Tag: plumbing

Your Plumbing System – Post Covid 19

After attending my fifth online conference/meeting/webinar the other day, the last one I logged on to was a Webinar provided by #IAPMO dealing with what effect would the workplace shutdowns have on vacant or close to vacant facilities. I think that this is very timely with everyone hoping that we can get back to work in near future.

I am sure that you can go to the IAPMO website to watch this informative webinar again. Representing Plumbers and Pipefitters throughout New England these workers and their contractors are aware of the dangers that lurk in stagnant water systems. Boston is a hotspot and almost most of the commercial operations have been empty for what may be now just around six weeks.image

Stagnant water systems may promote the growth of Legionella in systems that sit. Water temperatures in systems have risen due to just the ambient temperature of the building. These temperatures may now be approaching the danger zone for the growth of theses  dangerous organisms.

One of the presenters Dr. Janet Stout, an infectious disease specialist dealing with legionella, provides a very user friendly understanding of the way it grows and the potential for it in the building plumbing system. I think you are starting to get the understanding that wholesale flushing of the systems may be in order to safely reopen a building.

Tom Bigley, Director of the World Plumbing Council as well as the Director of Plumbing for the United Association, provides a really good roadmap for what really people should be thinking about in respect to this. A great point Tom made was that the general public needs to understand that Plumbing and Mechanical systems are designed for flow and use, not sitting Therefore the systems need to be moving.

Throughout New England the more densely populated areas have seen the most cases but much of the area has been part of a stay at home policy. So all property owners need to do an assessment of their plumbing and mechanical systems going forward. Larger properties may in fact have a water management plan, smaller places may not but commonsense should rule the day. IAPMO has a great tip sheet on their website that can show the way to address the concerns of reopening a system.

Across New England United Association members and their contractors are ready to assist property owners as they begin to navigate the new normal that is living with COVID-19. If you need a contractor to assist you, please visit http://nepipetrades.org/index.aspx.

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The Story About Equal Pay Day That You Wont Hear About

Today, April 2nd, 2019 is Equal Pay Day and I wanted to share with you something about my business that you probably have never heard about. I have read no less than a half-dozen articles today about the fact that women make eighty cents to every dollar a man makes. http://www.forbes.com/sites/shelleyzalis/2019/04/02/equal-pay-day-2019-how-to-close-the-wage-gap-for-good/

As Business Manager of the Boston Plumbers Union, and a member for over thirty years, I have never known of a woman member that did not get paid what their male counterparts made.

We all went through an apprenticeship together, worked our way up through the business together, became duly licensed by the state together. All the way through apprenticeship and on to becoming a journeyman there was pay parity. Yes, it’s because we belong to a union.

Over those thirty plus years the ranks of women have continued to grow especially over the past ten years. Yes, the pay structure has been around in a male dominated industry for many years but as women have become more and more commonplace in the industry there was never any thought to pay women anything less than what the contract provided or what the men made.

At a recent meeting with some of the women of Local 12 we talked about many issues but the one issue that never came up is pay equity. I was compelled to write this because there is IMG_6748 ladiesno media outlet that seems to want to let anyone know that parts of the labor movement is paying dividends for all working people.

Needless to say that the Building Trades can be a misunderstood entity at times, we have always tried our best to be sure that its equal pay for equal work. The reasoning being, that we all came into this together trained and moved up together. Pretty basic concept I think.

So on this years Equal Pay Day, for those that find this thing kind of important, not only do the Union Plumbers in the Boston area make the same pay so do all of our counterparts throughout the rest of the Boston Building Trades.

For that, I’m proud.

 

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When Fire Hits, Whats in the Smoke

June 28th, 2017 6:30 PM

As I sat in my office this afternoon in Dorchester I could hear fire truck after fire truck going by the office on Massachusetts Ave. Knowing that something was going on we found out there was a major fire at a project under construction in the 1900 block of Dorchester Ave.

Hearing that the fire had reached 6 alarms in a short time I could only think that I was in that building just over a week ago. Members of Plumbers Local 12 have been on that job for about a year and thankfully were not on the site today. The building was just about finished.

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Impressive gas meter installation at Ashmont Tire Project

As I started to get pictures of the fire texted to me I thought about the smoke that I was looking at. I was thankful to see our friend Boston Fire Commissioner Joe Finn saying that it was a job for them fighting the fire from the outside of the building. As of 6:25 pm thankfully there has been no injuries reported

As the firefighters fought the blaze from the high ladders I also thought about all of the PVC that had been installed in the building. When that product burns it turns into cyanide gas. Under more perfect conditions if the sprinkler system was working in an occupied building the fire may have been contained to its original source area.

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View of the gas piping from the parking garage at job at the Ashmont Tire project

However in this case where the building is burning out of control with no sprinklers the firefighters/neighbors are getting some dose of hazardous material sent their way. Speaking with the leadership of the firefighters union we agree on the terrible toll that cancer has taken on their ranks.

In a state like Massachusetts we should not be looking to increase materials like PVC, in any way shape or form in building construction, not just because of the fact that the firefighters are exposed to the smoke, but to the chemical exposure to the plumbers and other tradesman that have to install these materials for a living.

