEW and the local building and construction trades—and the greater Reno-Sparks community—won’t be forgotten.

Build a great career while helping us build the #NewNevada

Heads up, job seekers: Here's your opportunity to kick-start a great new career in the building and construction trades. Paid training, good wages and benefits, and an awesome group of people to work with on interesting projects around Reno-Sparks.

Stop by 570 Reactor Way in Reno to pick up an application for a free orientation, or call 775-856-0169 for more information. Women encouraged to apply!

As automation tech threatens hospitality and manufacturing Nevada jobs, the construction industry booms

“In general, the more skilled the labor and geographically-varied the worksites, the more protected the job. The construction industry has certainly become more high-tech and will continue to do so—jobs that were considered mostly manual labor even a decade ago are looking a lot more like engineering today—yet construction is still considered to be one of the industries least at risk for automation. Too many variables and situation-specific issues make it a poor candidate for job-bots (who really like predictability!), and things like mobility and manual dexterity are still the prime domain of humans, and the construction industry relies heavily on both of those. So it’s good news for Nevada that construction and development are one of the most robust sectors of our economy.”

Read more at ThisIsReno.com. (paywall)

National Apprenticeship Week Builds Awareness for Workforce Training and Job Opportunities in Northern Nevada

It’s been an exciting year for the Northern Nevada building and construction trades, and last week—#NationalApprenticeshipWeek—was certainly the pinnacle, as we welcomed proclamations from Washoe County and the cities of Reno and Sparks officially recognizing November 12-18 as National Apprenticeship Week, hosted hundreds of future tradeswomen at the 2018 Building Women Career Fair, and had a great time celebrating our 90th anniversary at Fantasies in Chocolate. Let’s recap!

NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP WEEK RECOGNIZED IN NORTHERN NEVADA

N.A.W. has been recognized in several other cities across the U.S. since 2015, and this year we’re excited and honored to add the cities of Reno and Sparks and Washoe County to that list, as all three issued proclamations officially recognizing November 12-18 as National Apprenticeship Week. We thank the members of Reno City Council, Sparks City Council, and the Washoe County Commission for their vision and leadership in making this important recognition for local workforce training programs.

THE 2018 BUILDING WOMEN CAREER FAIR

On Friday, November 16 we co-sponsored this career fair built for women of all ages with our apprenticeship recruitment partners at the Northern Nevada Apprenticeship Coordinator’s Association (NNACA). Hundreds of young women filled the TMCC Pennington Applied Technology Center to learn about building and construction trade apprenticeship opportunities, hear from local tradeswomen, and even experience hands-on and via virtual reality what it’s like to weld pipe, construct a frame, and paint a wall.

We’d like to thank Truckee Meadows Community College for hosting us, and the Nevada Office of Workforce Innovation (OWINN) and the Nevada Chapter of Associated General Contractors for co-sponsoring the event.

A shout out to members of the Sheet Metal Workers Local 26, UA Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 350, Painters and Allied Trades Local 567, NV Energy, Heat and Frost Insulators Local 16, Laborer’s Local 169, TMCC’s welding department, the Operating Engineers Local 3, and IBEW Local 401, BuildNV, the Northern Nevada Literacy Council, Wells Fargo, the Community Services Agency (CSA), the International Code Council, and Sierra Nevada Job Corp for running booths and exhibits to give participants a well-rounded look at career opportunities in advanced construction and the high-tech trades.

Finally, a very special thank you to our local tradeswomen—Anita Eveland from the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 350, Jessica Collins from the Heat + Frost Insulators Local 16, Jolene DeLisa from the Laborers Local 169, Nicole Perez from IBEW 401, and Nanette Quitt from NV Energy—for coming out to talk to, share stories with, and inspire the next generation of tradeswomen in Northern Nevada.

FANTASIES IN CHOCOLATE

We celebrated Reno’s 150th birthday, and our 90th anniversary, at the 2018 Fantasies in Chocolate fundraiser at the Grand Sierra on Saturday evening, November 17. We were excited to be a part of this legendary fundraiser for the Reno Gazette-Journal Foundation, and our members got to work right away building what we don’t mind saying was likely the most unique and eye-catching booth in the history of Fantasies in Chocolate. 👍 🛠

We had a great time talking to folks about our work in the community and our paid apprenticeship programs, and handing out (and eating) some seriously delicious chocolate chip + peppermint cookies from Rounds Bakery. Many thanks to Rounds, and to Artkore in Las Vegas for printing up some fun giveaways, and to RGJ for inviting us. It was a great way to celebrate 90 years devoted to training, advancing, and supporting the men and women who build Northern Nevada.

Indeed, it’s been a great year for our building trades, and we’re using that energy and momentum to build a number of new programs and initiatives in 2019. Stay tuned!