OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - Ironworker and Contractor leadership attending the Iron Workers/Ironworker Management Progressive Action Cooperative Trust (IMPACT) regional meeting in Tulsa, Okla., last week came away with a better understanding of harassment and discrimination issues in the construction industry thanks to a special training seminar conducted by Kristina Hillman of Weinberg, Roger & Rosenfeld, a law firm based out of Alameda, Calif.
“Twenty-first century Ironworkers don’t look much like they did in 1896 when the Iron Workers International was founded,” said Dave Bennett, IMPACT Management Co-Chair for the region. “I believe the addition of harassment and discrimination training to our already stellar technical training programs is an important step in advertising the fact that the Iron Workers is a diverse, modern institution with an equally diverse brain trust driving our organizational innovation.” Bennett is the owner of 31-year-old Bennett Steel, Inc., a steel erector and fabricator based in Sapulpa, Okla.
“Ironworkers are committed to inclusion, diversity and safety,” said Marvin Ragsdale, IMPACT Labor Co-Chair. “Harassment and discrimination issues are facts of life in the 21st century, as is safety, and we are paying particular attention to addressing both these issues through meetings like this.”
More than 30 industry officials attended the Tulsa meeting, which also included discussions on vital construction industry safety issues and other IMPACT training programs. One attendee was impressed at the job-creation and training initiatives the Iron Workers and IMPACT sponsor “both for the men in the field and the companies they work for.”
Each year IMPACT holds meetings—called a Regional Advisory Board (RAB) meeting—in each of 13 administrative regions, where it manages programs designed to create jobs for Ironworkers and Contractors.
For Contractors, IMPACT offers a buffet of programs, including free construction bidding software, web design assistance and leadership and communication classes, among others. For Ironworkers, IMPACT funds Iron Worker apprenticeship and training, in addition to unique upgrading classes, such as Foreman Training, Superintendent Training and a never-before-offered Shop Supervisor Training program for fabrication shop leadership.
About IMPACT (www.impact-net.org):The Ironworker Management Progressive Action Cooperative Trust (IMPACT) is an independent labor-management partnership designed to create work opportunities in the North American ironworking industry. Our primary mission is to provide a forum for Ironworkers and signatory contractors to discuss effective strategies to expand job opportunities through innovative labor-management cooperative programs. IMPACT provides expertise in training, construction certifications, marketing, construction project tracking and bidding, insurance and Davis-Bacon compliance efforts. IMPACT also administers a world-class substance abuse program to ensure that Ironworkers are safe, drug-free and ready to work.