It’s really too bad that the fire happened at this site today because it was another great plumbing job done by the E M Duggan Company and reflected the great workmanship of the men and women of Plumbers Local 12.

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Plumbing is Great Industry in MA

I just left the annual Massachusetts PHCC trade show in Marlboro MA. This show continues to showcase what a great industry we have here. Plumbers and apprentices from across the state come to interact with the suppliers of basically anything that has to do with the business.

This year we, Plumbers Local 12 was the proud sponsor of the very popular code seminar put on by the Massachusetts State Plumbing Board. At least 700 people filled the conference room to exchange ideas, concerns, and to get clarification on a host of issues. Chairman Paul Kennedy did a great job answering or getting the right person to answer whatever the audience timg_2980hrew at them

The important take away is the fact that a strong license and a strong code is the key to keeping the plumbing industry here a great business not only for the license holders but the consumers as well.

Congratulations to all at the MAPHCC on another great show.

 

 

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Plumbers Local 12 Recognizes National Apprenticeship Week

This week, November 14th through 20th 2016 is National Apprenticeship Week. At Plumbers Local 12 in Boston every week is apprenticeship week. There is no better trained plumbers in eastern Massachusetts than the ones at Local 12.

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Layout class led by Instructor Darren MacDonald

Just this week in our day school program we have first year, second year, and third year apprentices doing everything from academic classes to shop classes. Classes from Use and Care of tools, Plumbing Code as well training in the latest layout and co ordination technologies have been going on every day.

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Local 12 Instructor Gregg Peterson, teaching Use and Care of Tools

Plumbers Local 12 has almost 200 apprentices in our apprenticeship program working in shops that range in size from 2 employees to some that have in excess of 300 plumbers and apprentices. It is imperative that we supply the most highly skilled and well rounded mechanics in the industry to support our contractors.

Apprenticeship is a proven method of skills training that goes back hundreds of years. The plumbing trade is no different. Our apprentices do 1200 hours of training in our program almost double what the Massachusetts laws require for training. “All of this training pays off for us because when an apprentice does an apprenticeship here they are embarking on a journey that will require them to be the best” says Rick Carter Local 12 Training Director.

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First year apprentices brazing in the shop, led by Instructor Joe Kyne

“Plumbing is a career” says Harry Brett, Business Manager of the Boston Plumbers Union, “we do not provide jobs we provide careers and a rock solid foundation is the success to that career”. So as the nation recognizes Apprenticeship Week we at Local 12 live it every week and are committed to continue the fine tradition of Apprenticeship.

 

 

 

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Out With The Old

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On May 13th Plumbers Local 12 in Boston graduated their first apprentice class in two years. These new journeyman plumbers have raised the bar for what an apprentice class should be.

After five years of attending a program that started out at night and finished as a day program they sang the praises of their training. They also represented the changes that Local 12 has been championing. There were commercial, residential, and service apprentices graduating together.

Also in this class were three apprentices that competed in national apprentice competitions. One in Connecticut, one in Ann Arbor, Michigan,and one in Hollywood, Florida. These apprentices were so inclined to participate because of their confidence in the training they received at Local 12s training facility by our instructors.

One of the most important jobs that the plumbers union has is to provide the best trained apprentices and plumbers the industry has to offer. There is nothing else like this in regard to training in Massachusetts. Now with a special attention to all wood frame construction with 12R we are training to all aspects of the residential industry. Not that we weren’t before before but we are in it to win it.

We also have our focus on service as well. All apprentices take part in service training but the ones actually doing it train with the journeyman as well. That along with quarterly in service training with the vendors of the industry puts us head and shoulders above everyone else.

The day school also brought some unsolicited comments from the class. Class President Danny Palimeri spoke about how their personal relationships changed after they went to day school. “When we started at night we were acquaintances but once we started day school we all became very close.” For me that compliment was confirmation that day school is the way to go. “We were supportive of each other to make sure that everyone was getting whatever the teachers threw at us” said Danny.

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Class President Danny Palimeri addresses over 200 people that attended the graduation at Venezia Restaurant in Dorchester, MA. 

Some that read this may not appreciate that trade training is that important, but when you put in five years and over eleven hundred hours of training this group of new journeymen will forever consider themselves Local 12 Class of 2016! Congratulations!

 

 

 

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They just do commercial……

 

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If you look on a clear day from a high spot on the Massachusetts – New Hampshire border or from the west on a hill in Worcester County or from a high spot near Foxboro you can see the great Boston skyline.

From many a plumbers perspective that are not members, thats where most of the members of Plumbers Local 12 work. Building or servicing large commercial projects. We know thats not true. But there is something really great happening in the Local. A place for residential plumbers.

What I mean by residential plumbers is the men and woman that are out in the suburbs everyday building those local skylines, thinking that Local 12 has nothing for them. As the building boom continues through out the Greater Boston area plumbers and apprentices need to know there is a place here for you.

