Ielmini talks Federal Mechanical Insulation Act and Construction Safety Week on national pro-union podcast
Insulators International Staff — Thu, Apr 25, 2024 @ 16:04 PM
Pete Ielmini, Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust Executive Director, appeared on The America’s Work Force Union Podcast and gave an update on the Federal Mechanical Insulation Act and Construction Safety Week.
The podcast started off with Ielmini telling AWF host Ed “Flash” Ferenc about the NABTU Legislative Conference that took place and credited President Biden for all he has done to benefit union labor.
“The construction trades right now are booming,” Ielmini said. “We have a lot of projects that are currently being worked on and we have a lot of massive projects coming up in the future, mainly because of the actions of President Biden.”
Over the next 10 years, the various chip and manufacturing plants under construction and the numerous infrastructure projects will impact the building trades significantly.
Ielmini said the building trades are already talking about how they are going to manage the labor needed when all these construction projects begin.
“We are still trying to encourage more people to get involved in the building trades,” Ielmini said.
Ielmini then told Ferenc why it’s important for building trades members to have the ability to sit down with their elected representatives while they are in D.C. for the NABTU Conference and speak about the important issues in their industry.
Talking with elected representatives is an important process in gathering support and co-sponsors for legislation important to the Insulators Union.
“Our lobbying team does a wonderful job of making the connections and giving me the opportunity to educate the congressman and congresswoman on the importance of mechanical insulation,” Ielmini said.
The Federal Mechanical Insulation Act currently has 42 cosponsors, but Ielmini is hopeful the list will be up to at least 60 within the next few weeks. The more cosponsors the bill gets, the higher the chance it has of passing.
“We really want to overwhelm the representatives with the bipartisan support,” Ielmini said. “We have our Democratic friends supporting us and we have been making new friends with the Republicans.”
According to Ielmini, there has not been any pushback from either Democrat or Republican representatives.
“This is what the Federal Mechanical Insulation Act is able to do,” Ielmini said. “I’m looking forward to bringing our union leaders up to Capitol Hill. It really is a fun event and it’s an educational process that I wish more people could experience.”
Construction Safety Week
The interview ended with Ielmini talking about Construction Safety Week, which is two weeks away.
Ielmini and Ferenc compared the safety procedures from the 80s to now and how construction workers are much safer today thanks to updated OSHA regulations.
“There is always room for improvement when it comes to safety, health and construction,” Ielmini said. “Safety was one of the two founding principles of the formation of the unions over 150 years ago.”
While fatal accidents still happen, the numbers continue to decrease as employers and OSHA regulations continue to help make the construction field safer than it’s ever been, Ielmini added.
Another important focus for the Insulators Union is mental health and making sure members are given the opportunities to work safely both physically and mentally.
“We also have to look at mental wellness and make sure that construction workers have a clear head when they’re working in the field,” Ielmini said. “We’re putting a lot of effort into mental well-being and that has to be included in our progression of construction safety.”
Listen to the full interview here: