Back in October, we informed you of a proposed change to the Carpenters’ New York State Department of Labor (NYS DOL) registered apprenticeship training program. The Carpenters are attempting to add training on certain work activities of the electrician involved with solar installations. The position shared by Local Union No. 3, IBEW construction local unions across New York, and signatory NECA contractors is that this training would be duplicative and would undermine our own apprenticeship program.
Thanks in part to more than 160 Local 3 members who filed public comments in opposition to the change with the Apprenticeship & Training Council of the NYS DOL, the Council received over 1,500 letters in total against the change and only 500 in support of the change. More recently, the Council met last week in Midtown Manhattan, and Local 3 had a significant presence including two business representatives, several rank-and-file members, Apprentice Director George Schuck and Associate Apprentice Director George White, and JIB Safety Director Neil Skeahan. Also in attendance were officials from a half dozen IBEW local unions from upstate New York plus NYECA Executive Director Peter Rescigno and signatory contractors. The presence in the room was overwhelmingly composed of IBEW support, and during the open forum section of the meeting several speakers were able to express on the record their opposition to this change, with only one Carpenter training representative speaking in its favor.
Now, the decision to accept or deny this proposed change by the Carpenters is in the hands of Roberta Reardon, the NYS Commissioner of Labor. All of the letters and public comments from the meeting are made part of the official record. It is our hope that Commissioner Reardon will rule in favor of the IBEW's opposition to this change that encroaches on our apprenticeship programs, undermines our training, and puts the safety of both the public and other workers at risk by allowing improperly trained workers from other trades to work on electrical installations like solar.
We will keep you updated with any potential outreach necessary as this issue gets resolved. Thank you again for your support.
