Issues and Answers About Journeyman Training and Raises
Meetings of Joint Committee on Journeyman Training/Raise Issues Meeting
August 9, 2013 and November 14, 2013
Attendees: Dan Kwiatkowski, Ted Champ, Steve Knowles, Evan Sutton, Steve Hunter, Paul Nysewander, Mike Berrisford
The committee decided to first identify the issues/problems with implementing the clause in the SUA requiring Journeyman to take 8 hours of training per year to qualify for the raises scheduled for 6/1/13 and beyond. After the issues have been identified the committee will try to resolve each issue.
Issues:
- How will the training being conducted by the contractors be tracked?
- Do Safety Meetings on job sites qualify for the 8 hour requirement?
- If a member doesn’t take training the first year but does in the second year, what pay rate will they be paid at?
- If a member doesn’t take the required training until after the June 1 raise effective date when will the increase go into effect?
- If travelers from other states come to Indiana what pay scale do they fall under? (They may have training from their home area that we are not aware of?)
- How will contractors pay the member if a member doesn’t get the required training but part of the raise is allocated to benefits? (Everyone has to pay the same benefit amounts.)
- How can IMCA help in seeing that this clause is enforced fairly and across the board?
- How can IMCA ensure that all contractors will accept the training that is agreed upon by this joint committee?
- If a member doesn’t get the required training they will be punished by not getting their raise, how will contractors be punished if they don’t administer this clause fairly?
- It seems that everything that has to be monitored or enforced is always left up to the Union. How will IMCA help in enforcing this clause?
- If a member takes only 4 hours of training do they get 50% of the next raise?
- Who will track the training?
- Does this clause apply to Apprentices as well as Journeymen?
- How will members report training they have taken on their own?
- What classes count toward meeting the 8 hour upgrade training requirement?
Resolution: (Click on each of the questions below to reveal the answers.)
A simple reporting form will be developed allowing contractors to report training they conduct to be reported. A certificate or copy of this form could/should be furnished to the member and sent to the apprentice office.
No.
There seemed to be a consensus that if the member doesn’t take training in one year but does in the next that he should be paid at the current wage scale. There was concern that people would work the system so that they could get the current wage rate by waiting until the new year to get 8 hours of upgrade training to get the current wage rate. Several members of the committee said that any member doing this has already been penalized because they were paid at the old rate for an entire year.
Immediately. (Does this mean on the next paycheck or starting with the next pay period?) Consensus, the raise should go into effect the next pay period.
At the lower pay scale until they can prove that they have gotten 8 hours of upgrade training. (If this happens in year four of the contract what wage scale would they be paid at? Do we go all the way back to the 6/1/12 wage scale or the wage scale from the preceding year?) Consensus, the wage scale from the previous year should be used.
The fringe benefit increases will be paid (because they have to be) and those increases will have to be taken off of the member’s paycheck. The fringe benefit increases will be paid (because they have to be) and the member will actually receive a raise to the extent of the benefit increases.
Contractors should consult with their attorneys before determining which approach they want to take.
Besides communicating the decisions and ground rules set down by this Joint Committee to their members the IMCA Board will support enforcement of the ground rules by their participation on the Joint Arbitration Committee.
Besides communicating the decisions and ground rules set down by this Joint Committee to their members the IMCA Board will support enforcement of the ground rules by their participation on the Joint Arbitration Committee.
Besides communicating the decisions and ground rules set down by this Joint Committee to their members the IMCA Board will support enforcement of the ground rules by their participation on the Joint Arbitration Committee.
By IMCA’s continuing participation on this Joint Committee and through decisions handed down by the Joint Arbitration Committee on violations of the training clause of the contract. Monitoring and tracking the upgrade training will be done by the Apprentice Program, a jointly trusted organization funded by contractor/member contributions.
No. The requirement in the contract is that a member must receive 8 hours of training to obtain the next raise. There was a consensus that there would be some leeway here. For example: If a class is supposed to last 8 hours and is finished in 7 ½ hours the committee felt the member should get credit for the 8 hours.
The question was also asked if someone took a 40 hour welding class if that would satisfy their 8 hour training requirement for the next five years. The answer was no. The 8 hour requirement is per year to be taken during the year.
The Apprentice Program seems to be the most logical choice to track the training. The comment was made that the Union was once again responsible for monitoring the program. It was pointed out that the Contractors feel that they are the ones paying for the apprentice program. It was agreed that the apprentice program is a joint program of the Union and Contractors.
It was determined that this clause of the contract should apply to apprentices as well as journeymen. (It was unclear to me whether that meant that the apprentices had to take training in addition to their apprentice classes or not.) The consensus was that apprentices have to take one of the approved classes even if that class isn’t offered as a part of the regular apprentice program curriculum.
If a member takes online or some other type of training they will be responsible for obtaining a certificate of completion and sending a copy to the apprentice office.
| 10 Hour OSHA | Steward Training | Signal & Rigging |
| AAC Block | First Aid | Comet Class |
| Aerial Lift | Foreman I and II | Grout and Flashing |
| Jahn Patch | Refractory Familiarization | CPR |
| Welding | Technical Communications | Flynn Training Center Classes |
| MSHA Class | Target Fund Class | Fall Protection |
| Contract Issues Class |
| Class | Total Hours for Class |
|---|---|
| AAC Block | 4 |
| Aerial Lift | 4.5 |
| Comet | 4 |
| Contractor Issues | TBD |
| First Aid & CPR | 4 or 8 |
| Foreman I & II | 16 Each Class |
| Grout & Flashing | 8 |
| OSHA 10 | 10 (2 Day class) |
| MSHA | 8 |
| Scaffolding | 8 |
| Signal and Rigging | 4 |
| Steward | 4 |
| Target Fund | 4 |
| Welding I & II | 64 |
| ARSC Training | 8 |
| IVY TECH GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSES | |
| Human Relation | 48 |
| Organized Labor History | 48 |
| Personal Financy | 16 |
| Tech Writing in the Workplace | 48 |
| IMI FLYNN TRAINING CENTER CLASSES | |
| Air Barrier / Rain Screen | 40 |
| JAHN | 24 |
| MSHA New Miner | 24 |
| Refractory | 56 |
| Refractory Advanced | 32 |
| TRAIN THE TRAINER | |
| OSHA 510 | 40 |
| OSHA 500 | 40 |
| OSHA 502 | 40 |
| Welding | 112 |
Please contact the apprentice program about adding classes to this list at (219) 525-4443 or via our contact form here.