Yes, if you are contractor you can access the same types of benefits that you may have thought were unattainable for your loyal workers. For the plumbers and apprentices there is the access to the benefits and free training that the Local has always provided. The one thing that we all have in common is that plumbing is our Career. Lets make the most of it together.

We have created a new division that makes this affordable. For Real. Its all about cost and we know that what we have done is in line with whats going on in all parts of eastern Massachusetts.

I can’t tell you how excited I am about this opportunity and I want to encourage any sole proprietor, small shop, developer or any one interested to call the office and get the correct information.

Our business development representatives will be all over eastern Massachusetts visiting job sites this spring and summer spreading the word so we look forward to talking with you.

Remember, plumbing is our career, making the best of it includes being able to provide health insurance for our families and retirement benefits for ourselves. We look forward to talking to you.

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Where is the shortage of new plumbers?

As I write this blog applications to Plumbers Local 12’s apprenticeship program have just concluded. This year we have over four hundred applicants vying for approximately thirty positions. This flies in the face of what I hear is a shortage of people people entering the plumbing business in Massachusetts.

Maybe there is a difference between a job in plumbing and a career in plumbing. Local 12 has always given all applicants an interview and one thing we hear from them is that people are looking for a career. A place where they will be able to get health insurance and accrue retirement benefits during and after their career is done.

Maybe its the training that Local 12 provides apprentices as well as journeymen throughout their careers that provide them them many opportunities to work for the different contractors while maintaining the highest pay and best benefits in the industry.

Local 12 is a proud membership organization that wants its members to succeed all during their careers as plumbers. With at least sixty percent of Americans with almost no savings (according to an article in Boston Agent Magazine by Tom Ricci) these applicants have figured out that union benefits are a good thing and applying to the union training program is the way to go. No wonder over four hundred people have applied.

Plumbers Local 12 is about careers not jobs.

 

 

 

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Water, what if there was none

Water, as a plumber it comes as no surprise that I think about it quite a bit. As a matter of fact I have been thinking about it a lot lately. The lack of it in certain parts of the country have me really concerned. Turning on my faucet and not having anything come out is almost inconceivable.

That seems to be the case in California these days and why the news does not pay more attention or devote more time to this is beyond me. A few years back there was another troubling drought situation in Georgia which seems to have corrected itself, thankfully. Recently the PIVOT Network just had a lot of programming around World Water Day.

Here in the greater Boston area there seems to be ample supply of water. Seven feet of snow and a very slow melt hopefully will replenish the reservoirs and aquifers for the upcoming summer. But looking at it from a plumbers point of view it is a commodity that is taken for granted.

When looking at California I become concerned that over the next fifty years this may happen here but more importantly it is an issue that will pit people against other people. Water wars seem like something out of the old west but if some have it and some do not, then watch out. We need to, at a time when we can, try to come up with ways to save water.

Plumbers Local 12 is a leader in water reuse technology. Our plumbers and apprentices receive hands on training in water re-use technology in our state of the art training facility. The Greater Boston area has numerous locations where plumbers have installed these water saving technologies. We have buildings that recover rainwater and reuse it for the flushing of toilets and irrigation. we also have full sewage treatment systems that employ grey water for some of the same purposes. At Gillette Stadium and Mall one such systems exits. as a mater of fact i have always suspected that this system would be used also as a source of water to help economic development near the stadium.

As we see the installation of these system increase one has to wonder when these types of reuse systems will be used in single family homes. it is my understanding that in places like Australia, where drought has been an issue, that many individual homes have at minimum a rainwater collection system. Did anyone know that for every inch of rain that falls on a one thousand sq. ft. roof, six hundred gallons of water can be collected. Over the course of a season that can add up to a lot of water. I think it would make a lot of sense to start to encourage this. This along with many other breakthroughs in technology will provide more work in the Green Economy.

Thinking of six hundred gallons, a visual could be having almost eleven fifty-five gallon drums. To someone in California today that most likely looks like liquid gold and it should as water means life. For something as important as water the technology has been slow to come. ROI on solar thermal has lagged behind compared to the PV panels and desalinization is tremendously costly and uses much energy. As a matter of fact some plants have been built and been taken off-line as water supplies returned to certain areas. Hopefully the new one in San Diego will provide product as well as complement their existing systems when adequate supplies return.

Soon the Environmental League of Massachusetts will have something on the Boston Globe editorial page that speaks to jobs in the Green Economy. Massachusetts being somewhat of a progressive state should embrace these technologies and support solid legislation that addresses water conservation through smart energy policy.

The Plumbers Union is ready to work!

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Hello All!

Good Morning, My name is Harry Brett and I am from the Plumbers Union in Boston. Known as Local 12 we have over 1700 members and its my goal to be able to share with you the many great things about the local, its members, and the plumbing industry in general.

I really look forward to writing my (many) thoughts about this great industry and expose to any plumbers that have chosen plumbing as a career that to have it truly fulfilling, you belong here.

Thanks, and as I get beyond this first post (hopefully i can find it somewhere) i will post pics and make it as interesting as i can.

Thanks for reading,

Harry

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