VANCOUVER, B.C. - There certainly wasn’t a shortage of praise for IMPACT at the trust’s inaugural Canadian meeting in Vancouver on Oct. 19, 2011:
“The key behind IMPACT is labor management—that cooperation, that communication,” said Walter Wise, General President of the Iron Workers Union and IMPACT’s Labor Co-Chair, as he opened the meeting.
“All of our North American regions are important, and we want to provide Canada the same hands-on attention we give to our IMPACT regions in the United States through a new IMPACT Canadian Regional Director,” Wise explained. IMPACT employs regional directors for the east, the midwest and the west, who serve as the primary points of contact for IMPACT services and grants in the U.S. The new Canadian Regional Director will be the trust’s fourth and will be dedicated to servicing the Canadian district councils and contractors.
“IMPACT is really now a North American initiative. Because we really are a North American ironworking industry,” chimed in Bill Brown, president of Ben Hur Construction Company in St. Louis, Mo., and IMPACT’s Management Co-Chair.
“IMPACT offers us access to an amazing array of programs and services,” praised Darrell LaBoucan, District Council President of Western Canada and IMPACT Labor Co-Chair for the region. “A Regional Director will be our gateway to a set of programs tailored to our needs.”
“Communication between ironworkers and contractors is crucial to our success as an industry, and IMPACT leads the way,” added Ross Frazer, Western Canada’s Labor Co-Chair.
In short, IMPACT represents a united North American labor-management organization aimed to achieve the mission of MORE JOBS, MORE IRONWORKERS, MORE CONTRACTORS, MORE CUSTOMERS! Nearly 20,000 Ironworkers hail from Canada—or about 16% of the active union membership.
“The key behind IMPACT is a better relationship with contractors,” Wise explained to ironworkers and contractors at the Vancouver meeting. “It’s really up to all of us to develop what is necessary in Canada—what is going to give you the best opportunity to grow.” He added that while business practices may differ between the two North American neighbors, our final goal is the same: Double market share over the next ten years to improve the well-being of both Ironworkers and their partner contractors.
So what does IMPACT’s Canadian rollout really mean for the 20,000 men and women at our 25 Canadian locals and their contractors? In brief, under the Iron Workers’ Constitutional mandate approved during the Union’s August 2011 Convention, all outside local unions in North America will begin paying three-fourths of a percent into the IMPACT trust, to be implemented when their local’s current collective bargaining agreement is renegotiated. In addition, shop locals will contribute three-eighths of a percent to IMPACT. In return, they receive full access to IMPACT’s comprehensive products and services, including training grants, educational materials, safety programs, communications, marketing tools and project tracking systems, among others.
A handful of shop owners expressed concern that IMPACT is only for outside locals and doesn’t apply to them. “These are legitimate questions, but our grant and training development will meet any and all needs. Just open up your imagination,” said IMPACT CEO Eric Waterman.
“IMPACT’s list of resources is one-of-a-kind in the construction industry,” Waterman added. “Ironworkers or contractors who have questions about our products and services are welcome to call our offices and speak to one of our excellent staff members, or visit our recently overhauled website,” he said.
Kevin Hilton, Executive Assistant to the CEO at IMPACT, reviewed a variety of other programs—TWIC cards, training grants, wind turbine training and project tracking systems for both contractors and local unions. “If you have questions, we’ll find answers for you. Our job is to improve the dialogue between ironworkers and contractors, so we need to spread useful information all around to as many people as we can,” he said.
Hilton echoed Wise, Brown and Waterman: “IMPACT represents the change we need to survive. If you don’t like change, you’re going to hate extinction!”
Lee Worley, the Executive Director of Apprenticeship and Training, was on the agenda to talk about how the National Training Fund’s (NTF) programs aim to benefit Canadian locals. “Standardized training makes our ironworkers more efficient and much safer.” He added that IMPACT completely funds the NTF and provides award-winning training materials, including the extremely popular Foreman Pocket Guide. In short, Ironworker training wouldn’t exist at all without IMPACT’s support.
Steve Rank, Executive Director of Safety and Health for the Iron Workers took the stage next. “Walt Wise has issued a mandate: there will be no on-the-job ironworker fatalities in 2012. We’ve begun the Countdown to Zero campaign in 2012 to fulfill General President Wise’s goal,” Rank said. Safety standardization, rigorous training and attention to detail are going to keep our brothers and sisters safe,” he added. “Any fatality is absolutely unacceptable.”
Rank’s safety presentation also highlighted the “deadly dozen ironworking hazards” as he discussed how the NTF and IMPACT’s standardized training procedures and focus on safety reduces injuries and fatalities.
Later, Bill Brown shared the excitement over IMPACT’s recently launched Low-Density Contractor College Program (LDCC), which aims to give ironworkers the tools to start their own union contracting firms in low-density regions. The program also offers courses to existing contractors for skills upgrading. “You’ll have access to special programs like these,” he said, explaining that more than fifty percent of contractors are also ironworkers. The first set of classes will be held this fall as a series of online video presentations. IMPACT received more than 100 applications to join the LDCC.
“If you think our LDCC program is creative, you’ll be wowed by all the other services we offer,” CEO Waterman added.
This innovation is only the tip of the iceberg, because IMPACT’s programs are not static. In fact, IMPACT has recently begun to focus on online marketing and unified marketing plans to trumpet the International’s success in the way of safety, training and a highly skilled work force on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Brennan Gamwell, Communications Specialist, discussed the value of member engagement through social media, online press releases and a focus on video. “Potential apprentices who are 19, 20, 21 and 22 will go to Facebook and YouTube first to learn about us. So let’s put information about training, apprenticeship and job expectations online where young people are going to look for the Iron Workers,” he said.
Dave Fuson introduced Canadian contractors and local union representatives to IMPACT Trac and IMPACT Direct, IMPACT’s project tracking software. “Project tracking software allows local unions and contractors to view jobs in their area at any point in the project lifecycle. IMPACT Direct provides access to non-industrial jobs, and IMPACT Trac displays information on industrial jobs,” Fuson said. “We offer IMPACT Direct at no charge to the user, and we offer a special discount for IMPACT Trac. Signup is all available on our website.”
There’s no shortage of creativity here.
“We simply wouldn’t be here…if IMPACT wasn’t working,” Wise announced at the end of the meeting. IMPACT, he explained, is the key to our survival and prosperity.
Wise went on: “It’s an issue of fairness, when we look at what it provides as far as training, as far as safety, as far as marketing, we do that all over. When everybody gets on board, everybody participates. That’s how our industry grows.”
“IMPACT is spot on,” Darrell LaBoucan said. “We look forward to developing programs tailored to Canada and working closely with the IMPACT staff.”
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