Working To Keep You Safe by Chris Brennan
With the COVID outbreak upon us, along restrictions not seen in over 100 years, all of our members must adhere to strict protocol when working so we can all get back home safely to our families every day. The more we work together cooperatively, the faster we can get back to doing what we do best, like working hard at community development meetings fighting for union projects.
Developing relationships with trade schools and veterans programs to ensure we are getting the best qualified apprentices for our future are the two most important things we do here. Full employment allows us to do just that. If someone from the District Council reaches out to you to attend a development meeting in your community, please make every effort to come out and speak on behalf of your community/ union. The local voice is always the voice that will push a project one way or another.
Since the shutdown and the subsequent return to work, DC 35 has been a leader among the building trades. Under the direction of BM/ST Jeff Sullivan, we have been on the sites working with the general contractors to ensure clean job sites, creating standards in our industry to help get through this pandemic. In several instances, we’ve decided to pull our members out where we’ve found jobs not adhering to protocol. Changes were made, and the workforce was restored. Brothers and Sisters, we swing a heavy hammer when we work together! Set the tone on your job site and at your company! Command clean and safe job sites for you and fellow members, and if you’re not getting what you should, MAKE THE CALL! We will be there.
Our Substance Use Disorder/Suicide Prevention course continues to move along in our first year. It has been an absolute pleasure working with Mike Moreschi & Jim McCann on this venture. The class continues to evolve, and I am looking forward to seeing this through. By midMarch, we had reached almost all 300+ of our apprentices with both legs of our training and addiction awareness followed by mental health and suicide prevention. As we progress with this course, we will be adding additional training for our trainers to enhance the curriculum and start our follow-up conversations with all who have completed the course. Please understand that your union is working hard to provide our members and their families with the resources and knowledge needed to tackle this serious issue.
OUR RECOVERY MEETINGS ARE RUNNING STRONG EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 7PM AT THE UNION HALL IN ROSLINDALE. STOP IN IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A HAND OR WILLING TO OFFER A HAND! IF YOU OR SOMEONE IN YOUR FAMILY ARE STRUGGLING WITH ADDICTION OR MENTAL HEALTH, PLEASE CALL ME AT 617-971-7736 FOR A CONFIDENTIAL CONVERSATION. LOOK FOR SEVERAL ADDITIONAL PHONE NUMBERS IN THE NEXT NEWSLETTER ISSUE, AS WE ARE GROWING OUR RECOVERY COMMUNITY BY INVESTING IN EDUCATION FOR SEVERAL OF OUR MEMBERS
